a little flower.

We tend to live according to the seasons and flow with the weather. June is the month of the garden - and so I find myself almost single mindedly focused on it. I almost feel like I must apologize for yet more garden photos!

One of my biggest challenges is fighting the thought that I am "wasting space" with things that are "just pretty". When space is limited I'm tempted to grow only functional, but we need flowers. They attract the pollinators - wasps, bees, hoverflies, butterflies, birds. They smell good. They add color, make the garden look nicer, and they just make people happy. So every year I try to add more of all flowering types. In a small garden like ours even just small splashes of flowers throughout make such a huge difference.


In addition to the purely just pretty things, I like cross functional. Flowering and useful. I can't help it, I'm a Virgo. Throughout all of the beds I have flowering plants which are ALSO edible or medicinal:: sunflowers, nasturtiums, yarrow, toothache plant, feverfew, fenugreek, valerian, mullein, bee balm, anise hyssop, german chamomile, calendula, amaranth, lemon balm, mints, echinacea...and many are planted in a spot because they are companion plants to something else growing there! I get the pretty and the Virgo covered in one swoop.


This week is a beautiful flower week. So many things won't bloom until mid summer, but the early bloomers are always so pretty after so many months of monotone. And even the bushes are blooming!


The first bursts of flowers are always so amazing, aren't they? I can't wait to see it all in bloom.

"Just living is not enough" said the butterfly,
"one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

- Hans Christian Andersen

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on the water.

I know from experience that some of the strongest memories can be from the smallest moments. For me the thoughts of summer evenings brings memories ... of car windows down in the dark and music on the radio ... the smell of campfires and sparks that swirl up into the air ... and probably most strongly, of pink and orange sunsets reflected in water. I have always lived near water and have been drawn to it.

After a very fun but whirlwind week the boys were just done - tired and irritable, bickering, worn out. So we decided to head out for a sunset drive in the hot summer air to get something cold and creamy - and find the water.


We drove, listening to loud music with the windows down, the hot steamy air blowing in, the insects chirping so loudly. As we drove we had glimpses of an orange ball peeking through the trees.


We pulled over into a tiny parking lot, and the boys ran down the hill to see what was down there...we entered a little woodsy opening and came out on an orange beach right as the sun was setting.


The whole lake shimmered in orange and pink and purple. The boys threw rocks, and watched the sun set.



As soon as the sun dipped, clouds of mosquitoes seemed to rise from the ground and surround us, so we held hands and sprinted back up the hill, giggling and racing, to head home - feeling much more grounded and together again. Ready for the week.

G told me, "Some things we remember forever, even if they are little." I agree.

skate park.

Today the boys had their first skateboarding class! They have been looking forward to this for weeks, and even a cool gray rainy morning couldn't dim their enthusiasm.


G's class was first. G was great - he is so graceful he glides in anything requiring balance. The instructor is nice and laid back too (which means we will probably make it through all 3 weeks of the class! ;)).


A's class was next, and even though the sprinkles turned into steady rain, he kept going! You know he likes it when he stays on through that - he is a particular kind of kid. His class ended a bit early with all the wet, but not so early that he didn't get in a few of these...


...you know, the down the ramp sitting on the board - yep, that is him whizzing along feet up in the air. He got so much speed going he made it all the way to the edge of the parking lot! Woo hoo!

They get to go twice a week for a few weeks and they are hoping to improve their skills enough to try some new tricks, learn how to do small ramps, and just feel more comfortable going faster on their boards. Fun!

almost summer.

Even though we have been feeling under the weather with the worst ever spring allergies, we still have had to get out and try to enjoy this summer-like weekend as much as we were able. It has been so hot hoT HOT!


Our long weekend, in between having one day with a sick boy (and me somehow having a never ending migraine for over 4 days now---so tired of allergies!!!!), was full of water blasters, gardening, practice casting into the little pool, sparklers, robin watching and lots of ice cream breaks.


Not to mention haircuts...a haircut for one boy in particular who swore he didn't ever want to cut his hair. Until of course his long dark super thick hair was a bit much in the 90 degree with humidity weather - and then he said CUT IT OFF!


In fact, he liked the cut so much he posed and acted like a rock star. For hours. I can imagine his head feels pounds lighter and SO much cooler. They both look so good with their new styles. And the haircut is much better for the super soaker battles with the neighbor kids - you just towel off and go, no dripping! :)


Hope you all had a great weekend!

scorcher.

We can tell summer is close when everything gets so green and the days turn excruciatingly hot. When the kids on our block pour out into their side yards in the evening to play in the hose (I mean, water the garden), fly down the slip'n'slide, run through the sprinkler or splash in a little pool.


When any yard could have lots of wet happy kids and chatting parents - as neighbors congregate to 'catch up' after not seeing as much of each other over the past 6 months and kids go from yard to yard (and back) playing.


The boys love seeing all the kids and playing in the chilly water. Tomorrow is supposed to be another hot one, but we know just what to do to cool down - and we have enough popsicles for everyone!