August

Hello, Dear Friends, it's been awhile.....

 

I've been so busy and also trying to deal with our new reality, 

just like all of you. 

Things are a little bit unsettling right now. 

I've been finding solace in my gardens 

and trying to stay busy to take my mind off things. 

 

Roses always fill me with calm and give me hope. 

 

The universal symbol of love and fidelity. 

Life can be so uncertain these days.....

but we must have hope that the angels are watching over us. 

 

We must try very hard to live in grace, 

just like the little bird who sings his solitary melody,

 despite all of the many unbearable hardships of life.

"God appoints our graces to be nurses 

to other men's weaknesses."

-Henry Ward Beecher-

"We're all stumbling towards the light with 

varying degrees of grace at any given moment."

-Bo Lozoff, cofounder of the 

Human Kindness Foundation-

While I ponder the meaning of life :), 

we have been very busy with a few projects 

now that The Mr. has lots of time on his hands.

He does the hard work and I am the helper.

xx 

He has scraped, power-washed and repainted the deck. 

Kai approves. 

He also painted the front steps 

and had 4 cord of firewood delivered.

Stacking it should keep him busy for a while!  

My son brought this firewood that he split, delivered

 and stacked, from a tree he had to remove

on his property. 

xoxo

We usually go through about 5-6 cord a winter, depending 

on how cold it is. 

We also have supplemental electric heat, 

but there is nothing quite like the warmth of a fire

when that old north wind blows. 

I am also excited to show you my new loft bedroom! 

It has taken quite a few years.....

Life has been so full and time to work 

on it was not always available in between. 

Little by little things got done. 

My two sons helped out quite a bit whenever they could. 

I am so grateful for my sweet guys

and all of their hard work. 

Everything was a labor of love. 

I have plans for this corner. 

An armoire and a dressing area. 

The chair is temporary for now. 

The armoire could not fit up the narrow stairs, so 

we need the guys to hoist it over the railing from below. 

I want to paint it a soft gray-green. 

The big window looks out over the front lawn and my hydrangeas. 

This nightstand was the first piece of furniture I bought 

when we built this house. 

The pink suitcase was a wedding gift from my 

dear parents and has followed us everywhere. 

It now holds beloved photographs. 

The chunky knit throw was a gift from my daughter. 

The chandelier from Pottery Barn was once in my kitchen.

 

I bought a matching one for the other side of the room.

Pottery Barn no longer carries this style, so I am glad 

that I bought them a few years ago.

I've been dreaming of this room for so long.  

Kai lies by the stairway opening.  

It's so wonderful to wake up in the morning to 

the beautiful light streaming in through the windows. 

It was all worth the wait. 

xoxo

Now we are working on turning the downstairs

 (our former bedroom) into a library/media room. 

All of my books have been in storage for a very long time. 

I will be so happy to welcome them back home! 

This amazing rose is as big as a dinner-plate. 

Check out the thorns! 

I've been working to keep everything watered, fertilized and 

cared for during these hot, August days. 

Pink Phlox and hydrangea. 

Birds-foot trefoil (the yellow bloom) is 

a wildling. 

Tansy by the tool shed. 

Deer won't bother these. 

They have a sharp, pungent scent and I dry 

the leaves in the fall to make moth repellent sachets. 

Hydrangea below the loft bedroom. 

They hate the hot weather, so I try to keep them hydrated. 

I wonder if their name was derived from that? 

The butterfly bush is very large and rangy but when it blooms there is true magic. 

Every summer the spicy scent drifts throughout the property, 

attracting bees and butterflies and The Mr. and I to bury our faces 

in the 6 to 12 inch blooms. 

These are considered invasive here in Washington State and are no 

longer available in nurseries, so I am grateful that I planted it 

many years ago. 

I am loving these warm days and nights, and for the last two months

have watched the planet Jupiter rise over the mountains every evening. 

Here you can see it directly above Mt. Rainier at dusk. 

Thank you for all of your kindness, 

dear friends and know that you are appreciated 

as you share your sweet thoughts

and valuable insight every time you visit. 

xoxo

"The most important human endeavor is the 

striving for morality in our actions. 

Our inner balance and even our very 

existence depend on it. Only morality

in our actions can give beauty and

dignity to life."

-Albert Einstein-

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