spring dreams

Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the spring, to have loved, to have thought, to have done.
   Empedocles on Etna

Everything is in full bloom around here, the most wonderful time of the year! We had a huge pear tree in our front yard growing up, I miss those fluttery petals that covered the ground. Magnolia's are my very favorite, the best part about spring. They always remind me of grandma Nola, she told me that her full name was Esther Mag-Nola, just like that. Magnolia? I'm still not sure. She was quite the character.

I'm waiting to see the total lunar eclipse/blood moon. I totally dreamt of an adult summer camp in space last night, I was all set to go when I remembered that I'm terrified of flying and ended up staying home ha! It's the residuals from never getting to go away to camp or school trips. Except that one time I went with grandma to an inner city camp and learned how to do the butterfly dance and make a tooled leather cuff. It was the most fun.

I hope it's all sunshine wherever you are!

all the pretty flowers..

“We are like roses that have never bothered to bloom when we should have bloomed and it is as if the sun has become disgusted with waiting”

    ―  Bukowski

August already?

This spring and summer has seriously flown by, and produced some of the prettiest flowers I've seen in a long time! I'm thinking it's the milder heat, last summer was such a scorcher they even canceled fireworks because all of the grass was so dry.
 Here is a collection of some favorites this season, most are from my yard!

Luke's grandfather recently left him this old butcher block table that he made himself, along with some pretty gnarly antique butcher knives. The cleaver is horror movie material.

 Ferdinand, my vintage bull cookie jar, made his home amongst the flowers for a while.

We have rows of red orange tulips(pecan/maple syrup scented) in the front of our house, one of my favorite flowers. They always remind me of my grandpa O'Malley's old stone farm cottage. The smell is the most memorable part. I love things that can take me back to a moment in time. I think photographs and sensory memory are the closest to time travel I can get.

I can't believe how old Z's getting, we think she's around 10!

Another favorite, peonies!
The first time I saw a real life peony was in Portland, Oregon a few years ago. We visited the Chinese gardens at the very best time, peony fest! I was surrounded by so many different varieties and perfect specimens, heavenly. I took a million photos to remember but I knew I had to grow some for myself.
 (I'll never forget the pale purple roses at the international rose test garden either)
After being re rooted for a move and spending a few years reestablishing itself this is the very first year my plant's had more than one bloom.
 They were amazing!

Lumen is the most curious cat! 

Pretty purslane, it's edible too!

The multiple never ending blooms of irises and gladiolus amaze me.

I've been concentrating on the kitchen reno mostly, doing the things I've been putting off. There were a few days that I stayed up all night knocking four inches of unsalvageable masonry off one of the walls, exposing some pretty perfect old brick! These walls are triple brick, it's pretty interesting to see the inner workings..how does all of this stay together?!
It's a collection over 10 years in the making, finally getting a proper display! These are progress photos, I'm working out what I want where. I still need to finish and seal the exposed brick. And a million other little things, but it's coming together!

  I always slow down a bit when it gets really hot and it puts me a little behind in general. I can't complain though because my favorite season is just around the corner. I love when the weather cools down. We live in a 150+ yr old historic home with no central heat or air! In the Midwest. Only a few window units to get us through while we're renovating. It actually hasn't been unbearably hot this year, no 100 degree days lasting all week this time around! Yet. I'm working in the studio now trying to fix my broken fan..this old house.

Happy Wednesday!