SUMMER IS HERE...

Friday was an exceptionally beautiful
 first day of summer.  

It was sunny 
but not hot and 
breezes, while light, 
set the wind chimes 
to moving just enough,
 leaving a hint of what 
we would like 
summer to be.

Nature is
 coming over to
 the bright side...

...the lavender 
is ready to be 
what it is the very best at..
being lavender and feeding the bees...

...and we have
 a small crop of morning glories 
already reaching 
for the top of the arbor.

 As I showed you last summer, 
the Captain likes to plant a morning glory
 next to the gate arbor, 
but sometimes the nurseries 
don't have them 
or by the time we find one, 
it doesn't have too long left
 of its growth period. 
 I decided to plant
 my own seeds this time and
 am anxious to see them thrive.

Meanwhile,
 the Cottage stew is simmering 
on the back burner.

 In the dining room 
I have set a tea table for two, 
using bits and pieces of china
 that have been handed down
from my mother over past years. 
 It looks bright and simple 
along with some
 cuttings from the garden.


"A vase can be a little garden, its contents gathered
 to please the eye."

Debra Prinzing

As a new summer begins,
 and when some things don't work 
the way they
 were intended...

...transform them 
into something else and
 they will shine 
once again.

A shining bit of summer to me 
is when I see the first dragon fly.

  This pretty creature 
was hanging around the garden 
on the first day of summer and 
gladly posed for me. 
 His wings are
 really a work of art.

On behalf of 
this fancy fella,
 I want to wish you all
 Happy Summer Days.


...Judy...

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A COTTAGE STEW...

The Cottage 

always seems a little blue.

  Not in a sad way, 

but in the sense that blue is

 its comfort color. 

 No matter what time of the year it is, 

you will always find some blue 

just around a corner.

This summer

 is preparing to be a 

blue and white summer.

  What that means is

 that blue and white will be 

the meat and potatoes 

of this Cottage stew.

 The two colors will be

 the back drop for all the 

seasonal colors to come, 

up to and 

including Christmas.

The parlor is, of course, 

the main room to display the color blue.

 I have toyed with the idea

 of taking down the wallpaper a few times,

 however, it never gets very far

 because I just seem to be comforted by it.

  The Cottage, 

a small, one story, Queen Ann Victorian,

 built in 1879, 

deserves to have

 at least one room

 that is true

 to its roots.

There are bits and pieces 

of the Victorian era

 sprinkled throughout 

in the form of furniture, pictures, etc.,

but the blue wallpaper

 in the parlor, 

while existing perfectly with the

 Victorian parlor set and the lace curtains,

 still gives me that touch of 

soft comfort 

that I have always been drawn to.

This blue plate special, 

along with a swag of 

 pansies and morning glories,

 just seems to be the right ingredient

 for the parlor mantle.

In the sitting room

 we can begin stirring the pot and 

adding a little more blue and white. 

 As the flowers of the garden 

are starting to simmer

 some lavender, a different shade of blue,

 is added to tiny vases here and there

 and the scent in the room

 makes the mouth water.

Some pillows 

are the same, some are new,

 or at least new on one side,

 and add blue and white flavor

 to the setting...

...while more bits 

of the colors 

are sprinkled around.

Soon some spice 

will be added by way of the color red. 

 Then the patriotic colors

 will come

 to life...

...and when the leaves begin to fall,

 rusts and earth tones will emerge.

  A tribute to the

 harvest in the fields...

...and as Christmas appears,

 that will just be dessert..

the icing on the cake.

There is something

 missing right now 

but, hopefully,

 will be able to be 

revealed soon...

...and before 

the Cottage stew is done

 there will be other stories in between.

 Remember,

 the longer the flavors come together,

 the better the taste.

...Judy...

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JUST A DAY AT THE BEACH...

It is what seems like 

just a few short years ago that

 we were blessed with

 our darling daughter, Tami.

 In celebration 

of her birthday 

we took a day trip 

to the beach.

"Yay!!  Road Trip!"

An early morning journey 

through the

 California redwoods and

 the coastal fog.

We had hoped that

 Jake and Jacenda 

would be able to join us,

 but they are embarking on

 a journey of their own.

  

They have moved to San Francisco 

where Jacenda is starting 

an intense two year program 

at the 

University of San Francisco 

School of Nursing and Health Professions.

  Jake is loving his job

 at Kaiser and 

this move puts him closer 

to the airport 

as he travels quite often for his job and 

the rest of his work 

is done from home.

  

It is hard to believe 

that a year has passed 

since the both of them graduated 

from Santa Clara University.

 They are both doing so well and

 we are so proud 

of them.

We took Tami and Tim 

to dinner on the Santa Cruz wharf.  

It seems that this is

 becoming a tradition. 

 We had a wonderful meal, 

good conversation and 

great views...

...after dinner

 a stroll on the wharf

 with more wonderful sights...

Just every day life 

in Santa Cruz!

We were blessed 

when we lived in Santa Cruz 

most of our young lives and 

doubly blessed that we can return 

to enjoy it again with 

our beautiful family...

...and that we can 
bring a bit of the beach
 back to the mountains.

...Judy...

Happy Birthday, Tami. 

 Love you to the moon.

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THE POWERS OF THE PORCH...

This porch 
has been on the job for 
140  years. 
 Over time, 
I think it has done its job well. 
 There are certain duties 
that are demanded from
 a porch 
and they are:

To give a warm welcome 
to all who
 climb the steps...

...to offer a place
 of solitude and rest...

...and all the other 
numerous and varied 
 duties and pleasures 
stated above.

There certainly are 
many more pleasures 
that a front porch can provide and
 everyone has 
their own opinions...

...for some
 it is a vantage point 
to oversee that all
 is safe and secure...

...and, for me, 
it is a place for daydreaming and 
sorting out the plans for 
today and beyond.

Sitting on the porch
 conjures up all kinds of memories 
of the ones that have
 sat here before 
and
 what their dreams and their stories 
might have been...

One of the biggest jobs of our porch 
is to preside over the garden 
that surrounds it.
  
We have had so much rain 
this past winter, and 
it was hard to distinguish 
how the garden might survive it all. 
 For some reason,
 I didn't think that
 it had been successful, but 
after a few days of sunshine and 
a little elbow grease, 
I can now see 
the fruits of our labors.

 We have not had 
official summer yet, 
but greenery is showing up and 
buds are forming 
so, I think,
 there is great hope
 for a robust and healthy garden.

  I have snapped a few photos 
(well, maybe a little more than a few)
 to illustrate my point:

The old lavender 
is regaining its place of honor 
once again.

The old-school phlox 
are covering the beds 
with their thick, lush greenery,
not yet showing
 their lacy white blooms...

The busy butterflies are appearing...

...and the California poppies

 are sticking out of small pockets.

A simple David Austin rose,

 in the dappled sunlight, 

lingers under the covering of...

...a tangle of 

green trees and bushes 

that are hiding places for

 the birds that sing

 their whispery little songs that

 accompany our porch rocking.

I have heard 

that a frog in the garden

 will ward off any evil tricksters

 that might dare to intrude 

so the porch is prepared.

Tiny buds of hydrangeas are showing up,

 ferns are intermingling and 

the valerian is now making its move 

to invade more cracks and crevices 

around the garden.

Because the old-school phlox 

is so invasive in the garden beds, 

we added a trio of barrels 

filled to the brim with

 coreopsis, zinnias and snapdragons. 

 Even some nasturism seeds 

are tucked in and...

...Chinese Lanterns 

are coming up showing the white blossom

 that will be a nice addition

 to the fall garden, and

 the pretty pink blossoms 

of the spirea 

are showing off against 

the bright green of their foliage.

Under the Crepe Myrtle tree 

is a foundation of 

valerian, ivy, grasses and jasmine 

all tumbling over each other,

 showing the lack of skill 

of the resident gardeners, 

but looking almost

 perfect regardless.

Last summer, 

we took a bit of lawn away and 

added bark, under the lilac bush,

 to make a tiny spot for

 resting in the garden.

  The little bistro set and umbrella 

has since been gifted to 

Jake and Jacenda 

for their little spot of garden and 

we have replaced it with...

...two perfectly comfortable

 plastic chairs 

that match the feel 

of the patriotic garden. 

 A bit of color needed

 on this side of

 the garden.

Soon 

it will be time for the addition 

of stars and stripes 

in celebration of 

America's birthday...

...come on by,

 sit a spell,

 our porch and others like it, 

will be here for

 another 140 years,

 tending to memories of the past and

 making new ones

 for the future.

...Judy...

As if this post wasn't long enough,

 we just got back 

from the kids (a story for next week) and

 I couldn't help sharing with you 

my Mother's Day gift from Tami and Tim.

 Perfect for the porch and 

so sweet. 

I just love them.

"My grandmother used to say

 that the front porch

 is a postcard of 

all who live

 beyond the door."

Alda Ellis

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