Summer has arrived in my corner of the world. The nights are still cool for sleeping and the days are sunny with temperatures in the mid-to-high 90’s. Our garden and our small orchard are doing well—so far (gophers and deer took their toll last year—but that is another story).
Our valley is mostly agriculture with many […]

  
It is taking a long time to warm up to summer here. Nights are in the 40’s and daytime temperatures are in the 70’s. It is perfect weather. I was having trouble sleeping a few nights ago and with the bedroom windows open slightly I listened to the night sounds.
The crickets were close at hand […]

It feels as though I have been away for a long time. Finally, my work is all current and finally, Spring has arrived here, and finally, I can allow myself to think creatively again. It feels great!

 
The Needle Samplers are a big hit. We have been hearing from you (the actual uses of them) and […]

  
Do you ever get the feeling that someone (or something) else is in control of your life/string?….. even if it seems that you should be? That is the way things are here at Foxglove Cottage since we introduced our new Needle Samplers.
The work load has increased. Not complaining mind you, work is good. But each […]

  
It has been winter here for a very long time. The snow is deep and getting deeper, the temperatureis mostly in the teens or lower. The icicles hanging from the house are daily getting longer. The roads throughout our little town are snow packed, but clear—a perfect place to hook a sled behind a four-runner for […]

  
On Christmas Eve a few years ago I found myself driving alone on a country road just as night was coming on. I was driving on a two-lane road about thirty miles from home. It was a beautiful, silent night. Since it was Christmas Eve, I traveled truly alone with no other cars on the […]

  
This time of year I relish the smell of a slow, oven-cooked meal and cinnamon. There is a coziness and a sense of comfort that comes from a house warmed by the smell of good food and heated by that same food baking in the oven.
When I was young Sunday dessert was often a cake […]

 
This week I received my 2008 Desk Calendar sponsored by The Baltimore Applique Society. Last year was their first calendar. (There are still a few of the 2007 calendars still available at drastically reduced prices.) In this year’s calendar there are some previously unpublished Baltimore Album quilts shown. Also included in the calendar are lots […]

  
While I was away for two weeks in September, the weather changed. I knew it was coming….the calendar does not lie….but I was surprised nonetheless when we went from a continuous line of hummingbirds at the feeders to none at all, and from windows full open to let in fresh air to windows completely shut.

 
Almost […]

 
Here are a few simple pleasures I have enjoyed in recent days:
The sight of sunflowers growing thick and wild along the sides of the road. To me they are the color of summer.
The softer than velvet feel of a horse’s nose. On my daily walk I often pause to visit a beautiful smoky gray horse […]