A Rain Barrel and Sink in the Garden

We don't have water in the garden, a mistake to not have put it in when we first built the garden, but we've managed several work arounds.  One of which is a water barrel!  Last year, we installed a recycled water barrel (formerly an olive barrel) back by the corner of the shed.  The shed's roof is bigger on the backside than the front so it worked out perfectly.

My only regret with the rain barrel is that we didn't install one earlier!  It holds 60 gallons and the only time we've run out of water was last fall during the drought.  

With Al's help, Bryce also installed an old sink, that I found years ago at Goodwill for $5, to the side of the shed.  He ran a tube from the bottom or the barrel to the sink and installed a pump under the sink.  It works perfectly for washing vegetables, hands, etc.  I love it and use it all the time!

Cape Henelopen

Bryce and I just got back from a very quick, 2 night trip, to the beach.  We took the Airstream out and stayed at Cape Henelopen State Park.  Of course, when we made the reservations we did not know that a heat dome would be settling over the area making the campground feel as if it were on fire!  Fortunately, the beach offered a little respite.  

We would bike on one of the several bike trails and take a break midway to go for a dip in the very cold ocean.  It helped us cool down for the bike ride back!

The last night we were there the electricity went out and we were concerned that we might have to leave, it was that hot.  Fortunately, the electricity came back on within an hour and all was well.  I was so happy to be in the Airstream, it holds so many dear and happy memories with our family!

May and June in the Garden

 I've done a poor job of getting on here and documenting the garden so I'm finally jumping on to post some photos that I've taken over the last month or two.  One negative thing about peony season is that so much of the time all of the other beauty doesn't get as much attention, or I'm apt to simply not stop long enough to take it all in.  

For the first time, I planted ranunculus corms and I can't believe how well they did!  While they were a lot of effort in that I had to start them in January and nurture them until they could go out, they were definitely worth it!  Due to our cool spring they just produced and produced the blooms!

Likewise, the sweet peas have been spectacular and have made the entire garden smell delicious!  I fear that they may be coming to their end as we enter a oppressive heat wave this week!

The annual poppies were lovely as were the ones I seeded in the snow that managed to come up!  The gray ones are simply amazing!

The roses have also been gorgeous, if fleeting!

We've also been enjoying food from the garden.  While the snow peas were a bust this year (have no idea why), asparagus, lettuce, strawberries, radishes, kale, and Swiss chard have all been abundant!

And finally, a few color combinations I've loved elsewhere on the farm...

Life Lately

 

Grace made an unexpected trip home this past weekend to attend a dear friend's Dads funeral.  A sad reminder that we simply don't know what life will bring.  Even though she was only home for 48 hours, she managed to make ice cream (roasted white chocolate strawberry)!

Speaking of Grace, she is heading home soon from her G&G internship and I'm fairly sure we will have to drag her out kicking, screaming and hanging on for dear life.  She has loved this internship and while she knew going in there was not a chance at a job, knowing and hoping are two different things.  

Harris ended up coming home for the summer!  Whoop whoop!  He had really toyed around with staying in Pittsburgh but ended up coming home and I'm thrilled!  He's doing a part time internship, remotely, so that is taking up some of his time and he's back at Jujitsu.  He will also do some lifeguard subbing so he's trying to keep busy!  Hard to believe he will be going into Junior year this fall!

It's been such an odd season of weather, uncharacteristically cool, which I'm not actually complaining about too loudly as it was great for the peonies and I hate super hot and humid weather.  However, it does seem like it will be a short summer and also the tomatoes are not loving it.

I find that my mood is easily shifted downward lately.  I HATE what has happened to our country, and, frankly, deeply disappointed to realize that so many people in our country voted, knowingly, for such hate, division and incompetency.  The eroding of science, facts and morals is incredibly disheartening to me and I'm not sure we can ever come back from it.   

 Never in my 52 years have I questioned my faith like I have in the past 6 months.  How anyone can claim to follow Christ and the Bible and also support this administration is a complete mystery to me and one I've spent a lot of time thinking about and trying to understand.  Also, watching my children purposefully move away from organized religion due to what they are seeing is so disheartening and sad.  It's made me question and sit with a lot of things, which I suppose is always a good thing.  While discussing these things recently with a dear friend she reminded me that a faith unquestioned is not a true faith, so that made me feel a bit better about how we are all feeling.  I know that in the history of the world terrible things have been done in the name of religion but it seems like we simply cannot learn from our past.  Obviously, I certainly don't have all the answers but I can't help but feel like we are at a critical juncture in our country.

I've been continuing to volunteer each week at our local food pantry and it's given me a really needed shift in perspective.

However, here are a few things that do give me JOY lately!   Sitting at the dinner table long past when everyone is done discussing life and the world, having coffee on a slow Saturday morning in the library with both of the children discussing life and the world, making our meals with food from the garden, fresh flowers in the house, Rosie, friends stopping by for a drink or coffee, Bryce or Harris joining me for walks with Rosie, and sweet, unexpected notes from people along with all the beauty that is the farm in the spring.

 

A Few Peony Arrangements

One thing I realized this peony season was that I tended to get so busy with harvesting or prepping for the workshop that I actually did very little arranging with the peonies.  I've always been a proponent with peonies to just throw them in a jar or vase and call it a day but I also want to try to make it a goal next year to be sure to practice arranging with them and enjoy them in our own home (the above arrangement I did for a friends party).  As peony season was wrapping up I managed to do an arrangement with all the little bits of spring blooms and I really loved how sweet it was (even if the rose shattered two days later!).

I also made an arrangement for a dear friend's Mom's birthday dinner.  I particularly like the little strawberry!

 And here are a few others that made it into the house and that I actually snapped a photo of...

The Peony Field

This year we had our very best peony year yet!  It was helped along by an incredibly cool spring, which was perfect weather for a long (ish), slower season of peony bloom.  There were times that I looked out into the field and couldn't believe how beautiful it was!  

It sort of makes me chuckle how you can look into the field and know right away where we started and how we've changed and grown.  We've learned a lot of lessons the past couple of years and the last 12 rows we've put in have certainly been a bit more "professional!"  

A few mood, foggy, shots of the field.

This is Pastelegance, and she is such a beauty. She's the most expensive tuber we've bought and I only have five of her but I'd like to have 100!  

Finally, I had to take a selfie one day while I was harvesting because I'm in my down coat and wool hat and I wasn't too warm!  Crazy.