A Happy Miscellany

June

It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes
And pleasant scents the noses.

- Nathaniel Parker Willis

Wednesday Evening

Merryville

My Dear Friend,

I wish you could have been with me today here in Merryville. My sister-in-law and good friend Heidi dropped by this afternoon, a great surprise, visiting from Montana. It is to be a quick visit here, only a few days, but she made time to come by to say hello. We went for a long walk, all the way around the lake, and it was so beautiful. You would have loved it, I think. It was sunny, with a nice breeze, and there were lots and lots of yellow flag irises blooming all the way around the lake. We heard the blackbirds singing, as we meandered along, and oh my, the trees were amazing. Many of them are covered in new leaves and needles now, and a few of the dogwoods are blooming. There are so many varieties of trees along the lake. You can imagine the variation in textures and in the shades of green that we were so glad to see. It has seemed a long time coming, this springtime. Heidi says that it has only just now turned green in her part of Montana, so she was especially appreciative.

Heidi is so good to see every little thing, and she loves color as you know, so she is always pointing out the loveliest of Mother Nature's handiwork. She has always been so aware of what is beautiful in nature. I love that about her. When we were young girls, we'd walk around the lake a lot together, and she was the one who taught me to truly see and to appreciate the beauty in the smallest bits of the outdoors, I think.

We talked about yarn a lot this afternoon. I'm so happy that she loves what she is doing. Her small cottage industry, Grant Creek Yarns is doing well. Her hand-dyed yarns positively fly off the shelves, She is enjoying all the nice people she has met through her Ravelry forum too. They seem to be a fun group, and they make the most beautiful things with yarn.

I hope your days have allowed time to enjoy such a time as a walk outdoors. It is good for us I think, to take the time to really see the beauty that can be found in an ordinary day. But then, is any day really ordinary?

Did I tell you that I finished my shawl? Beth gave me a really pretty skein of yarn for my birthday, and then, when we went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival I bought more so that I would have enough to try making a shawl, finally. It is a lovely yarn, an oh so soft 100% Merino that is offered by Dragonfly Fibers. It is called Eastern Bluebird. This is the first shawl that I've made, and I'm pleased with the way that it turned out. I chose a very simple pattern to crochet, partly because my concentration isn't quite up to snuff these days, and, I'm still learning to crochet, but also because I thought that a simple pattern would show this yarn off the best. It's a pattern I found on Ravelry called, Morning Has Broken, by Kelly Surace.

Beth and I had a fun time at the Sheep and Wool Festival. Everyone there is so nice. I find it inspiring just to wander around and take it all in . I enjoy making the connection between the sheep that are raised by people who truly care, the spinners and dyers and all the rest. It is a rewarding feeling to think that I am slowly becoming a part of it with my little bit of crocheting . I'm finding an appreciation for all things wool now.

Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully!

Well, I suppose that is all the news from here for today.

Wishing you all good things,

P.S. I'm reading a good book, Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch, by Nigel Slater. It is all about his love for growing and cooking with vegetables. It's such a lovely book, the perfect mix of good writing and recipes, and it too, makes a connection between the organic, and a craft. I like that. As with all of Nigel Slater's books the photography in this book is just as beautiful as his writing. I think you will appreciate it.

XOXO

One pretty day while in Maryland, Mr. Staggs, our friends Tom and Beth and I went to Annapolis which is the state's capitol. Once upon a time, from 1783-1784, it was the temporary capitol of our United States. It's another pretty little town filled with charming old houses and buildings from long ago, and there is a lot to see there.

You can walk along the bay

See the Kunta Kinte Alex Haley Memorial

and see and smell the nicest roses.

Of course, another highlight of Annapolis is the United States Naval Academy.

Which was established in 1845.

Many famous people in our country's history have attended there,

and so did my not so famous, but beloved great uncle, Fred, whom I loved very much.

He bought me my first pair of bell-bottom pants, when I was a little girl.

They were green.

As I walked the grounds of the academy I thought about all the well known and respected people who had attended there, and the ones that aren't so well known, too, I saw a lot of young people dressed in their white uniforms. They looked so fine.

I thought about

who and what they represent,

and I thought about the future as well as the past.

I wished my Uncle Fred could have been there with me.

I imagine that he'd have lots of stories to tell.

This row of homes is where many of the officers live.

I loved the blue and white awnings.

It was a nice day.

I'd like to go back to Annapolis one day.

There is a beautiful colonial home and garden there to see,

The capitol building and a memorial to a man I respected very much, Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall are still on my list of places to visit, and there are a great many more historical moments that are evoked, as well. You can read about them all if you take a little bit of time to explore the Internet for such things.

I love history.

There is so much to learn from those that have gone before us.

....'til next time, in Merryville.

Driving around the city of Baltimore, you will come across a great many narrow streets lined with pretty rowhouses like these.

I love them. Often they seem very well cared for, and with a certain charm. I especially enjoyed seeing the brightly painted doors and shutters that many of the houses have,

and I have a great appreciation for the gardens that many folks have created in very small spaces.

There are windowboxes everywhere it seems.

I would love to see them all in full bloom someday.

This windowbox was up pretty high, so its flowers are made of silk, but, as it is with so many things in life, it's the thought that counts, and this is a cheerful thought indeed, both inside, and outside.

Bloom where you are planted!