God Bless Organic Farmers!

Here it is, the awesome organic goods from my local Farmer's Market: raw milk from grass-fed cows, flowers from the friendly American florist, apricots, Summer apples, and eggs. I can't express how totally grateful I am that they set up their stands every Friday.

Can you even belive how amazingly adorable these tiny apples are?! I got so excited when I saw them, and asked what sort they are. The farmer replied, "Oh, those are Summer apples. Go ahead and try one. They don't grow any bigger than that." I bit into one; it was crisp, tart, and juicy, with white flesh and itty-bitty pale seeds. I am still totally fascinated! I definitely want to paint them.

Was overjoyed to see the sunflowers, echinacea, and black eyed susans. I love buying from the American; we speak English and converse about family, farming, flowers...and he always gives me a good deal.

Does anyone else here love speckled eggs? There is something so charming about them. And it's an added bonus if there are bits of downy feathers stuck to them, like the one top right. Fresh from the chicken's warm nest! It would be a dream come true for me to have different types of chickens who lay a variety of colours. Can you imagine? A basket of brown, white, green, speckled, and blue eggs? I'd end up writing a poetry book just about eggs!

Step Into My Garden...

"Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed."

-Walt Whitman

I am so pleased with my garden! I have mostly left it alone, and it is doing wonderfully well. Sure, there are lots of weeds and grasses, but they don't bother me. In fact, I think they add a fullness of green, and help to sop up all the rain we've been having. 

The sunflowers recently opened and are absolutely beautiful. I will definitely be sowing these next year again. The great thing is that, because they are from organic seed, I can gather, dry, and save them for next spring. 

I loved seeing these tiny bees, delighting in the dusty pollen of a pink poppy. It's a wonderful feeling to know that the flowers I planted are feeding these hard workers.

And look, the beginning of a pumpkin! So round, plump and golden, covered in rain drops. My favorite plant of all. 

Polaroid Camera Arrived!

The minute I saw the cool polaroid shots on the foodie blog Orangette, I knew I had to get myself a polaroid camera. Hubby and I searched on the web and found a used one on Amazon. I love the way polaroid photographs look kind of faded and old. Also, you never really know how the picture is going to turn out...here you see my first two successful shots, but I left out a still-life of heirloom tomatoes in a bowl, because it was totally blurry. That's the beauty of polaroids: when a picture comes out beautifully, you feel lucky and want to take more...and if a picture comes out horribly, you still want to take more! Those few minutes before a photo has fully developed make me feel like a kid again, waiting for a treat that you know is on the way. I actually remember my childhood friend Rosemary taking polaroids at one of her birthday parties, we must have been about ten. She labeled them all with a black magic marker, with names and the date. I wonder if she still has them.

Zappalot, We're Building A Fort!

'Zappalot' is a word my mother-in-law uses when there's something to get excited about. Today I stopped by my sister-in-law's home, and after eating a delicious BBQ lunch her little son Angelo decided next on the list was building a fort with his grandma out of crocheted ribbons, scarves, and blankets. They made a comfy floor with a comforter and finished it off with a wall of pillows. Once his squishy stuffed dog joined him, and he had a bottle of juice in his hand, he was all set.

I can't tell you how much being with him makes me yearn for children of my own. I actually physically feel the desire pulling at my heart strings. Then I tell myself, Be patient, your children will come, it will all happen on God's time, not yours. 

Through the Village

"I consider it the best part of an education to have been born and brought up in the country." 

-Louisa May Alcott

Since I had to stop at the bank I decided to take the morning walk through the village with Kiki. It was an overcast morning, swallows were dipping through the sky and the river which cuts through town was high and full with rain water from last night. We passed an apricot tree, it's boughs hanging over some lucky person's fence, heavy with ripening fruit. And through the high fencing along the field, got a nice look at the beautiful old brick barn (click on it to zoom...can you find the two cows?). The local cloister is on this road and often you'll see nuns resting on benches or conversing in soft voices with one another. 

Then we stopped at the river, and while Kiki played in the water, snapping at floating leaves, I admired the charming old house beside it, with it's bulging, uneven walls, rounded doorway, and little windows. After going to the bank we made our way back home, up the narrow road lined with roses and lavender accross from the kindergarden. 

It's cool and windy today, a pleasant break from the damp heat we've been having. Kiki is napping on the stuffed white chair and I've got ironing to do. 

Picture of Innocence

"Oh God, keep me innocent; make others great!" -Caroline Matilda

This photo was taken after Kiki came out of the river, and I believe it to be one of the best pictures I have taken, because it captures perfectly her essence, which is innocence. Watching Kiki enjoy the summer, with all of it's simple delights, is much like watching a child. Only, I know that her innocence is something eternal, something she will never grow out of. I feel blessed to have such an example of pure innocence, love, and playfulness in my life. Thank you, Kiki.

Breakfast in Bed

"My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet." -Edith Wharton

These photos were previously published in my Jamie Oliver blog. I wanted to share them with you as an example of the loving relationship between my husband and our dog, Kiki. She admires him so much, and is absolutely extatic when he comes home from work; when I tell her 'Papa' is on the way, she hurries to the window in the bedroom and looks down, waiting for him to come around the corner. And my husband loves Kiki so much that he would rather go sleep on the couch when her snoring becomes unbearable than kick her out of our bed. 

These were taken on a weekend; I brought my hubby breakfast in bed, and he had his little furry admirer watching every bite. Did Kiki get any of 'Papas' breakfast? You have one guess...