Changes

two chairs moved from the back yard to the front yard

poke berries turning deep purple

from yellow blooms to sugar melon fruit

caterpillar growing

Memphis

One of my best friends and I met for a weekend in Memphis. Besides eating wonderful food and browsing the bookstore, we spent most of our time looking at art and gardens. We saw the Jacob Lawrence exhibition at the Brooks Museum of Art, toured the Memphis Botanic Garden, and went to the Civil War exhibition and gardens at The Dixon Gallery and Gardens. I would heartily recommend all of these venues, but if you only have time to do one thing in Memphis, go to The Dixon!

Because I am contemplating a camera upgrade, my friend Sarah loaned me her Nikon D70 to try out for the weekend. I took these photos and many more in the gardens, but these were some of my favorites. The red sunflower is from The Dixon, but the rest are from the Memphis Botanic Garden.

The butterfly was in "the butterfly garden." My friend had just remarked that she didn't see any butterflies when she suddenly saw it. At first, she wondered whether it might not be real, but when I moved in closer to take a photograph, it fluttered its wings.

The swan was in the lake of the Japanese Gardens. A Korean couple was rehearsing for their wedding ceremony to begin shortly. The bride looked like a beautiful, large flower in her bright pink and blue gown, and I hoped that the swan would glide gently over the waters behind her for the wedding.

It was a lovely weekend spent doing some of the things I love most in life: learning more about art, gardens, theater, and photography, and sharing all of this with a most wonderful, steadfast friend.Thank you, Eileen.

Meet Pup and Pup

These two dogs live where cotton, soybeans, corn, and cypress trees grow. They are both named "Pup," and they live about 3 miles from each other. They spend their days beating the heat and the mosquitoes buzzing around their faces. Their most important jobs are wagging their tails as people come and go and keeping an eye on the cats. They are "farm dogs." Like the dogs we inherited when we lived in Tunica, they just showed up one day.

My daughter took these photos. I've said it before, but I think she has an eye for animal photography, and I've always had a soft spot for dogs-- stinky breath, shedding hair, muddy paws, slobbery tongues, cockle burrs, and all.

What I Did

1. sewed
2. sewed with the cat
3. moved the cat so that I could sew
4. watched my sunflowers slowly wilt and begin to dry
5. learned about rose hip tea
6. played and knitted with friends
7. sewed with a friend
8. read
9. walked the dog
10. made only zucchini for dinner one night
11. missed everyone
13. relished the rain and not having to water
14. visited a produce market with gardening children and teachers to learn about its operation
15. sewed one top that I like and one top that needs some ripping out and re-sewing
16. imagined my family's adventures through phone conversations
17. felt grateful to my family for the time to myself
18. took a break from the pool
19. was not interrupted (except by the cat)
20. enjoyed long stretches of silence

What They Did

1. built a go-cart with power tools
2. picked flowers and tomatoes
3. played with the animals-- dogs, cats, and a horse
4. rode the horse around the pasture
5. rode the finished go-cart
6. roasted marshmallows
7. went swimming and golfing
8. had a leftover sundae for breakfast
9. dug for worms
10. went fishing with those worms
11. paddled on Beaver Dam Lake through the cypress knee swamp
12. observed a cool water spider
13. played with Daddy's toys from the attic
14. watched a crop-duster
15.visited a great aunt and uncle and held a baby cousin
16. didn't get bored
17. had as much fun as possible in 3 days with loving and attentive grandparents
18. gave Mama a much needed retreat
19. came home with lots of photographs and stories
20. had more sugar than usual

Unexpected Beauty

While at the Casey garden yesterday, I was amazed at so many changes from the previous week. These photos record a beautiful surprise discovered from looking closely through photography. The dill plant in the herb bed was very dry. The dried seeds fanning out in their circular pattern looked like lace from the top. This was what drew me in. Then, I noticed the ribbon-like dried leaves further down and bent to take their photo. Waiting for me there, was a spider hanging out on her silken strands. She never moved even though I observed her for a long time. In the sunlight, she was the same golden color as the dried dill plant. Her spider legs seemed just as delicate and brittle, too.


One more image from the top. . . with a little imagination, it could be July 4th fireworks! I'm signing off for a few days of vacation-- back mid next week.

Perfect Summer Salad Recipe

1 cup knitting with morning tea
2 cups shopping for local veggies at the farmer's market
dash of sewing a wonky log cabin
1 cup shelling crowder peas
1/2 cup swimming at the pool
1/2 cup eating shelled peas with zucchini, fish, and rice
1 teaspoon watching creatures in the lamplight

After adding each ingredient, mix well and read a book, a newspaper, a magazine, or a blog. Do it again the next day changing up the ingredients here and there. Enjoy!