Wordless Wednesday: Lemon/Lime

Found this in my fruit bowl last night - a bit disgusted (especially since it's only a few days old), but then intrigued by the coloring!

Any kitchen surprises for you lately?

My Father-in-Law's Garden

It has been years since I’d been in Ohio during the summer, so I was delighted to see my father-in-law’s garden in full bloom again. He has turned most of his backyard into flower beds. This time of year the wildflowers predominate, as you can see from these photos. Over the years, he splits his plants and is able to expand his beds in a frugal manner. He composts kitchen scraps to add to the beds. I was inspired by his choices and plan to incorporate some of these flowers into my own garden. I got a little carried away with the salvia in my beds this spring and appreciated the masses of color that these plants offer, as well as their fun shapes and textures.

What gardens inspire you?

Previous favorite garden posts:
Sioux Park Gardens

Ladybug

A Year of Shiloh

A year ago today, we brought our goofy dog Shiloh home with us. He was eight months old. We met quite a few more of our neighbors taking him out on evening walks and have had a good source of entertainment in the evenings when he races around the house or when he meets his puppy friends for playdates. It was a rough adjustment for my husband, who did not grow up with pets, but he has now become quite fond of the dog and will even pick him up to cuddle and tells me how cute the dog is. I started out saying that Shiloh would not be allowed on the furniture and would not sleep in our bed – and of course, neither of those are now true (although he does usually sleep in his crate.) He adores children and it has been so cute to watch our little nephew, only two, playing with Shiloh. He hasn’t had any accidents in ages, even when visiting new houses, although we are still working on the chewing issues – shoes, pillows, and books are favorites. I love how Shiloh is always happy to see me, full of enthusiasm, affection, and playfulness. I miss him when I’m gone. If you would’ve told me a year ago that I’d be this attached to a dog, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now I believe.

Related posts (with cute photos):

Ten Months Old

Meet Shiloh

Summer Wedding

We had a little adventure this last weekend, taking off to Cincinnati for my husband’s brother’s wedding. The first and foremost thing for me was dealing with my flight phobia again. I still depend upon sedatives, but it seems like it’s getting a bit easier. I even find myself regretting not flying for seven years – think of all the other places I could have seen and how much more often I could have visited my family in that time! But better late than never.

The wedding was a brilliant celebration, held in a lovely old church which is now the Bell Event Centre. Our new sister-in-law is a delightful young woman. We visited with lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I even met some of my husband’s relatives for the first time. I ran around taking lots of photos. The food was fantastic, the new-grassy band was a pleasant change from typical wedding music, the bride was beautiful, and the venue spectacular.

We also snuck in a whirlwind tour of the Cincinnati Art Museum. I easily could have spent a few more hours there if time had allowed – a gorgeous old building with a large collection. Visiting these old eastern towns is always such a shock to my western eyes – so many big, old buildings, both beautiful and run-down.

Any weddings for you this summer? Any new sights? Please do share.

Learning

Hello, e-friends! I’m honored to mention that Shutter Sisters is sharing a little piece by me about South Dakota today. I’d love to share a bit of my home region with you, so please stop by if you’re interested in a quick run-down of the Black Hills!

In Texas, we have had a long stretch of record high temps and no rain. Shiloh the dog requires bribing in order to walk out the back door to do his business; he also is no fan of this weather (and he also does not like to get his feet wet on the dewey grass!) In the past two weeks, I’ve been reminded again, quite strongly, about learning to listen to my body and take care of it. I finally saw an endodontist to check out a back molar that has been sensitive for years; my regular dentist didn’t think a root canal was needed, but the endo took his super x-rays and said, ‘Oh, the nerve is slowly disintegrating and will just get worse and worse. This is probably what has been causing all of the floating pain in your jaw and teeth for the last year.’ It was nice to have an answer, although I am not looking forward to the procedure! I also tend to be pretty slack about the back exercises that my physical therapist gave me over two years ago, but have been paying the price for it the last two weeks with a lumbosacral strain that has largely kept me out of commission. I always vow to be more empathetic with people who are ill and struggling whenever I have these sorts of episodes, so hopefully that will hold true! I finally overcame my modesty and self-consciousness and found a delightful massage therapist who is helping me with the pain. I’ve been amazed that one session with her was more helpful than the muscle relaxants and pain killers that the doctor gave me! I share this not so much to complain, but in the hopes that it might be useful to someone else in the future.

We’ve also joined a CSA and have had two deliveries so far. They are a family business and seem a bit disorganized, but it is fun to see what shows up in our boxes. The eggs they bring (above) are lovely. We’ve also received okra, which has been a good impetus to look for some new recipes, since I’ve never cooked with it before!

Lastly, I’d like to share these lovely photos from my friend B., who as a British ex-pat has traveled much of the world. Her photos will show you gorgeous parts of the world that I suspect many of us can only dream of visiting!

And please tell – what have you been learning lately, about taking care of your body or anything else?