Sunday, August 15, 2021

Fun and hard work in the sun!

A little more on that recent second summer trip to the local sunflower field. 

Our photographer granddaughter Jasmin did a photoshoot of us for fun.  Late afternoon and still stifling hot, we grabbed hats and bug spray and I covered as much of me as possible, mainly to prevent bug bites, hoping not to pass out in the heat!




The flower heads looking like these above a couple of weeks earlier were already drooping as you can see in the photo below.  We were drooping too after thirty minutes of wandering along the pathways. . . . . .and ready to get out of there!


Our version of American Gothic, lol!!!!!


Photos of us by Jasmin Sullivan 


Earlier this week, after moaning and groaning about the torrid heat, Bob and I went to work on the back garden walkway areas early in the mornings. . . . .7 AM working outside is not our usual time! The 10 cu. yds. of Cypress chips had been dumped half way up the driveway and no way could they stay there too long. With assistance from a gardener and his helper, we did get the mini mountain reduced and taken to the back area in wheelbarrows, those old-fashioned ones that have seen years of hard work without falling apart - bet you can't buy them built to last like that anymore!


Prior to completing a few hours of raking and spreading, Bob and I replaced the stone slabs which had been removed when the big oak tree was taken down - a rather hefty job as those Tennessee stones are not lightweight by any means. 


The finished job looks fine, clean and bright, and these long lasting wood chips usually hold up well for a few years. The square stepping stones were easy to move and are there mainly to mark the underground electrical line to the potting shed. Guess what. We've already vowed this will be the last time we do this. . . . . and I'm sure you can understand why, right?  Funny thing is, when we finished up and stripped off our saturated gardening gear, we took our blood pressure readings which were excellent, we each had lost a pound, and I guess all that work was classified as 'exercise' as gardening usually is!


OK, this will be it for my sunflower stories for this year.  I did buy these yesterday from Trader Joe's along with a beautiful bunch of chamomile blooms and eucalyptus leaves.

You may wonder about the FAIRE publications on the table. Are you familiar with this somewhat new European quarterly luxury magazine which is more like a beautiful book?  FAIRE was brought to my attention when we were back at longtime blog friend Jeanne Henriques beautiful farm in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago. If you don't know Jeanne yet I would suggest you hurry on over to her website Collage of Life where you will meet a creative, well-traveled woman who has lived in many countries, who writes beautifully . . . . . .and is very special in so many ways. You will also fall in love with her farm and English Springer Spaniel Tani.
After a quick glimpse at Jeanne's copy of FAIRE while enjoying another visit to her studio, I decided to purchase the two copies already published from their website. They were shipped from the Netherlands and arrived very quickly. Sitting in a cool spot with a chilled drink on these stifling afternoons, I've found comfort and peace in these outstanding stories of the creative women and men they showcase around the world. The captivating photography and well written stories are excellent, and as always the minimal advertising is a plus!

I'm already looking forward to future issues. . . . . .and needless to say these, like favorite books, will be keepers and referred to often. Sorry friends, no passing along of FAIRE!



28 comments:

  1. Lovely photos of you both. How did you manage to work in that heat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In between the moans and groans - lots of water breaks and chilled, wet towels. . . . .they felt so good around the neck Barbara!!!!!

      Delete
  2. Dearest Mary,
    Some great photos taken by granddaughter Jasmin.
    Oh, a garden is an ongoing battle and comes with lots of hard work. But the fringe benefits are working outdoors in clean, fresh air, lots of vitamin D and good for our overall health.
    That magazine more than likely got distributed by our acquaintance Roel Dreve through his Global Roel Media.
    Got you linked in my latest post.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Mariette - good clean fun in the fresh air, haha! But worth a couple of days hard work!
      Mary -

      Delete
  3. You two look so great standing in the sunflower field! Your back garden looks lovely after all of that hard work. We are sitting here letting Tropical Storm Fred leave our area with Grace on his heels coming Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Penny - stay safe down there in sunny Florida! Bad flooding in Asheville area yesterday!
      Mary -

      Delete
  4. It's a beautiful publication Mariette. I did pay extra for the 'tracking' air shipment - just in case it didn't show up! I was surprised to see it was shipped from the Netherlands - it's printed in Germany. Took just a week from ordering to arrival - whereas UK Country Living is taking up to two months as they've had to ship by sea rather than air since COVID started!
    I'll be catching up with you soon - thanks for the link.
    Hugs, Mary

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely photos of both of you. Summer marches on, with one torrid day after another. But today, we saw some clouds. The light is noticeably fading and I have to confess I'm happy about it. This has been the year of too much sunlight and not enough rain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know how hot it is for you Loree - wish I could send you some rain!
      Mary -

      Delete
  6. Congratulations to Jasmin for her beautiful photography

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Pat - I'll tell Jasmin. She's a natural with a camera - no formal training, just has a creative eye, especially great with b/w portraits too.
      Mary -

      Delete
  7. Oh Mary, you are such a lovely-looking woman; always so stylish. I love these photos of you and Bob. We have had such horrid heat but somehow I managed to keep the gardens alive and myself, too. lol
    My dahlias are 'out of the park' and keeping me happy.
    We finally got some cool weather today.
    Love your yard and walkway. It looks so inviting. Enjoy your summer, Mary. hugs, Deb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb, you're far too kind - however I accept your generous remarks. . . . .. at this age they mean so much!
      Mary -

      Delete
  8. You two make a gorgeous couple (as you know, of course), and your granddaughter has captured your spirits particularly well in the third picture, where you are holding on to your sun hat. Love it!

    I am impressed by how much work around your garden you manage to do, considering the heat and all. Yesterday was particularly hot and humid here, with a thunderstorm building up for most of the day until it finally broke lose in the early evening. Even just walking from my place to my sister's, where I am currently taking care of her mail and her plants while she is away for a short break in Berlin, made me feel so sweaty and uncomfortable I did not want to go out again for the rest of the day. And that's coming from me, the walk-addict!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Meike - can't say I usually like having my photo taken, especially at this age, but the little outdoor photoshoot was a lot of fun and I always enjoy doing things with my Jasmin!!!!
      Mary -

      Delete
  9. Always good to hear of a fine publication like Faire. Thank you. Off to visit your NH friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely a quality publication - everything about it is just perfection! The stories of the creative people make me feel happy just knowing they exist and live for their art!
      Mary -

      Delete
  10. Hi Mary! Love these photos of you two and all sunflowers! Just read your sweet comment on my blog and you are SO welcome to my island Mary :) Yes, its a lovely place...
    Have a great week!
    Titti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jasmin wants to come too Titti! I've shared your blog with her.
      Mary -

      Delete
  11. Mary, I love the photos your granddaughter took in the sunflower field-they are marvelous!! I hear you about the heat and humidity! SC is even further South than Raleigh and it can be stiffling here! We are now going into many days of rain. Hopefully the humidity will leave somewhat after that! You yard looks lovely and I don't blame you for saying this is the last year! That is really hard work. I did some new gardens here at my new house in the beginning of the summer and had to weed them not too long ago and it was so hot and humid. I think I lost 3 pounds that day!! That publication Faire looks very interesting, I'll have to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A I've said Sherri, your reno of the house is amazing - you definitely have worked very hard and I admire you doing so much of it yourself. Way to go girl!!!!!
      Mary -

      Delete
  12. I love the photos of you two that your granddaughter took!
    Home ownership is a ton of work, isn't it? Sometimes the work can be rewarding; other times it can be "too much"!
    I have not seen that publication, Faire. I will have to take another look next time I go to B&N.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right Melanie - house maintenance is never ending - we have so many things requiring attention in the coming months!
      You will love FAIRE!
      Mary -

      Delete
  13. Mary, Mary! How cute is that photo of you and Bob! Hats off to Jasmin to capturing two endearing people in their natural beauty. Looks like you both have been busy since we met a few weeks back. Your garden looks lovely and I am envious of your sunflowers. Our deer nipped ours in the bud several times. Seems I am not clever enough for them! I will enjoy yours in the meantime. I am so glad you enjoyed Faire magazine, isn't it great! It is definitely worthy of quiet time with a cup of tea, hot or cold. Ruth Ribeaucourt has done a wonderful job from start to finish in getting the magazine launched. She is a story in herself. Thank you for your kind words and recommendation. Always a pleasure reading your blog Mary. Hugs to you and Bob, stay cool! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you dear Jeanne. Nothing seems to deter the deer - yours out in the quiet open countryside, ours here in a busy cul-de-sac with traffic! I opened the front door the other evening and the mama deer was standing at the bottom of my front steps staring at me with those pretty eyes - while the two fawns seemed to be nibbling figs under the tree!
      I showed Jasmin FAIRE #1 last evening - she absolutely loved the photography - Bob said a subscription would make a nice gift perhaps, I agree!
      Hugs to you and P -

      Delete
  14. Such happy photos for you to cherish. Well done, Jasmin.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Now Faire sounds intriguing and I will need to search it out. I have a weakness for a good magazine.
    Love, love, love the pictures Jazmin took of the two of you. What a sweet thing to do.
    Ugh! gardening in heat. I am proud of you for doing it. I don't think I could have done it. Yes, the exercise was probably good for you.

    ReplyDelete

I would enjoy reading your comment - thanks so much for stopping by.