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!