Morning Walks

Sometime during this past winter, which was particularly long and bitter cold, (by western North Carolina standards anyway), I vaguely recall vowing to never again complain about the heat. What's that my mother always says about never saying never? Well, I'm not exactly complaining yet (that will probably come in August), but my, it sure has been hot lately! But, generally speaking, the muggy humidity is nicely counterbalanced by an abundance of garden fresh food, sundresses, straw hats, flip flops, berries, and banana splits. Besides, when you can greet the day with a jaunt down the driveway, surrounded by wildflowers and the boundless enthusiasm of a toddler, a little heat is nothing to fuss about.

The sweet little daisies have been replaced by the more sophisticated, mature Queen Anne's Lace, which I think may be my favorite of the seasonal wildflowers that spring up around here. So simple, in their subtle mix of strength and delicacy. Perfect in a Mason jar, set in the middle of the table. Or anywhere for that matter.

Kate adores them too. The stems are a bit tough, not something she can easily pluck like a daisy, so our morning walks are punctuated by commands to "get the white flower Mama!"

I'm not sure what these little blue flowers are, but they just appeared this week, and are lovely as well.

I suppose I won't mind terribly if summer sticks around for awhile.

Weekend Snapshots

Another gorgeous spring weekend! Saturday we spent the day back in the garden, this time prepping my herb beds. More on that little project later. Of course, what you're not seeing here are any photographs from Sunday of my poor little girl with her runny nose and watery eyes, suffering through a pretty serious case of hay fever. Pollen: the dark underbelly of springtime.

Spring Planting and General Warm Weather Giddiness

Spring can be a fickle season here in the mountains of western North Carolina. For the past week, temperatures have been holding steady in the very summery high 70s/low 80s. After the long, bitter cold winter we just endured, I'm certainly not complaining. I could sit and soak in the sun for hours. Still, that's a bit unusual for early April, so naturally we're cautious. And while we're perfectly willing to ahead and sow the lettuce bed (with baby lettuce and kale!), plow, weed eat the perimeter, drain ditches, and generally lay the foundations for the season, we won't be doing any major planting until May.

But this past weekend's gardening preview was absolutely delightful. It felt so good to dig my fingers deep into the earth, and obviously, Miss Kate couldn't agree more. I don't believe those little hands will be clean again until Thanksgiving, but I don't even care. My little one is quite the enthusiastic fan of dirt and worms, and planting lettuce and kale was the most fun she's had in ages, after being cooped up all winter.

I've always sort of enjoyed winter. I wouldn't call it my favorite season, but there is something to be said for the quiet, peaceful contentment of engaging in the more sedentary pursuits of reading and watching movies, curled up by a roaring fire. But this winter was so extreme (again, I'm from the south, so this is all relative), that even I tired of it. We all suffered from cabin fever in the very literal sense. Needless to say, I've been overjoyed to see, hear, smell, and taste the bustling of the natural world coming back to life, the budding trees, the buzzing bees, the daffodils, the dandelions! I'm just thrilled. In those dark days of winter it was hard to imagine, but spring, of course, always comes again.

Glimpses of Spring

I realize that March is a fickle month. Some might call her an all out flirt. A tease. Well, despite all that, and despite the fact that the forecast calls for a return to rain and cold weather later in the week, I'm reveling in these glimpses of spring. Days like these are a call to action. It's time to:

Skip down the driveway.

Gaze at Carolina blue skies.

Laugh at the antics of silly dogs who are just as enraptured with a bright sunny day as we are.

Dig in the mud, and come home with dirt caked under your fingernails.

Hitch a ride back up the hill after a jaunt to the mailbox. In fact, today marked the very first ride in the back of a pick-up truck of 2010. All in all, the makings of a lovely, spring day. So, to quote my hat, life is good!

Pumpkin Ginger Waffles

I've been catching whiffs of fall in the air for weeks now, but since Labor Day has come and gone, I suppose it's official now. I only jumped the gun a wee little bit when I made these absolutely divine pumpkin ginger waffles for breakfast Sunday. I whipped up the batter, and Mark (who has infinitely greater patience) manned the waffle iron. The result was utter perfection and one bite sent my brain reeling with images of brisk walks through the woods, cozy knit hats and scarves, vibrant leaves fluttering down from the sky, and hot cider slowly savored around a bonfire. Can you tell I've got a soft spot for autumn?