August Break, Day 8: Local Summer Refreshment

A Fresh Look

I spent the morning cleaning up the last of the Christmas decorations and putting out some new things in the living room. It's so rewarding to have a clean, fresh space!



I'm also eagerly watching my paperwhite bulbs grow. It's a noticeable difference every day! The bulbs are from last year, so I'm not sure they'll bloom. I wasn't even expecting them to sprout, but since they are, I figure I might as well try them out. Having anything growing so vigorously at this time of year is a treat, even if they don't flower.



How is your weekend going?

New Things in Summertime

Just wanted to share a peek at what's new around our home this Summer...

Our newly installed (and still not quite filled up) container water garden:





The shelves in our living room have been given a face lift, using some of the books we got at the Natural History Museum's book sale yesterday:



And the dining room sideboard has turned into a bit more of a jungle, since we're "babysitting" some of my parents' plants while their kitchen is being renovated:



What's new with you this summer?

Home in Rhode Island

Well, as you know I've just returned from a vacation and friends' wedding in Montana. We had such a good time seeing sights and visiting with some of the best people on the face of the earth. It's always hard to leave them, but it is good to be home. It seems we've brought some actual summer weather back with us - two whole days of sunshine and warmth!! So, after spending some time storing away the luggage and travel things, I took a break to give our sideboard a little summer facelift.



Here's what you're seeing: candles in jam jars, big dahlias from the garden, mums to root and replant, a fabric mushroom I just can't get enough of, a terrarium filled with Logee's plants, smooth white stones from Moonstone Beach, vintage gardening/houseplant books, brass quails, and our Phalaenopsis orchid.

And, even though they didn't quite fit in with the dahlia bouquet, I couldn't resist snipping a few of these little beauties and finding them a home in the guest room...



Hope you're enjoying your July!

My Favorite Room

I spent some time taking photographs in my favorite room of the house today. It's my favorite because of the lovely color on the walls, the great light, the chandelier... and probably the fact that it's the only "finished" room in the house! I love how the wall shade changes subtly depending on how the sun is hitting it.

Light streaming into the room...


A dimly lit corner...


Colors of Spring (I cross-processed this one and kept it intentionally dark. Fit the quiet mood I was in.)...

Plantaholics Anonymous?

My husband and I have somewhat of an addiction to houseplants. This winter, I cleaned out our bay window and got rid of several that were past their prime. Probably a good thing for those remaining, since now they have some openness and air circulation. We decided we had enough plants in that window.

The thing is, we have lots of other windows in the house... so our collection is growing again. Today we went to that most dangerous of stores, Logee's Greenhouse. If you live in Southern New England, this place is worth a trip - particularly on a cold dreary day. It's like a magical wonderland inside, truly. The whole place seems alive - moss and vine covered walls, the scent of jasmine filling the air, hundred year old trees rooted into the greenhouse floor... And the family has been growing tropical plants since 1892, so they know what they're doing.

As is inevitable when we make the trip to Logee's, we came home with some new friends. Two planned purchases, for a new terrarium, and two not so planned. :-) Want to meet them?

Scott's Spleen (Asplenium ebonoides) and Club Moss(Selaginella erythropus) for the terrarium...


'Diamond Head' Elephant's Ear (Colocasia esculenta)...


and my favorite from today, a carnivorous plant called butterwort (Pinguicula pimuliflora)...


Here you can see the little sticky drops that catch insects


It's quite a photogenic plant, I think!


And now that our new friends are all settled in, I am off to relax and do some housecleaning while hubby makes dinner - Pork Chops in Beer - sounds yummy!

Creative Environment

This is certainly not the first time it's been said, but I find the environment around me to be incredibly influential on my state of mind. When I'm at the day job, the clutter of paperwork, maps, and plant specimens feels right. Those are the tools I use to do my job.

At home, clutter really bothers me. (This is ironic, since I have forever been kind a messy kind of person.) It bothers me more now that I run my photography business out of my home. I like things neat, clean, and aesthetically pleasing while I'm doing creative work. We're making progress towards turning our new home into that lovely creative environment. I thought I'd share some glimpses with you.

Dining room, as seen from the living room


Dining room sideboard


Living room side table


Guest room window


Not sure if you can tell, but I'm a hippie at heart! I'm loving blending the budding stylish side of me with the earthy, "tree-hugging dirt worshiper" side. Turning this house into our distinctive home has been really rewarding, and it provides a nice creative project when I'm feeling burnt out on photography.

Do you have photos of your creative spaces? Feel free to post links!

Our Garden Guardian

This guy is our new friend, striking fear into the hearts of rabbits throughout the neighborhood, and protecting the veggies of all. Unfortunately he has also been striking fear into the hearts of our neighbor's chickens....



Isn't the light amazing? He was sitting in the perfect spot to catch a sunbeam through the leaves. Nature in all of its glory *happy sigh*.