Sunrise from the Living Room

I've taken you on many tours of my property in all seasons, but this morning, I'd like to share the view from my living room. I love the early morning light nearly as much as I love the winter landscape out here in the country. So here's the view, from inside out:

Sunrise

A little closer

Morning Coffee View

Sunrise on the porch swing

Looking North

There's something about curly willows I love

The smokehouse

Northwestern view

From the kitchen window

Summer Scenes

Do you remember just a few short months ago when I braved the single digit temps and took you on a winter walkabout? Well, now that we're approaching the triple digits, I thought I'd take some photos of the same scenes in their summer light.

Day Lillies glow

You know what they say about the early bird

Daisy Shadow

I always knew I had a guardian angel. I just never knew he looked like an Easter Island statue!

Perfect spot for sunset watching and wine sipping.

Winter winds took down the pump house door, revealing this view of my house

And on the other side of the door -- lots of farmer's math. Wonder what he was calculating?

When in doubt, head West.

Garden of Weedin'

I have been overwhelmed with yard work this year, but in the spirit of "when life gives you lemons..." I decided to take pleasure in the entire garden today, not just the pretty flowers that I want to be there. I mean, who are we to judge, anyway? What makes one plant beautiful, and one a common weed? Here's a tour of the less cultivated parts of my garden:

This used to be my vegetable garden!

A single sunflower among the stinging nettles. Not going to pick this one!

The fire pit isn't getting much use this summer, except by the daisies.

A "volunteer" shrub in the middle of my field

Milkweed

Joy

Her friends say she has a smile that lights up a room, so I knew my donation for the silent auction for Lynne's Legacy of Hope would be all about color and Swarovski crystals. Here's my bracelet, called Joy.

Here's more about Lynne and the event:

Lynne Sater, wife of WISN-TV news anchor Terry Sater and mother of 3 beautiful girls, Savannah, Autumn, and Sierra, has been battling Stage IV Bile Duct Cancer. She was diagnosed in December of 2009. As she has been valiantly fighting this terrible disease, medical expenses have mounted. Lynne's Legacy of Hope is a fun way for you to show your support for the Sater Family! So mark your calendars and join us on July 24th, 2011, at Lapham Peak State Park for an unforgettable day!

Artbeads Winter Enchantment Project

My backyard in January

For this season's Artbeads.com blogger project, we were asked to design jewelry based on winter. Here in Wisconsin, winter is a long season. Our first cold snap comes in October and we're usually not seeing daffodils until late April. The season is long, but it isn't bleak. We have wonderful white snow, beautiful bare brown branches, and brilliant blue skies peeking through whenever we can. For this project, I wanted to explore working with some new-to-me materials. While I often use glass beads in my designs, I haven't worked with artisan-made lampworked beads before.  I was immediately drawn to these lampworked art beads when I started planning my winter-white necklace. Brass accents and just a hint of blue completed the palette, and I had this design together in no time.



Winter White necklace



Earrings

Beaded links connected by large jump rings

This necklace and earrings set came together very nicely. My original intention was to string the necklace, but I wanted the lampworked beads to be visible from all sides. Making beaded links instead set the beads off. I rummaged through my supplies for brass jump rings, thinking 5 or 6 mm would be the perfect size. I only found these super-sized rings, though, so I decided to try it out. I like the look even better. It's more open and airy. 

Do you design by purpose, by "happy accident," or a little of each?

Disclaimer: The lampworked beads, brass beadcaps, and brass findings  used in this project were provided to me free of charge by Artbeads. My review is my opinion and I have not been paid for my endorsement.

Winter in the back yard

Here are some winter pictures for you to enjoy. Hopefully you're reading this from a warmer climate!

Oconomo-walk

My town is a great walking town. There are two large lakes, and most weekend days will find an eclectic mix of people walking, running, or strolling around the "lake loop." On my most recent walk, I passed a woman pushing a cat in a stroller. Yes, a cat. That can only be topped by what I saw this summer: An adorable pug in full life jacket, floating on a boogie-board while his big-brother black lab played an endless game of water-catch. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the cat or the dog. But here are a few of the view:

Poor little duck, enjoying the last rays of sun as the ice begins to form...we'll have ice-fish houses out there before you know it!

Our town is nick-named Five-O's (get it? OcOnOmOwOc!) I thought this view from the bridge was appropriate:

Enjoy the beauty in your day, even if it includes a little ice!

Happy Thanksgiving

Fall Gardens

I ran into an old friend a while ago and among other things she asked about my gardens. After politely listening to a long list of coulda-woulda-shoulda's from me, she said, "well, there's a big difference between spring gardens and fall gardens." And, you know, I really agree. There's nothing like the smell of mulch in May, and the sight of fresh beds and young plants ... so much potential! But I really love the rambling leftovers that come in the fall. I love the many shades of browns and the rustling leaves. More than anything, I love the freedom that comes from walking through the remains of a garden and just enjoying what's left instead of feeling the urge to weed, trim, transplant...

Our winter is long enough that I have months to plan my spring garden to-do list. Here are some fall photos to enjoy now.