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The Gift of Trees

June 14, 2023

We finish off our month long Hawthorne stay today. It was filled with rest & rejuvenation, family and friends. We head to Seattle ready for a super busy few months. Summer is always glorious in the Pacific Northwest. Feeling ever so grateful to call these places home. One big task this time that Mister Sive took on was the installation of lights that light up 12 trees surrounding the house. It is something we have been excited about for the last few years. He researched them pretty extensively and came up with this swell system that creates a bit of light magic at night as the sun goes down. The photos are much brighter than the actual, as in reality they are much more subdued and nuanced, but these give you the idea. I snapped these from inside the front sunporch. We are both major tree lovers, so seeing them lit at night when it is dark out adds another layer of enjoyment. It gives a depth of clarity and field out the windows in all the rooms of the house, where it had been a bit of a mass once the sun went down. The gift of trees, and all the beauty they possess. Natural works of art.

Unusual Containers

June 13, 2023

While I love terra cotta pots, a cool unusual ‘pot’ to plant things in can mix things up a bit. Always fun to mix things up a bit! Here, we found vintage buckets at Brimfield that worked great with the geraniums keeping the long picnic table well stocked with leafy blooms. Out on the island, all of our herbs are in old handled zinc containers. Truly any type of vessel will do, new or old, you just have to make sure water can drain from them. Either drill holes in the bottom or take a screwdriver and hammer until it punctures the bottom so water can flow freely out and does not collect at the bottom. Then you are all set with an unusual container to fill with what makes you most happy.

Ted’s Tip No. 437

June 12, 2023

Keep herbs on your radar when walking your favorite farmers market or grocery store aisles. A single bunch of mint or rosemary can make a beautiful simple arrangement. Little pots of thyme sweet to look at and extra handy to snip away at while you cook.

A Sunday Quote

June 11, 2023

A Saturday Thought

June 10, 2023

Peonies In Every Room

June 9, 2023

Flower Friday all about the exquisiteness of the divine peony. We have never been at the house when the peonies bloomed, so we are in flowery heaven at the moment. Over the last 10 years we would fly back to Seattle with a bundle of tight buds nestled in the magazine holder in front of our seat for the flight where they would bloom later in vases around the apartment. So we are thoroughly enjoying them all over the house this stay while they bloom like crazy out front. A big thunder and rain storm the other evening beat them up a bit, so extra got brought in, which I saw no problem with in the least. Insert big smile. Happy almost weekend to you all! XX, T2