Camp Hygge...

 Hygge is the Danish word for all that is peaceful and cozy.  After learning about hygge, it has become my credo.  Life is short and was meant to be enjoyed.  My husband knows this and appreciates my philosophy.  Thus, he made this sign for me...

The word, branch, and cabin are all cut out by hand with a scroll saw.  I love it.  It turned out perfectly.  Of course it had to go on the porch.  Right above my favorite chair.

I'm still picking berries and finding a few other things while I'm wandering through the woods.  I tried gooseberry jelly and yum.  The recipe I used included lime juice and ginger.  It has a delicious zing.

The gardens are wonderful.  Let's get off of the porch and take a gander.

The hay cart is planted with an array of annual seeds and some geraniums I overwintered.  Below is that perennials in the rose bed.

The 'ditch' daylilily always puts on a show.  Meanwhile, the lilies in front of the cabin are also in full bloom.

The sunsets have been beautiful due to the wildfires in the west.

What is your rule of life? 

We interrupt this summer for berry picking and friends...

I have been picking berries every night.  There are Juneberries, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, cherries, and currents.  I can't keep up.

 This is one of the many paths my husband made for me.  They are great for accessing the plethora of wild berries we have this year.

I have also had a packed weekend with friends.  My friend from college is back in the area and it has been our tradition to go to the Festival in the Park.  Then a good friend dropped by and we toured the gardens, sipped lemonade, and relaxed on the porch.  Later this week Bob and Phyllis are coming out with their daughter on Tuesday.  Life is just better on the porch in the summer.  

 I apologize for not visiting other blogs lately.  I don't intend to spend my days berry picking, but I see one little berry and before I know it I'm wandering off into the woods with a pail.   I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer.

Potting bench project...

 It was a busy weekend.  I picked berries, cut a few trees, hung solar lanterns in the greenhouse, trimmed plants, and fixed my potting bench.

The rose bed is doing fantastic.  The spring blooms are done and now my summer flowers are gearing up.

I did quite a bit if trimming in the greenhouse.   The tomatoes and bok choy needed to lose leaves so air could circulate.  

The corn, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkins, and squash all look great.

For several years I have wanted to enclose the wonderful potting bench my husband made me.  It used to be protected on our porch, but I've had to move it.  

The back and sides weren't too difficult.  The doors were going to be a challenge.

I was super excited to use the shutter hinges and a window closure salvaged from an old house.  Any of you that have followed me for awhile knows I love giving old things new life.

There it is.  The final product.  It wasn't easy.  I am proud of myself for measuring two or three times and only cutting once (Maybe twice).

I'm not the greatest carpenter, but it feels good knowing I can do a project like this.  Now, water and wind won't cause havoc with the stuff in my bench.  This has been the biggest project I've tackled this summer.

Do you have any big summer projects?  Do you have a potting bench?  I hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as I did.

It is that time of year, berry picking.  This is the most wild strawberries I've ever had.  I really want to make jam, but I am far from the required 8 cups.  The other berries are Saskatoons or June berries.  They make an amazing wine.

My roses are putting on a show.  Which I appreciated.  Our niece and nephew came up for the Fourth.  Usually they come out for turkey hunting in May and nothing is blooming.  I was glad they finally got to see the flowers.

The orange rose below is an Australian Copper.  It only blooms once, but wow!

I have a visitor to the garden.  Can you see him snug on the rock?  My frog pond hasn't filled with rain yet, but this guy is waiting at the pool.

Yes, my peonies and iris are still blooming.

 As always, my chamomile is going crazy.  I don't mind as I use the flowers for tea and hair detangler.

It was a wonderful Fourth of July.  I hope you were able to enjoy the weekend.