We’re staying at Graham’s parents’ house for the next couple of weeks for some beach and family time, and they’ve got a lovely garden with a small koi pond.
Y’all, the fish are always, always, always hungry.
Graham got a new camera! It’s a Fujifilm X-T30 II, and he’s really liking it so far. It’s lightweight, easy to carry, and takes pretty good pictures. He’s been snapping some random, quick shots around the house and garden to try it out, and explore its different modes and features.
And of course, our two favorite subjects. 😊
Gatsby’s been dealing with an eye issue, which we’ve finally gotten diagnosed and have some medicine for. Not that it’s easy to give him the medicine, but at least we’ve got it.
We’re planning to spend some time this weekend playing around a bit more with the new camera. Hopefully we get some good photos!
We had a wonderful weekend visiting with family in the mountains! We’re exhausted and happy, and we made lots of good memories. One of them? Watching the sunset over the mountains.
Just absolutely, almost unbelievably gorgeous. I love my little corner of Loudoun, but the mountains will always feel like home to me.
Nature is its own kind of powerful, beautiful magic.
Rain, rain, rain
through April to May –
could it be you’re here to stay?
It certainly feels that way.
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Yes, friends, it’s yet another rainy day, and it’s set to be a rainy weekend. I like rainy weather – it’s good for book-reading and tea-sipping and nap-taking. But…it would be nice to see some blue skies for more than a few hours at a time between rain clouds. I shouldn’t complain, though. Everything is so lusciously, livingly green.
If the weather keeps this up, it’s going to be a very vibrant summer.
For the last two years at around this time, a family of foxes has taken up residence under our barn. I’ve written about them before – a few times, in fact.
Mama and babies, and we’ve had the privilege of watching the kits grow and play. And y’all, they grow up so fast!
We’ve not seen them this year, though we do regularly catch glimpses of an adult fox hunting in our back field, and over the weekend, Graham saw her poking around near our barn. So maybe they’re just moving in a little late.
We shall see! And in the meantime, I’m glad we have cute pictures and sweet memories.
We had our first big thunderstorm last night. It started at around 11:00 and lasted about an hour, with lots of lightning, loud thunder, and heavy rain. Then it moved on, but it left the rain behind.
This morning, things are looking damp and cloudy, but there’s beauty in that, I think.
A gray sky against dewy, green leaves and blossoms – there’s something so peaceful and striking about that.
And I figure, whether you like it or not, the rainy days will come. So, better to just appreciate them for what they are, and find joy in a darker sky.
My other favorite sign of spring here in Virginia: the Virginia bluebell.
Just like the bright, striking pink of the redbud tree, the calm blues and purples of these little beauties just make so happy. And when you happen across a field of bluebells, it honestly feels a bit like stepping into a fairyland.
I wrote a poem about them last year, which I’ll share at the end of this post, just below.
I tell ya…there’s just something a little bit magic about Virginia in the spring.
Blue Belle (A Poem)
Lady Blue,
now ring your bell
through forest, field, and fairy dell,
from riverbank to village green:
the time has come for growing things.
Slowly, but surely…
March often surprises us here in Virginia with one last snow. But today, it’s sunny and not too cold, and I can feel the season changing. I love winter best, but there’s nothing quite like watching the world come alive again in the spring.
We’ve had a lot more snow so far this month than I thought we would, and it’s been so nice. Graham’s been out in the yard snapping pictures (including the little bird from my last post), and I just had to share this one.
This family of deer lives in the woods behind our house, and they’re…not the best neighbors. They eat pretty much everything, including the blossoms from our fruit trees, and they often get stuck behind fences. We’ve had to rescue them more than once. But, be that as it may, they sure are cute, aren’t they?
