Summer Wishes

A little photo dreaming regarding the interior of my home. I would REALLY like my rooms to look this clean, crisp and uncluttered. I also like the architectural details of trim and windows that make a statement. My house has good space but nothing in the way of "good bones" or architecture. I like cottage. My house isn't. The white cupboard here with bowls. The chair facing the outdoors. The table and wire chairs. And the flat tray of plants on the BARE table. You know I ache to have a bare table.

I nearly have this. I have white slipcovered couches and bare wood floors in the living room. Only the floors are a dark, expensive walnut. And G refuses to allow me to paint them a lighter color. I want, need, have to have, new chairs. Cushy, squooshy white linen slipcovered arm chairs. With high backs to rest my head on and good arms to support my elbows while I read.

A summer bedroom. White linen sheets, piles of soft, fluffy down pillows in well worn cotton cases. An old fashion closet with a great door and metal knob. A window directly next to the bed with breezes drifting over. A long white linen robe to wear after a nice shower. Bare feet on clean smooth floors.

I slept fitfully last night and woke remembering fragments of some very strange dreams. And they were in color. I always try and think about whether I dream in color.

G is watering the vegetable garden and assessing the damage done by our failure to water in the past few days. G will also be setting up the leaf shredder and I plan to chop the dry leaves from last autumn into a fine powder and mulch the garden. I will have to remove the chunky leaves I put down last week and replace them with finer ground leaves. And I have big weeds to dig out of bed number 8 and soil, peat, manure and fertilizer to add to that bed.

Bed #1: cabbages/beets Bed #2: Herbs Bed #3: Tomatoes/chard/bok choy/beets/ rose Bed #4: Celery/kale/seedlings of five new Fall crops Bed#5: Tomatoes/jalapenos/cucumbers Bed#6: winter and summer squashes Bed #7: Brussels sprouts/zucchini/pole beans Bed #8: weeds

The compost pile squashes continue to produce leaves and the CBS Morning Show reported that we have 45 days of sweaty summer left before autumn arrives. So, technically, there is time for those plants to produce a few butternut squashes. Next year I am planting turban shaped squashes with a dense, nutty flesh and a green rind. I have planted Delicata in years past and they are very nice. But not very productive. I think two plants produced 5 squash? Not that my planted butternut are doing much better. And they have lots of cow manure to feed on. I will be adding Fish Emulsion to the mix today for the cucumbers, beans, squashes and beets. Give them a "boost".

So I have lots to do and G wants to drive to Freeport Cafe for French Onion Soup. Riley wants to go for a walk and a dive into the deep water in the woods. He may or may not go into the big mud pit which he loves and G hates. That's our day. Oh, and there are watermelon chunks in the fridge.