August 22, 2011

outside my window

A couple months ago, Amber did a 'finish the sentence' post on her blog, and I've been waiting for the perfect day to borrow the the idea.

Today just happens to be the perfect day.


Outside my window.....One of my very favorite summertime sounds is the clickity swish of our front wheel line. It spends the summer making a journey, (with my husband's help), back and forth across the front field, and on this particular day, it is as close to our house as it can get.


(I didn't like the reflection on the window in the first shot, so I went outside and took another shot, but by the time I got around to it, the sun had disappeared. Since beggars can't be choosers, I'm just going to pretend this shot is also taken through the window and has beautiful golden light. Please feel free to pretend right along with me.)

(Okay, since the light was gone last night, I felt the need to take just one more shot in today's early morning light. I think I'm a bit obsessed with my wheel line and am feeling a desperate need to accurately convey it in all its rolling water pipe beauty.)


I'm a white noise girl, and always have a fan on at night. But when the wheel line is this close, the fan stays off and I fall asleep to what I consider to be the Sound of Summer. With the fan off the last couple nights, I've discovered we have an owl in one of our trees. His "whoo whoo-who" was kinda cute until about midnight on the first night. After that....not so cute.

He whoots all. night. long.




I am thinking....I'm thinking that I wish summer could last forever. It has been beyond gorgeous here. Sunny, warm days, and cool nights. Our Augusts can be really smoky from forest fires, but so far, we've dodged that bullet and every day has been absolutely beautiful.


From the kitchen.....Oh dear. I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that it may let you all know just what a slacker I've been on the cooking front...all summer long. My hubby has been grilling quite a bit, and if it weren't for that and the Costco frozen buffalo wings my youngest is currently obsessed with, we'd have all wasted away to nothing. Good thing we have ice cream to keep some meat on our bones.

The last couple days I've actually had a hankering for chili. Can you make chili in the summertime? Is it allowed? I need to know.


I am wearing.....Shorts and a tank top.

Every day.

Shorts and a tank top.

Shorts.

And.

A.

Tank.

Top.

Pretty exciting, eh?

No?

Oh, and flip flops if by chance the day calls for some sort of footwear.


I am reading.....Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. My sister gave it to me right after the wedding, and it's been the perfect summer read. It kind of reminds me of The Secret Life of Bees and it's been extra fun for me to read because it is set in Savannah, where my sister, my nieces and I visited last spring.

Good book.


I am hoping....That summer lasts forever.

I love summer.

I know I already used this one, but it bears repeating.


I am hearing....the aforementioned clickity swish of the wheel line, kamikaze bugs flying against my window, and the well kicking on and off with what was an alarming frequency until I realized I left a sprinkler on full blast all night long.


Some of my favorite things.....Fireworks. Did I tell you we had fireworks at the wedding? Actually, after the rehearsal dinner. It was awesome and I sat through the whole show with a big, goofy grin on my face.

Fireflies. I've only ever seen one firefly in my whole life and it was here in Montana of all places. My hubby found it and put it in a jar and brought it to me while I was in bed sleeping. It was just about the coolest thing ever and well worth waking up for.

Ice cream. Every night. Tillamook Peanut Butter and Chocolate, vanilla with a broken up Reese's mixed in, and Dreyer's Chocolate Fudge Brownie with coconut and slivered almonds added are a few of my favorites.
I love ice cream!

My Princess Diana clematis.


She just keeps on growing and blooming. I love her. I'm so glad I planted her by my birdhouse...they're a match made in gardening heaven.


A few plans for the rest of the week.....Clean my house - whoo-hoo! Go to Costco and stock up on all the things I didn't know I needed until the Costco coupon book convinced me otherwise. Fold and put away the laundry that's been sitting on my couch for the last five days. Not cook dinner.

Don't hate. It's not as glamorous as it sounds.


Have a wonderful Monday!

54 comments:

  1. Smiling and enjoying this glimpse into your days of summer!
    xo Cathy

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  2. Love all those 'finishings'. It's so nice just to stop and enjoy the calmness of the day. Makes for one happy person. :)

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  3. Beautiful Pics!! Funny you mentioned the whole chili thing because I was just thinking about that last week!! We had a week of beautiful weather & cooler temps! One night we even dropped into the 50's & I couldn't help think about fall & football...football & chili! They are a match made in heaven!!

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  4. Love this post, photos are great, and I feel the mist!....

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  5. I loved this post! I love your garden, your photography, your sense of humor! I love summer, LOVED "Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt", and your finish the sentence. Feel the love yet? lol!
    YES you can have chili in the summer - on one condition. Come to NY, help me landscape my house. (Small yard - you could do it in NO time!) And we'll take you all over NY, the beach, theater, whatever you want. Sound good?

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  6. I can see why you would hate for summer to come to an end. Your flowers are still so...beautiful
    My flowers are all dead now and the leaves are beginning to change.
    Very yummy ice cream choices there!

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  7. Those pictures are so amazing and have left me dreaming... just beautiful!

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  8. love this post. hate you a little that you eat ice cream every night. you not cooking, redeems you in my eyes though. I am a slacker since the kids grew up. My name is Janie, and I am a slacker. amen

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  9. Great post!
    Love all the pictures and "remembering" summer...we have rain pouring down all around us today!!!

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  10. you crack me up:) if you want to come plant me an amazing garden i'll take you to the tillamook factory...deal? i'd say it's worth jumping on a plane for!

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  11. I want to eat ice cream and watch you tend to my flowers. Doesn't that sound fun? Doesn't it?? And why did Timmy not make your list of loves? Shameful.

    also - Wedding crashers???

    and - How was your first date with yourself?

    I need answers. You know, when you get around to it.

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  12. Fun post. Insite into you and your life. Your flowers are, a always, beautiful, but I am so partial to clematis of any kind and yours are just wonderful. Want chili, make chili. Life is too short for some silly rules.
    Annette

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  13. Yep, you can do whatever you want - including making chili in August!!

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  14. I used to do a post just like this every week...maybe I should get back to it. The view outside your window is lovely...at any time of the day. I'm a white noise girl too and sleep with a fan each night (my poor husband freezes!). And I laughed about the chili because I could have it in the summer but I'm hubby would rather not. You can come and visit me and see all of the fireflies that you'd like :) Have fun at Costco...that is one place I would like to go, but haven't been. Have a great week.

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  15. Just beautiful. And so peaceful. Honestly, just what I needed today.

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  16. It must be wonderful to open up the windows and let all the freshness inside. Outside my window is...humidity! My favorite photo in this post is the birdhouse with the clematis growing up the post. So beautiful!

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  17. Beautiful pictures and post.
    YES you can have chili in the summer!

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  18. I love this post! Love the little grasshopper! So cure. ;)I'm always thrilled when I see a post from you! Crazy huh? :)And I was thinking of chili today too, but our nights here in Virginia have been cooling off and high school football has started so chili it is for dinner one evening soon. =D

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  19. Definitely soul sisters!!! I will make chili if YOU will. IF we still serve hot dinners during the summer (and it would seem that some of us do NOT - just sayin') then why not a bowl of hot chili, huh? Why not? Sorry, that was a little defensive. I LOVE CHILI. Let's cook!

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  20. Love your posts and your enchanting sense of humor and the way you look at life. Your photos are always so beautiful and calming. I always get a little sad this time of year, even though August is my favorite month. It's just that summer is nearly over and I'm not overly fond of winter. But August ~ it contains all of my favorite summer sounds ~ crickets, locusts and especially tree frogs. I don't think I could live anywhere that didn't have these creatures singing to me day and throughout the night.
    Cindy

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  21. Dear Teresa,

    Can I come visit? You can teach me how to take awesome pictures and I will cook dinner and eat ice cream with you. I will even make chili :)
    Deal?

    Love,
    Debbie

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  22. Loved your "outside the window" post. Now my window seems awful pale in comparison. :) And, no, you cannot eat chili in the summer. But this may be crazy pregnancy brain speaking.

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  23. I did a summer closet clean the other day, and discovered a couple photos.

    Five gals in a line plus a full view of..."The Junk House" it has tall piles of split wood, old doors, windows and what looks like a small fridge all stuffed on the front porch. You know, Junk. :-)

    In one photo we all wear sunglasses, the other no sunglasses. One of the boys must have been the photog. as you are in the pic. If you would like me to scan & send them to you email me:

    jeanette@downingstdesign.com

    I envy your sun, we have rain today. go figure.

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  24. Sounds like a magical place. That grasshopper shot is amazing.

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  25. Don't feel bad, We took our first born back to college last week and on the way there, he said, " I can't wait to get back to school and have food again!!!" Imagine the look on my face...I turned around in the car and said "What are you talking about..." He said, "You've barely cooked all summer and there was never any food around." Talk about Mom of the Year moment...

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  26. Breathtaking photos. End of summer...bittersweet...sigh.

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  27. thanks so much for sharing your beautiful pictures (and stories). My family and I have lived in Virginia all of our lives...and now my middle son finds himself in Montana for a year. I have so enjoyed your pictures as a way to "get to know" the place where he lives - as you may have guessed, a 22 year old isn't big on descriptive conversations about his surroundings! I'm coming for a visit in October and just can't wait! Thanks again and have a wonderful week - laurie

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  28. I appreciate that you went to the trouble to provide an accurate depiction of the wheel line in addition to the dream-like-summer-trance version and I completely understand wanting more summer, especially since it feels like it just got started a week or two ago, here in Oregon.

    I checked and chili is allowed as long as you
    include some garden fresh vegetables.

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  29. Love that gorgeous clematis climbing up your birdhouse pole also! And that blue/purple flower--is it a veronica? Do you know what variety? My veronicas are all about done blooming and don't look that fresh! Reminds me of my favorite crayon color--periwinkle! We have a very small vineyard out my kitchen window (yes, even in NE) and I love the sound of the sprinklers going in it...so relaxing. Thanks for sharing the gorgeous photos of your kitchen window view.

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  30. I'll make the chili, the red and the white kind and you can teach me to photograph just half as good as you are.

    I
    LOVE,
    love,
    LOVE
    to
    read
    you!

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  31. I particularly like the Princess Di clematis photo - spectacular. Though, all your photos make me smile. Thank you

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  32. Ahhhh...dreaming of a day like yours... I truly dislike making dinner, but feel the guilt from my "starving" 17-year-old son.... Maybe tomorrow I can have a wonderful day like yours :)

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  33. I loved this post. Your clickety-clack photos are beautiful...they convey summer beautifully!

    What...only one fire fly your entire life...I guess I must stop taking these little buggers ;) for granted!

    Happy Summer!

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  34. Loving your wheel line and I'm sitting here envious of your summer...but thankful that you share it!!

    Is chili allowed in the summertime??
    Is coffee??? : )

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  35. Absolutely LOVE your photographs!!! Wedding Crashers?? we need more information! I cannot imagine uninvited guests showing up!!

    Nancy

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  36. When I was young and living at home, we lived in the middle of a fruit orchard. The sprinklers ran every night in rotating positions. Some closer and some far away from my window. Still today, years later, when I go home and hear that sound of the sprinklers, it is so soothing. I really miss it. <3 kathy

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  37. I too wish summer could last forever.
    Your wheel line is ever so charming
    {and useful at the same time} - perfect!

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  38. Sigh - I could sit and look at your photos forever. I get absolutely lost in them. I have school girl fantasies of someday moving out to the country and having just a few acres to create stunning gardens like yours. Thank you for sharing your incredible property.

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  39. I was thinking just today...that summer hasn't been nearly long enough!!!

    I am shocked...SHOCKED that you have only seen 1 firefly in your life! Come to my front porch at dusk. You'll see a whole flock of them. :)

    I think...I think I Love You!!! As always thanks for sharing your FANTASTIC view of life!

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  40. Beautiful pictures. I especially enjoyed the grasshopper. Good to know about Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt. It's the next book on my list for book club!

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  41. Thank you for identifying the Princess Di Clematis. She sure is beautiful and she is perfect on your birdhouse post. I am in love with the yellow one in this post too.

    Your garden is soooooooo amazing! Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos!

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  42. how fun :>
    i am a white noise convert...
    hubby taught me - it's awesome till you go on a trip and have to go buy a fan because you forgot yours and no one will be able to fall asleep without one :D
    make that chili :)
    or buy some at Wendy's and treat yourself to a frosty while you're at it (although i'm sure your recipe would be much better than wendy's).
    sigh - i just love your beautiful flowers.

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  43. Look at that amazing grasshopper! I too am a white noise gal, can't sleep without my fan. I just had one die the other day and had to buy a new one. Would sure like to see what its like to fall asleep to a wheel line. How relaxing! I made this chili recently and it is heavenly! Anything with chocolate is good right? http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/10/chipotle-chocolate-chili/ Beautiful thought provoking post as usual! Thank you!

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  44. What gorgeous flowers, and a fabulous view you must have every day.

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  45. wish i could sit in your garden with you and eat ice cream, vanilla with chocolate sauce, fabulous flowers and views so envious, dreary and wet here in england but love it all the same . love your post xx

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  46. I love your pictures and love the way you think! I wish summer would last too! I love wearing shorts, tank tops and flip flops every single day. And I'm not thrilled about cooking in the summer. Thank goodness for Costco! :)

    Have a great day.
    Pam

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  47. Here I am stopping by once again to enjoy what you write and color.
    I miss new posts but I hear something new when I read one I have read before.

    I really like your style and zest and that you like ice cream too!

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  48. I'm in love with that grassyhopper pictures! Oh T. What a lovely life you have. One of my all time favorite sounds is the click of the sprinkler, and then the sound it makes as it turns back around - I don't know how to explain it - do you know what I speak of!? And fireflies? Oh T - what a SAD life you have - you've only seen one?? When you come next summer and stay in the Squirrel - the fireflies will illuminate the fields. It's magical. I'll even leave the sprinkler on for you. : -)

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  49. Such magnificent shots! The view outside your window is really amazing. It's really not surprising that you even took pictures of it. The last picture is definitely my favorite among the rest.

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  50. I have loved this delightful peek into your life... thank you for sharing such inspiring thoughts... ;)

    Cielo

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  51. I have loved this delightful peek into your life... thank you for sharing such inspiring thoughts... ;)

    Cielo

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