Here and There

"Daisies are the friendliest flowers" says Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail. This past weekend we went hiking and walked through fields of daisies. It looked as though an artist had taken a paintbrush and spattered white paint over a grassy green background. The daisies and grasses bent and swayed in the wind. The beauty of it filled my well. Several deer enjoyed the daisies, as well. How still they stand once they noticed us. So watchful. 

There was also a stroll through a marina where Small Fry floated next to the dock. This beautiful wooden boat was someone's pride and joy long ago and the current owner is taking good care of her. 

At home in my garden the snap peas are flowering. It's been a cool few weeks and the garden is poking along. I'd pick these flowers and arrange them in a vase if I didn't want the peas they will soon produce. 

John Cabot is blooming with vigor, and there are many many more buds to open. Promises for later. 

I've been drying herbs - oregano and bay leaves. Some I dry in the oven with just the oven light on; others in the dehydrator. The other day I needed a bit of dried parsley for a recipe and put the sprigs between paper towel in the microwave. That was fast and easy, but probably not doable for any great quantity. 

I picked a fist full of daisies and arranged them with a few garden fillers - lavender, feverfew, and ferns. They make a cheerful display on the coffee table. I recently read a couple of quotes about the scent of daisies - one said, "She smelled of sun and daisies" and I thought "Ew" because daisies, as friendly as they are, do not have a pleasant fragrance at all. 

I'm counting down to the end of school. Just a couple more weeks. I've handed out final assignments and am beginning to write reports. I will be so very glad when this strange school year ends. Students and teachers alike are weary, more so than normal because of Covid-19, I think. And no one knows what September will hold - I feel for our administrators who have been told to plan for every stage. 

What's blooming in your gardens? Do you find it a place of solace? I do. Cares fall away as I weed and pray and think.