A Mix of Fall Blessings~ in Photos

 A warm hello to you on this crisp, fall day. 

I am so grateful for so many reasons.

I try to keep my blog pretty upbeat as I feel there is

always hope and much to celebrate. 

May I say that I have much more hope for our 

country today than I did yesterday.

I understand that politics are very personal but I must say that

I am thankful for the turn out of our presidential election.

Without sharing details, I feel that there is much to be 

thankful for in our country.

And one of those is freedom. 

And you may have heard about the incident involving the shooting of

an AZ police officer and the taking of a 15 year old hostage.

 My son in law is a highway patrolman and was called to assist in the situation.

My 13 year old granddaughter was in the area as well. 

We are 45 miles from where it took place.

And I am just so very thankful for their safe return.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of

the police officer who lost his life. 

He was due to retire in two weeks.

I appreciate the multitudes of brave men and women

who work so hard and sacrifice so much to protect us.

Thank you for bearing with me. It's good to be positive and uplifting

but sometimes the real world needs and circumstances call for our attention.

I have many photos to share with you today.

I hope you enjoy your visit. 

Below is a golden hour walk through the Sugartree woods.

Such beauties in nature. 

The warmth and brilliant color I find in this woodland world

sometimes takes my breath away,

The path that I share with the deer and other wild animals.

Have you ever read Walden by Henry David Thoreau?

It's very fascinating and thought provoking. When I am surrounded by such

beauty in nature, it makes me think of his long walks and obsession with

the outdoors and the simple life.

 Are you familiar with Sweet Stock?

They are some of my favorites. A few years ago, I planted some here but they didn't

do well. The plants were growing in the planter from mid summer but I didn't know what they were. The foliage looked somewhat like Petunias. I let them grow as I

can never pull anything that could be a flower! 

My patience paid off and when I returned from Ohio, 

these beauties were there to greet me! Oh they smell so heavenly and have 

the prettiest, old-fashioned looking blooms! I do hope that they continue

 to come back and grace my yard with their loveliness.

 Here are a few shots from The Narrows in New Mexico.

 Such majestic and gorgeous formations. 

 I made many new kitty friends while in Ohio. This sweet fellow came to 

visit me during my quiet times in the Sugartree gypsy camp.

The others were all met while shopping. 

They were sort of store greeters! There were three in all. 

It was so charming to have them follow 

me around while I shopped.

Do you enjoy backroads?

I do. 

Honestly, this is one of my favorite things about being

in Ohio. Such rustic charm and it's so peaceful.

I have so many girlhood memories of dirt roads.

Picking wildflowers and visiting neighbors.

I road my horse, walked and bicycled for miles all over the countryside.

My wanderings began when I was about 10 years old and

I love to wander still~

Here we are back in AZ.

 This is the last of the tomatoes and I had some fun with

gathering herbs and flowers around the yard to make this arrangement.

Aren't nature and gardening glorious?

And so beautiful how they blend together in perfect harmony.

I have been working every spare minute that I can on Christmas

offerings to sell and give away. I have also

been working on some pie pumpkins to give as gifts.

The past two weekends were so fun as we had the kids over for a 

big breakfast with all the fixins and fried apples too!

It was a lovely time.  We also had a fall party one evening.

It was complete with a bonfire, with the gypsy camp trails all aglow

with white and orange twinkle lights and caramel apples for dessert.

We adults played some music and sang around the fire while the kids

ran the lighted trails like wild Indians!

It was VERY chilly but so fun!

I hope you've been enjoying your autumn. 

I'd love to hear about  what you've been doing.

Thanksgiving is just a round the corner!

I have a simple project to share next time.

Have a wonderful week and thank you for your visit.

You are all so special and I appreciate you so much!

Hugs,

Tamara

Harvested Herbs and An Herbal Wreathe~

Hello dear friends...

I'm just popping in at the library to 

make a few visits as time allows and to show you 

a little project that I made before leaving 

on our trip.

I've been having the most wonderful time

visiting family.

My time visiting our kids in Tulsa 

was much too short but my travel buddy

has limited time. But we are making the most of 

our time. 

The new grand baby stole my heart...

how is that we have one heart but that it

can be taken captive again and again

by these dreamy little people?

And of course her brother and sister

are as dear to me as ever.

The heart just stretches and grows

with each new addition to our family!

The autumn morning was cool and crisp.

Golden leaves floated to the ground and the red sumac leaves are

a brilliant scarlet. I keep hearing an owl across

the field at our cozy Sugartree cabin.

We listen to the rain hitting the roof while we sit all

snuggled in our blankets among the twinkle lights and

pumpkin scented candles..

(My daughter says she's never leaving.)

When the rain stops, I have some weed eating to do

so we can get into our mini-gypsy camp here,

share some hot drinks and

have some fire-side sing alongs. 

*********

Rinsing piles of herbal goodness 

to go on the wreathe~

About mid-summer, I decided to move my 

potting bench area.

This area is a under our front porch. 

It was closer to where I unload and water my new plants.

So I'm fixing it up a bit.

I have shared about my herbs before. 

I enjoy them so much. 

They add so much beauty to my garden.

They are a joy to cook with either fresh or dried and 

I also love to use them for wreaths and crafts.

Making a wreath is very simple.

I usually buy my grapevine wreaths

at thrift stores.

I cut the herbs that I want to use and leave a nice

long stem on them for wiring.

And then I rinse them and shake off the excess water.

A basketful of fresh Thyme...

Do you have a favorite herb?

Oooo... 

It would be hard for me to choose.

Rosemary...

Thyme..

Basil

But I think fresh Marjoram is 

my absolute favorite.

It's sweetness gets me every time.

Here is the finished wreathe.

All that green gorgeousness and scented deliciousness!

I hope you're enjoying these 

festive days of fall..

the colors 

the scents

the sights

festivals and

all the yummy things to eat!

I have run out of time to write.

We're meeting my niece and sister for

a snack at Theo's.

They have wonderful coney dogs

and the best Arnold Palmers there!

Thank you for coming by and I

hope your week is full of all

sorts of good things.

XO

Tamara

Where We Play Music and Just life...

Hello!

I've sure been enjoying re-connecting with many of my blog friends.

I have missed you all so!

One thing that I'm learning to understand very well is that there

are seasons and sometimes they are short-lived.

So I'm trying to be as present as possible and

make the most of each one.

Live it to the hilt.. Keep that momentum going.

Celebrate.. reflect..

 give it all you've got!

My youngest daughter (19) has developed a love

for 70's music. Every evening she turns on her Spotify

playlist, cranks it up and we dance and sing and laugh

while we clean up the kitchen.

We have been having

*SO MUCH FUN*

Last evening, my husband joined us and he 

was playing his electric guitar!

 Imaginary of course. 

{Big smiles}

*******

I had shared a couple of weeks ago about playing

music in the neatest place with the nicest people.

I promised to share some photos.

Well, here's a picture of

The Foxfire stage.

Wednesday evening is pickers night.

Anyone who wants to can come and play.

Any kind of music.

We take turns and we also sing and play together

(My favorite part is blending everyone together. It can

get pretty crowded up there sometimes.)

We're building a wonderful camaraderie.  

We' re supposed to go tomorrow eve.

My 6 year old grand daughter has caught on to the chorus 

of one of my new songs and will be singing it with me some time.

That will be a special time for us for sure!

Here's Emmy Lou singing it if you'd like to watch and listen.

I didn't take pictures about the place. It's a small,

intimate gathering and I didn't want to disturb anyone.

There's a restaurant also.

It's only seasonal. 

There are two rooms to it and they both have

 garage doors opening to the outside. 

It's all very unique with rustic decor, wonderful owners, 

sweet waitresses and delicious food!

And the scenery is breathtaking.

It really is a fun place to spend a summer's evening.

It's a mix of locals and travelers.

My little dog... A heartbeat at my feet~

Edith Wharton

That would be Liberty. 

She is really the sweetest dog and so sensitive.

She hugs ..she smiles.

And is very obedient.

(Except she sneaks cat food now and then ;)

Here I am taking a break from my morning

watering and outside work 

and there lies my faithful companion.

Every now and then, I lay her comforter on my bed

and we have a snuggle time. She gets a caramel cream candy and

then takes a nap while I read or rest.

 Lovely lilies..

They're all sunshiney for me even when it's cloudy.

 Some  flower container fun.

Yard sales and thrift stores are a great place to find 

unusual pots for your flowers.

I found this one for a dollar!

Hmmm... 

Here is a purple coneflower that I rescued from the ground

after a little kangaroo rat chewed it off. It was his last dirty deed as

we live-trapped him. He was eating away at my flowers..

Quite quickly I might add! 

(He was released by the Little Colorado River also..

So he/she and the bunnies are now neighbors :)

And, as you can see, there was a small eight-legged passenger.

Critters .. critters everywhere!

That's just one of my favorite things about gardening.

All the new friends one makes :)

Speaking of friends, I've been thinking of our Piglet, Eyore and Roo

a lot lately. It's been a year since we turned them loose back into the wild.

 About 10 days old..

Their eyes weren't even open yet.

Such sweetness.

About 4 weeks..

We miss them a lot and wonder how they're doing.

They're in a bunny paradise by the Little Colorado River.

We released them at 6 weeks. 

 I've been collecting petals all summer long.

I've filled a jar on my dresser and now they're overflowing all over

the top of it. They're just as beautiful as they dry.

I can't bear to throw them out.

Two of my favorite colors together. 

Pink and yellow.

I'm working on a beaded bracelet combining these two colors 

then adding some bronze to that.

Nature is so generous with her beauty and the inspiration that flows 

from mingling with her is boundless!

I hope that you're enjoying your summer.

Oh my..

So much to take in on a daily basis. 

We are so Rich Rich Rich...

in so many ways.

I hope that you feel it, too.

It's beyond amazing to live this life.

I understand there are trials and sorrows, too.

I could go on about that. 

You might be surprised, Dear friend.

Do you think that sometimes, tho, it's the ones that

have lost the most that celebrate all the more?

Something to ponder.

Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious week! 

Maybe we could all use a little more

of "Mary Poppins' " magic 

in our day. 

Hugs and blessings..

Tamara

A Tiny Garden Oasis at the Edge of the Gypsy Camp Forest

 Summer is here and there are so many wonderful muses.

It delights my heart to be in the garden areas that are

dreamily growing. As many of you know it's A LOT

of work to create these areas of beauty!

I've been digging, moving rocks, pulling weeds, 

planning, planting and reading and watering!

Here are a few of my new friends~

Tutti Fruit Yarrow

I thought the color was so beautiful, soft and peachy.

I just HAD to have her! And there was only one.

 Other lovelies waiting their turn for a new home~

Phlox

 If you're familiar with this old fashioned beauty,

you know that  her fragrance fills the air with a heavenly, sweet aroma!

 Oh....Those pink blossoms..  and her bright green foliage!

So enchanting.

Much of the work is in camp.

 Our gypsy camp is not deep in the forest, but there are tall Pinon

 and Juniper trees that line the paths and surround some of the 

enchanting hide- a -ways that await us when we need a little 

get-away.  And we're planting bushes and trees.

We have OH so much work to do!

But it's slowly being transformed.

In a few weeks, I will be ready to reveal the terraced, rock garden.

But..... the refreshing comes from slowing down and knowing that

that's our sacred place for communing with God, each other and nature. 

~QUIET~

While resting in the hammock,

I heard the sweetest little chitterings of birds.

And then I saw the tiny creatures flitting about

through the branches looking for a snack.

Pine Siskins I believe. 

It was these little birds that inspired the tiny garden.

And so, equipped with petunias, lobelia,

a pewter dish, thrifted cake plate, bird seed,

two potted hens, a small wheel barrow and watering can,

I headed toward the chosen spot.

 I dug it up with and mixed a little garden soil in.

I planted the flowers and settled all of the pieces in their places.

Filled the containers and added some rocks and mulch.

 And now they have a place to stop and get a drink and grab a bite

during their travels. 

And the faeries are welcome too! ;)

I should make a sign.

WELCOME FAERIES

I believe I will.

What about your projects...gardens or plans..

I love to hear of them!

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

I'm so thankful for our forefathers and those that

still serve today to protect our country and freedoms.

Blessings to you and thank you, as always

for coming by!

Tamara xo