Larsson Fun

ONE WEEK 'TIL CLOSING!! 

We stopped by last week and even in the rain, with just a cursory walk around the front yard, I spotted a little treasure:  a red-wing blackbird nest among the cattails!

I am really eager to relocate.  Because of the delayed closing, I've had plenty of time to obsess over interior design details and plot out massive front gardens.  I've added an extra window, a kitchen island, and a fireplace, all in my mind.  I've torn out carpet, switched out the front door, and slapped on even more wallpaper.  Having exhausted the interior, I've gone outside and uprooted tree stumps, enlarged existing beds, and moved evergreen shrubs around like chess pieces.  If I can't start to act out these plans soon, I'm going to lose my mind!

One positive thing about the delay is my paint epiphany.  After endless agonizing over how to have light and cheerful paint colors in a dim house and finally selecting - a bit uneasily - a light grey, I've ended up tossing out my entire scheme and starting over.  I've been inspired by Carl Larsson's depictions of 19th century Swedish country life for a long time...

...and one near-constant is pale walls and painted trim.  A stroke of genius!  I did some looking around and found other inspiring examples...

...and so I'm going for it, using Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee for the walls...

...and Saybrook Sage for the trim.  Here's that color in exactly the same style I'm copying.

Wanting to start these massive projects has made waiting really difficult.  Even so, it's hard to believe that our relocation is just around the corner.  "This is our last trip to the laundromat!!" I crowed to Todd yesterday.  It's even strayed into the ridiculous, as I contemplated a package at the grocery store and told myself, "This is the LAST package of feta you'll eat at the apartment!  This feta will be GONE by moving day!"  Insert eye roll here!

Exercise has been a huge help in working out some of my excess energy.  I was so jittery yesterday that I convinced Todd to take a quick hike with me, despite our massive to-do list.  It was so nice to get out into the sunshine.  Trees are leafing!

And flowers!!

It's hard to be out of our regular spring hiking schedule, but I know that we'll have plenty of outdoor time soon.  Meanwhile, I'll keep on plotting.

Have a great week!

Going Bananas for Birthdays

The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately, so we decided to go hiking this weekend.  I brought the junky camera instead of my nice one, but at least I captured the mood of the day!

The ferns are in full swing.

So many wildflowers have already bloomed!

I love seeing fungus growing on downed trees.

I did see an eastern tent caterpillar, a real pest.  Hopefully this year they won't be too much of a problem.

 

Borga was dying to go for a long hike.  We used to do a minimum of 8 miles a week.  Now, we rarely go, since there isn't a good place that's close to us.  But we really enjoyed this hike.

 

Look at that smile!

 

She crashed hard on the way home.

It was Todd's birthday, so I made a 3-layer banana cake with toasted coconut cream cheese frosting (recipe here).  I'm not a fan of banana, but this cake was amazing.  Let's just say there was very little left for Todd to take to work on Monday.

I bought him several practical gifts, but I always try to do something handmade if possible.  This year I decided to embroider him an image of our pets.  I found some cartoon images online and traced them.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

Meanwhile, around here we've been loving the wildlife.  The anoles are everywhere, including, somehow, inside our house!

A pair of house finches hang out in the gardenia bushes outside my office window.  So pretty.

We've got our hands full with our "other" wildlife, too.

Have a great week!

Singing Behind the Plow

Todd and I drove to Jackrabbit Mountain in southern North Carolina (right along the Georgia border, about 90 minutes from our house) this weekend to go hiking with his father and stepmother.  The weather was a balmy 82 degrees and sunny both days, and trees everywhere had leafed out into that vibrant green color of late spring that all tree leaves have before darkening to their true shades. Meadows were choked with wildflowers. In the distance the Blue Ridge Mountains were a deep purple color. 

I've decided that even though upstate South Carolina isn't where I'd like to permanently settle, I really love this region for natural beauty.  Everywhere we saw bogs...

...lakes...

...or streams.

We hiked through both woods...

...and meadows.

The ground under the trees was completely covered in ferns.

We saw lots of trillium...

...ladyslippers...

...and many other woodland plants, including ground violets in three different colors.  Even the weeds had an attractive look!

The trees were full of songbirds, and I saw evidence of other little creatures.  Here dew is gathered on an empty ground spider web...

Someone had a turkey dinner very recently!

Todd spotted this black rat snake, who was sunning himself on a log.

Don't worry...they're completely harmless!

We visited the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, where they offer year-round classes in photography, gardening, nature studies, writing, dance, cooking, craft, art, and dance. I would love to take classes here!  The school is situated on 380 acres of beautiful farmland and woods both, shot through with walking trails.  Here we go!

The sign above says, "I sing behind the plow."  It's definitely a cheerful, bustling place (although I neglected to take photos of the actual school)! 

It was nice to get away for a weekend, and Borga is a changed dog when she gets a nice long walk.  Look at those happy faces!  :) 

Have a great week!