Blogtober 2: Paintings of Domestic Scenes

 

Flowers in the Window by Carl Larsson

I've long been an admirer of Carl Larsson's paintings of his home life. They are filled with warmth and charm, and depict a loving family. He grew up in poverty and with a father who regretted his birth. In contrast, Carl Larsson, in his memoir, spoke of "my limitless love for my wife and children." 

In the above painting I admire the Gustavian style furnishings, the potted plants and flowers in the wide window, and the knitting on the table with the chair pulled out as if someone had just stepped out of the picture for a moment. 

Young Girl Reading by Fragonard

Many years ago, when our children were young, we visited the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and all of us were enthralled with the paintings in the National Gallery of Art. Each child chose a print that we later framed. Our youngest chose the above painting, probably because she loved yellow and she loved reading, and still does. 

How comfortable the subject is with a fat pillow at her back and her arm resting loosely on the chair. 

Breakfast Time by Hanna Hirsch Pauli

More recently I've become aware of Hanna Hirsch Pauli, a Swedish female painter. I do love the light filtering through the trees onto the table in the painting above, and how beautifully the table is set, awaiting the breakfast participants. 

Domestic scenes appeal to me, likely because I love domesticity, to a certain degree. I am glad I have opportunities outside my home, and have never regarded it a chore to be in my home. It is here that my creativity can express itself fully, in cooking or decorating, or writing. 

Blogtober 1: Some Things I Love about October

 

October is here! My favourite month. We celebrate Thanksgiving, and near the end of the month, my birthday! This year is a big one (gulp) and I'm going to celebrate all month long. One of my intentions is to post everyday during the month. We'll see if I can do it! 

There's much to love about this (and any) month, and here are a few of the things that delight me in this 10th month of the year. 

* Dahlias - they will bloom until the first frost which could happen

around the middle of the month or later

* Cozy sweaters and scarves - I've put away the t-shirts and sundresses,

and the sweaters are now ready to wear

* Hot tea, or hot chocolate for a treat - My tea consumption 

increases dramatically as the temperature cools. I never drink coffee.  

* Leaves flying from trees and drying on the ground - perfect for scuffling

* Foggy mornings filled with mist that burns away as the sun intensifies

* The scent of woodsmoke from neighbour's fires. We have gas fireplaces and I do like them, but miss the coziness of wood

 

* Ducks and geese flying overhead. Some leave for the winter, others stay on our local ponds or near the shore.

* Brisk walks in the woods or along the shore. Both beautiful.

* Shiny horse chestnuts on the street with their spiny green husks alongside. A couple of times I've been hit in the head with a falling chestnut - they are hard!

* Coloured leaves, red, golden yellow, crimson, and brown

* Slowly eating bowls of hot soup - there are so many wonderful soups. My next pot will be Cauliflower and Blue Cheese

* Quiet evenings with the curtains drawn and the fire glowing

And so begins this beautiful month. What do you love about October? I'd love to know. 

Friday: A Simple Woman's Daybook

 

September is dressing herself in a show of dahlias and 

splendid marigolds and starry zinnias.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

After weeks and weeks of sunshine mixed with a few clouds but no moisture, rain began yesterday and has fallen steadily until just a few minutes ago. I can almost hear the thirsty ground soaking up the water. This will help fill the streams and enable salmon to spawn more easily. And dampen lingering wildfires. It's hard to believe that September is nearly over and today it's just 3 months until Christmas. There's a lot of living to be done between now and then, but I love Christmas and have begun thinking about it and making a few plans. 

For today, though, I thought I'd do a Simple Woman's Daybook style post: 

Outside my Window

The rain has just stopped and the sky, although clouded, grows brighter and brighter. Hydrangea bushes are no longer blue, but deep pink and purples. Roses continue to bloom, but they are heavy with raindrops and rather droopy. Dahlias and zinnias stand tall despite the rain.

What I'm Wearing

Blue jeans, a burgundy pullover sweater, socks, pearl drop earrings. Today I switched my closet from summer to autumn/winter. Summer things have been laundered and folded away. Always a bit of a sad time despite loving the coziness of pullovers and cardigans. 

A Recent Outing

Last Sunday Tim and I strolled through Butchart Gardens. I knew that I wanted to see the dahlias and they did not disappoint. Wide beds of flowers of all shapes and colours, from dinner plate size to small pompoms. The bees loved the more open varieties and there were lots of them. 

On a Morning Walk

Nights are lengthening and it's fairly easy to see a bit of the sunrise when I'm out walking. I often walk before breakfast, before becoming sidetracked by other things. I took this photo on a morning of still air and calm water marred only by the dozens of ducks on the pond. But even they were quiet and still. 

What I've been Reading

Five Windows by D. E. Stevenson - This was a lovely story, written in the mid-20th century and follows a young man's coming of age. I loved it! 

Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer by Molly Clavering - As you might expect, the quiet summer turned out to be anything but quiet. Another mid-20th century novel. The two friends in this story are loosely based on the author and her friend, D E. Stevenson, author of the first book I've mentioned. I do enjoy these quiet tales of ordinary life. 

The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen - A re-read. The narrative takes place in England in the 1960s but also a World War II story line. 

Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch - Another re-read. Susan's tale of her move across the USA and how she came to publish the first of many books. 

What I've been Listening to

Several years ago, maybe 10, we got rid of our CD player because everyone was jumping on the bandwagon with digital music. "Use Spotify!" "Be modern!" My children laughed when I said I wasn't prepared to discard my CD collection. They've been in boxes for years. However, I don't like online music. I can't find some of my favourite albums. I don't like using my phone connected to the blue-tooth speaker. It all makes me a wee bit cranky. 

So, we just purchased a slim black DVD player (I kept my old movies, too), and Tim connected it all to the television sound bar. Now I play my old CDs to my heart's content, and it makes me very happy indeed. And I look forward to watching some of my old movies, too. I don't want to have to pay a subscription fee to listen to and to watch what I already own.

On another walk I saw European Starlings on a telephone wire and was amazed by the different sounds they made. You can listen to them on this video. The starlings are plentiful here these days; yesterday a large crowd of them landed on my neighbour's grass and were busy pecking away at something interesting and tasty.

I am thankful for...

Warming cups of tea throughout the day

Apple Cake, made from a friend's recipe. Our apple trees didn't produce well this year, but there have been enough for some pies and cakes. Always a favourite.

Simple daily pleasures of good food, a warm home, a loving family, books to read, the beauty of outdoors, good health (we've recovered from our bout with the flu), and so much more. 

With those thoughts, I'll close this post and think about supper. Tonight it will be a white bean soup with chicken and vegetables, along with toasted cheese sandwiches. Warm and comforting for an autumnal night. 

Friday Favourites: Autumn Light and Golden Days

 

Autumn is slowly creeping in. Ravens converse in trees and on rooftops with voices deep and rasping, or smooth and liquid. Trees turn rusty red. Golden light pours over the land. In the morning I'm thankful for a warm jacket. In the afternoon, a t-shirt suffices. 

On a recent walk I gave into my magpie tendencies to collect things and picked up the above assortment. It's given me pleasure to look at these past couple of days. 

I spent much of last weekend lying on the couch. I think influenza season has begun early. There was much drinking of tea, many naps, and little else. Just two days and I was feeling like getting up and doing a few things, and my energy is returning. Now my husband is lying around. Neither of us felt like reading or even watching television. 

The garden called when I started to feel better and I began the clean up. There are still tomatoes to harvest. Since last summer I've weighed and recorded the garden produce. This year, so far, I've harvested over 30 kilograms of tomatoes! (66 pounds) We've eaten many of them. I canned 12 pints of diced tomatoes, and 14 pints of salsa. Some were roasted and tucked into the freezer. I'm not complaining at all!

Hello there! We've noticed three deer, a mama and two young ones, roaming the neighbourhood lately. They would find a feast in our garden, but fortunately it's somewhat hidden from the adjoining properties, and deer won't jump fences if they can't see what's on the other side. If the deer saw my hydrangeas I'm sure they would have been right over. This angle is deceptive, for the deer cannot see over the rather ramshackle fence. I'm quite high above it on our patio. 

It was a warm and pleasant late-September afternoon. Shadows were distancing themselves from the trees, the statues, the people. Elongating. Straining away.

Louise Penny 

Is there anything more lovely than the warmth of autumn sunshine? When I was ill, I sat in a pool of sunshine on our patio and let the warmth soak into my aching body. How lovely it is. 

I'm out of library books so I pulled Louise Penny's All the Devils are Here from my bookshelf and have begun reading. The story begins on a September afternoon in Paris, in a garden. 

Soup season is here, although I will gladly eat soup on any day of the year. Trine Hahnemann, a Danish cook and cookbook author, posted a recipe for Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup on Instagram recently. I welcomed a new way to use up some tomatoes. It's delicious and will definitely be going into my regular rotation of soups. I made with half of a large butternut squash and three tomatoes and have enough for several meals for the two of us. 

Blogger seems to be working as usual once again, after not being able to leave comments and then blog rolls not updating. I've avoided that by use Feedly. It was easy to set up and most people's blogs showed up there despite blogger not updating. 

There's a picnic birthday celebration planned for this weekend as we enjoy the lingering moments of warmth and sunshine. I hope you have something lovely to anticipate, as well. 

Edited: It's not my birthday, but three other family members! Mine is next month.

Friday Favourites: September Thoughts

 

Today's skies are clouded, the light dull. Temperatures are inching downwards ever so slowly. From my window I see the top lilac leaves have changed to deep brown-red. The birch tree leaves look tired and worn. It will be another six or eight weeks before the trees are bare, but yesterday, while I was running errands, gusts of wind blew handfuls of crisp leaves across the streets. 

Earlier in the week, I went to cut some basil to make pesto. The skies were that deep blue of September, like a glass bowl over the earth. Apart from the bees busy among the cosmos and mint flowers, the air was still and hushed. Golden light poured over everything. My heart ached with the beauty of the day. Beauty - "heaven's sweet gift" according to poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. I could hardly bear to return indoors and clipped a bouquet of zinnias along with the basil, and took time to admire the lingering sweet peas, bright Rudbeckia, and creamy roses. 

My reading lately has been a bit sporadic. I've indulged in dipping in and out of several books, and some older Victoria and British Country Living magazines. The books that appeal to me most are gentle reads, many from my own shelves. Here are the books I've finished most recently.

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

When I finished September, I closed the book with a sigh of contentment. I do love the settings she evokes, and the description of the homes people live in. 

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I had not previously read this classic, said to be the first of the British Detective style of novel. It took awhile to get into the rhythm of the story, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza

A most unlikely story that had me skipping over sections to finish. It's a dual time-line novel set in the fine art world, focusing on the Van Gogh family - Vincent, his brother Theo, and Theo's wife Jo. I didn't really enjoy this book despite my appreciation for Van Gogh's art.  

The setting sun captured from our patio deck one evening. 

There are three large platters of tomatoes ripening on the dining room table. I grew Mortgage Lifters this year and they are large and meaty. And oh, so sweet. I've preserved some, and we've been enjoying eating them in a variety of ways. A tomato tart is a delicious thing for supper. I posted the recipe on my Substack here, and will add it to my recipe blog later. 

I'm wondering about moving everything to Substack, as I can have different "publications" all tied to the same profile and account. Blogger has been rather full of glitches lately, although they seem to be resolved now. 

Cosmos in that golden light of the morning I mentioned earlier. They are sprawling all over the garden beds, and I am so reluctant to trim them. Since my husband became a beekeeper, I'm more aware of the honey bees that visit my garden. The beehives are at our daughter's small acreage a few kilometres away, but Tim tells me that bees forage quite far. He's also mentioned that late summer/early autumn is when pollen is more scarce and the bees sometimes struggle to find food to carry them through the winter. So I'll leave the cosmos sprawl until frost kills them and the bees hunker down in their cozy hives. 

Nine little jars of basil pesto to store in the freezer. It's so delicious slathered on salmon before baking it, or bread, or tomatoes, or stirred into vegetable soups. I also like it on crackers and cheese. My basil has been prolific this year, and I will likely dry the remainder. 

As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough 

to paint the beautiful things I see.

Vincent Van Gogh

I wish you delightful moments of capturing in your mind or on paper or canvas, or photos the beautiful things you see this autumn, or spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Friday Favourites: Seasons in the Forest

 

And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep,

and autumn was awakened

Raquel Franco

September brings some nostalgia for the fleeting summer, and some excitement for a return to cozy, indoor pursuits, along with invigorating walks in the crisp air. But I must hold on a bit longer for the excitement because this month is a transitional time. Autumn in the morning has me reaching for a sweater and socks until Summer returns in the afternoon and I'm back barefoot, without a third layer. Autumn creeps back in the evenings when I read by lamplight and pull a soft throw over my legs. 

We've been away for the week, off in the wilds of Vancouver Island, with no cell coverage or internet available. It was rather nice to be away from it all, particularly with the horrors and ridiculousness on the news these days. We were cozy in our trailer/caravan with lots of good books and delicious food. The sun stayed hidden for most of the trip, but the rain held off until Wednesday. 

Two days of hiking in the wild gave us plenty of exercise. One day we hiked to Baby Bedwell Lake. Internet access would have been nice for just a few minutes to check the trail. It was a challenge, and labeled as HARD. Prior knowledge might have made us think twice. Steep terrain with big rocks here and tree roots there. A very few level sections. We made it to the lake, ate a quick lunch, and began the descent without much of a rest because it was starting to rain. The lake is somewhere on the mountain in the above photo, taken after the hike.  

In our two days of hiking we didn't see any bears on the trail, for which I am extremely grateful, although we were prepared with bear spray and an air horn. However, while driving back to our campsite, we met up with this rather large black bear ambling along the road. He was in no hurry to get out of our way and we followed him slowly for some distance. He kept looking back at us and finally moved off into the forest. 

Several Stellar's Jays loitered around our campsite, flying about while we sat reading outdoors. They are handsome birds, and can be quite cheeky, but didn't try to snatch anything from us. 

One easy hike was to Lower Myra Falls, seen above. We were able to walk far out onto the rocks on either side of the falls. Now look below...

to see the difference 24 hours of gentle rain made. The falls were much louder and fuller. We went back the second time knowing there would be a difference in the amount of water. Fortunately, it was a short and easy hike. I'd like to go back in November and see what the falls look like then. I think all of the rock visible in the photo would be covered with thundering water. 

September showed up right on schedule,

and lasted a whole month.

Jenny Wingfield

As I write this post, I'm aware that there is something afoot with Blogger and no one is able to leave comments. So read and enjoy! And write on your blog how September is beginning in your corner. 

Friday Favourites: Flowers, Fruit, and Books

 

The slant of morning light confirms that we are at the end of August. Here it casts shadows on the wall and illumines the vase of dahlias. I had to be quick to catch it before it moved on. Days are shorter, mornings darker. I'm savouring the many lovely moments of late summer. Here are a few of them. 

One: Summer Fruit

Summer began with strawberries, then cherries, apricots, raspberries, blueberries, and finally peaches and blackberries. I don't count apples as summer fruit; they belong to autumn. I made a Peach Platz to share with friends. Platz is a dish from my Mennonite background and is wonderfully adaptable with any kind of fruit. It's very similar to German Kuchen. 

We picked blackberries, enough for just a few small containers in the freezer. They are wonderful added to crumbles and crisps. We replaced our raspberries this year, and pulled out the old canes to replace them with starters from our son's berry patch. I didn't think they would produce anything this first year, but we are enjoying enough for our breakfast every couple of days. And my strawberries are producing again, fat and red and so sweet. 

Two: Garden Exuberance

The Cosmos continue to bloom exuberantly. They have sprawled out of control, and I'm reluctant to cut them too much for they still provide food for the bees. And how pretty they look in the sunshine. 

I fussed about my tomato plants not setting fruit and wondered if I would have any tomatoes at all this year. I needn't have worried. There are so many! Every day I go out and pick one or more heavy red tomatoes to finish ripening indoors to prevent critters from getting at them. I made a double batch of salsa with some of them, and will be making tomato sauce with more. They are full of sweet flavour that no hothouse tomato can ever match. 

We're consuming green beans, zucchini, and carrots at a steady pace, and soon late-planted kale and chard will be available. I do love going out with my basket and clipping delicious things to eat. It feels like so luxurious.  

Three: Music and More Flowers

I'm not much of a fan of country music, but Dolly Parton's recent death had me listening to a few of her songs. Tributes have poured in from around the globe. She was a very special person, and I don't think any scandal was attached to her character. I love these words of hers: 

I make it a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and 

smell the air after a good hard rain. I re-read passages from my 

favourite books. I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me.

These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious

pieces of good in the world.

A good reminder to take notice of the little things that enrich life. 

My garden is a tangle of colour these days. I'm letting things go a bit wild. There will be time enough to tidy it later. For now I enjoy seeing it all through the kitchen window when I'm working or from the patio when I relax. 

Four: Reading

I learned about Persephone Books through Miranda Mills, an English author. The company republishes older novels and collections of short stories and social commentary, many by women. They are not commonly found here in Canada and I was surprised to see a Persephone book in the used bookstore, and I recognized the distinctive grey cover immediately. The covers are all the same with beautiful and varied end papers. 

The book I picked up was They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple. It was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of three women, sisters, who married very different men, and how their lives evolved. I enjoyed it very much, and it made me think a lot about how our choices determine life's trajectory. 

Other books read recently:

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

The Key to Creativity by Pam Vale

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

(this is a prequel to Jane Eyre and paints Rochester and his first wife in a whole new light)

Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery

A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

Surprisingly, nary a mystery among them. Some are re-reads. I have several mysteries out from the library that I'll be tackling next. 

Five: Time with Grands

There have been dinners together, time on the boat, driving children to various activities, and I've loved it! When school begins, the grandchildren are busier and we don't see them as often. 

Our youngest daughter has completed her Masters in Counseling (hooray!). All summer I've been enjoying the company of her two young daughters one day each week while she worked at her internship. 

This past week I sewed linen foraging bags for the girls for them to use when out and about. They love collecting bits of nature - pine cones, leaves, stones, sticks, etc. They also discovered that the bags could hold their water bottles. The girls decorated their bags themselves with markers. Iris made a pattern and took great care with colouring it. Cora's isn't so visible but she drew a girl, herself, with a basket and all sorts of eggs, from a large ostrich egg to a tiny hummingbird egg. 

As summer wanes, I look forward to autumn, but I'm in no hurry for it. September frequently holds warm and sunny days and I'll enjoy each one. 

Wishing you a beautiful closing to August.