6.07.2014

hodgepodge






















goodness I missed my camera.  the first several of these are from before it died, the last half dozen or so are from me happily running around the yard with it after Mike fixed it~  the DIY repair took a little longer than anticipated, but all in all it cost about half what the camera shop was going to charge (and I don't have to buy a new camera body) and so now I feel like I'm somewhat justified in my decision to buy a new lens.  now, to choose one that seems decent for what I like to photograph, but doesn't cost more than my first car.

there was a good bit of strawberry shortcake being eaten around here for a while, but now the strawberries are all but done.  also,  a lot of fruit.  gelato.  yum.  I can get by on this summer meal plan for a while, I do believe.

the little hazelnut tree is growing.  Claire drums for her fairies.  the garden is hopping, the blueberries and raspberries ripening.  we are about to be inundated with raspberries.  it will be another summer full of raspberries and a fall/winter full of raspberry jam no doubt.  and there will be elderberries.  quite a few of those.  I'm hoping to make lots of elderberry syrup later in the season, featuring our own honey and berries.  speaking of honey, it's looking to be a good year for the bees, which is so encouraging after many ups and downs these first few years of beekeeping.





24 comments:

  1. Your garden looks like a great place to be! So glad you got your camera fixed and were able to give us a tour. Have a happy weekend!

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  2. A .truly amazing garden, good news about the camera. Have a great weekend.

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    1. thank you~ we love it out there! and yes, I am sooo happy to have the camera back!

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  3. Looks lovely in your garden :) Enjoy!

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    1. thank you, Kim~ I need to take a look at your space and see what you've got newly green and growing!

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  4. I'm so happy you have your third eye back, I know you've missed it.

    All your produce looks wonderful. We are eating lots of fruit here too and I love it.

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    1. oh I missed it sooooo much! by the second day without it I was definitely getting twitchy ;)

      mmmmmmm summertime. can't get enough fruit!

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  5. you have photos! hip hip hooray! as always, your garden is so abundant and gorgeous! i love that little dress that claire is wearing -- she is so precious. And the figs! we planted a fig tree this year too and we also have a few baby figs. oh, and the pears on your countertop - just gorgeous! don't you love this time of year? the crickets have been singing all night in my parts and it just feels like a romantic, slow summer night. there is much to love about it all.

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    1. oh thank you, thank you. no doubt the figs will appreciate the texas climate a bit more than ours here. at least I'm guessing.

      I do very much love this time of year, especially the still slightly cool nights and mornings that balance out the increasingly sweaty days~

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  6. Oh, I would be in a fit if my camera broke right now! So many beautiful things to photograph at this time of year. Our bees just swarmed on Friday. I just happened to glance out the window to see chaos in front of the hive and then over the next 5 minutes they left the yard. Hope we don't have an unhappy neighbor! We only have 1 hive this year, so this just drastically reduced our chances of getting honey.

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    1. one of our hives swarmed about a month ago and we were able to catch it and place it in another hive~ it may be too late for you to do that, but take heart that if it ever happens again it is actually fairly easy to re-home a swarm. also, it may not harm your honey chances all that much- there should still be plenty of bees left and they will rear a new queen, fingers crossed all goes well. our hive that swarmed is actually doing really well and we were able to add another super just a few weeks after the swarm. good luck! this is our fourth year beekeeping and I feel like we're just now hitting our stride, so hang in there!

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  7. oh my!! it all looks so lovely! you got your camera back just in time! i am SO excited for you :) (and for us... getting to see your lovely photos again). i was wondering what claire was doing in that photo! drumming for her fairies! sooo adorable!

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    1. thank you, Jenny~ I'm pretty excited too!

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  8. I am DROOLING and going to work in my garden to try and make it look half as good as yours.
    XO

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    1. ha! you are sweet. but you know I've seen pictures of your sweet yard and garden, and I know you've got a nice thing going on out there, too!

      by the way- I listened to some of your music today- I LOVED it!
      xoxo

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  9. I am so happy that your camera has been resurrected :) how exciting. I missed seeing you photos.

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    1. thank you, Karen! I am a verrrrry happy girl.

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  10. yeah! so happy you got it fixed. totally love my tamron lens. even dropped it once and had it repaired and the camera shop guy said is a great company and recommends it to all his customers who can't spring for a name brand lens. it's a 17-50 f/2.8 and does not have vibration control. here's a link : http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-17-50mm-Aspherical-Canon-Cameras/dp/B000FZ3FY8/gypsfore-20 - also just learned that if you upgrade your memory card with a higher speed you can take better action photos.... the camera is able to focus on the subject faster. I had no idea!

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    1. so happy to hear this good review, Stephinie- I am getting a Tamron as well, but am thinking about the 28-75mm f/2.8. I looked at the one you have as well, but think I may just get my kit lens (18-55mm canon) repaired so I have that for any wider shots I want. thanks for the tip about the memory card- I had no idea either!

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  11. glad your camera is back in action!! Everything is so very green where you are.... delightful!!

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    1. thanks, summer! I definitely am enjoying having it back~
      and yes, very green in these parts right now.

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  12. beautiful photos and so much goodness here. so happy i found you!

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thanks for taking the time to read and comment~