TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful
It’s time for Saturday market here and in cities across the country. Main Street Greenville closes down every Saturday morning so local farmers and artisans can set up their market stalls. As we walk down the street with coffees in hand we are wooed by the scent of handmade soaps wrapped in rustic twine, fresh picked flowers in galvanized buckets, and the delicious aroma of fresh baked breads and cookies.
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With the warmer weather, lighter dinners are the preferred meal around our house . . . especially as we try to whittle away a few pounds before donning shorts!
This main-dish salad has a great combination of tastes, sweet, tart, salty, with a bit of a bite.
I’m still typing very slowly and very little as I TRY to rest the broken wrist. We are also still eating quickly prepared food because chopping is hard. Looking at my own pictures I can hardly wait to get back to spending a little more time in the kitchen and cooking THIS salad, as it really is delicious!
Blessings,
What a wild mix of colors in these Glorious Fall Blooms, freshly picked from my garden.
Blooms that started out in softer Summer hues have aged to the deeper, richer colors of Autumn.
My hydrangeas, which first bloomed pale blue have changed to a deeper blue, green, and even purple in tone.
The Seedum ‘Autumn Joy’ from light pink to a deep, rich burgandy.
Last Spring, when we took our trip to the Long Beach Peninsula, I found this weathered carpenter’s box while out junking. I replaced the handle with a piece of gnarled driftwood that I picked up on the beach, and I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to use it in an arrangement on my kitchen counter.
You can still see the word “tools” that the builder of this box nailed into it’s side. It makes me wonder at the history. Just like the flowers, the weathered wood and the imperfections make it more interesting than something that is brand new.
The colors of my flowers are more intense this year than in years past. Our long, dry summer contributed to the difference.
This arrangement isn’t in the usual oranges and browns of Fall but I actually prefer the cooler tones for my living space.
Like little jewels, they make me feel so happy.
Though my flower’s first blooms were clear in color, absent of spots or discoloration, I think they’ve become more beautiful with the imperfections of age. We talk of faded blooms but there is nothing faded about these beauties! My friend Yvonne over at Stone Gable inspired me with pictures of her hydrangeas in the post, PATINA . . . Becoming More Beautiful With Age. She writes about our narrow definition of beauty and how we could learn from the flowers to wear the patina of age gloriously. I really want to learn to do that, and to do it well. If you’ve never visited Yvonne I hope you will. Her posts are always so inspiring and her blog is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen.
This week, my prayer for you is that you’d enjoy and embrace your own season of life. They are all a gift from God.
Blessings,
These shrimp are good by themselves or can be added to recipes calling for shrimp. As sides to our dinner last night Mr. OTN BBQ’d some skewered summer squash brushed with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and herbs, along with sweet, SWEET corn brushed with olive oil and seasoned with chili lime rub from Williams Sonoma. In the past we’ve added this shrimp to angel hair pasta tossed with roasted garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Sooo . . . good! I would love to try this shrimp in shrimp tacos as well!
Can I tempt you with a few more pictures?
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