A Simple Thought

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

What am I?

Do you know what this is? If not, you will just have to wait for tomorrow's post.

Farmers' Market, New Market to View

Hi all, DJan has posted photos at her blog of the Bellingham Farmers' Market. This is a must see, go over to DJan's at D-Jan-ity and take a look.

Don't miss seeing the Mayor of Bellingham, Washington throw out the first cabbage of the season.

Farmers' Market

Welcome to the June Farmers' Market Challenge. I and some other blogs have posted photos of our local farmers market, produce stand, or a similar venue. The point is these are places to find fresh produce as well as other local products. Why buy something grown across the country or the world when you can support your local farmers?

More photos:

And we have one more great Farmers' Market, this one is from Bellingham, WA. You simply must take a look as the Bellingham Mayor throws out the first cabage of the season. Visit DJan at D-Jan-ity for some great photos and story.

Hi everyone, we have a new market from the Philippines. Al at Caramel Macchiato has posted photos for the challenge. This is a great market, be sure to take a look at her great photos.

Lynn at Musings from the Texas Hill Country also has photos of her local produce and other good stuff, great photos. Be sure to go over and take a look.

Kate at The Holdfast Seeker has a post called "Eating locally: the CSA farm share" Be sure to check it out.

We have new addition, visit Honeygo Beasley and see lots of fresh from the farm goodies.

If you want to show us your local produce leave me a comment and I will add your blog to the list. I will be doing this challenge again on July 25th so mark your calendar and get ready.

Walla Walla, WA Farmers' Market

While our Walla Walla Farmers' Market is just getting started there are still lots of goodies for everyone.

Lots of flowers everywhere either ready to hang or you can buy individual plants.

Cherries of course, fresh picked and sweet.

Strawberries, yummy!

Greens of all varieties, very fresh.

And do not forget to pick up some garlic whistles. It's the top part of the garlic plant.

Maybe get a plant to grow at home.

If you do not want to make your own preserves just pick up a jar or two in your favorite flavor.

This artist painted in oils on feathers.

After a hot day of shopping about a cold lemonade?

Before you leave remember to pick up a basket of flowers.

As I said earlier, why buy your food from some other place when you can support your local farmers. This practice is also good for our environment. For more information go to Reduce Footprints and see how you can participate in the Change The World Wednesday's Challenge.

Farmers' Market Challenge June Edition

Hello everyone, I want to remind you that the Farmers' Market Challenge is this weekend. I hope you have photos of your local market to share with all of us. One photo, or a dozen, or even a story, whatever suits you best.

I will be posting photos from my local farmers' market Friday evening and will be leaving it up for the weekend. When you get your photos and/or stories posted on your blog come over and leave a comment. I will make a link to the post on your blog so it will be easier to view each other's posts. If you would provide a link back to my post that would be great.

Even if you don't have photos yet you still have time, get some on Saturday and post them and leave a comment. This will be going all weekend.

This the June Edition of the challenge. The farmers' market here is just beginning to gear up but isn't in full swing yet. I have heard from some of the rest of you and your market hasn't quite gotten started yet either. I will be doing a July market as well. That's right I am going to have two Farmers' Market Challenges.

If you want to wait or do both challenges, the July Farmers' Market will be the weekend of July 25th.

This is going to be so much fun, I can't wait to see all the goodies at your local farmers' market.

Weave Your Thoughts Together

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The two quilts shown in the photo are nothing special as far as quilts go, there are far more elaborate designs and materials available. They are special to me because they were made by my grandmother.

Barrow Alaska Webcam

Barrow, Alaska is the northernmost settlement on the North American mainland and in the United States. Point Barrow is the northernmost point in the United States.

July is the warmest month of the year with an average high of 46 °F (8 °C) and an average low temperature of 34 °F (1 °C). Beginning in late July the Arctic Ocean is relatively ice-free, and remains so until late October.

Since I am hearing everyone talk about the heat of summer I thought you might enjoy this, and maybe it will cool you off just a bit. This is the link to the Barrow Sea Ice Web cam. It show you a view of the town as well as the Arctic Ocean. There are many other links on this page that you might enjoy. To view the web cam click HERE. I have it saved to favorites so I can check it often to watch the ice change.

Just a note, the photo is a very old one I took while there. It is a view of the back side of the town and not very flattering but I was on my way down to the beach.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday photos click HERE

Something to Think About

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

e.e. cummings

A Thought for You

Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.

Jonas Salk

Fashion Trend Alert from Mother Nature

Hello Divas! It's time for the latest fashion tips from the head Diva herself, Mother Nature. You know she likes to be well dressed at all times and knows her stuff, especially when it comes to colors. If you are serious about being "on trend" then listen closely.

Plastic is so last season, very much a "no, no" this year and every year. If you really want to have the latest look go with reusable bags. I can hear you now saying that those bags are boring, well not anymore. They come in all sorts of colors and prints, with or without logos. What more could a diva ask?

The photo above is just a sample of what's available, there is so much to choose from. To be seriously fashion smart be sure to keep a stack of these in the trunk of your car, maybe a few next to the door so you can grab them as you leave your home. They even come in a folding variety that is itty bitty enough to drop in your purse, isn't that just too fab? And you can use them for everything, not just shopping. Think about it, you can come up with dozens of uses.

I have two big bags that I use to hold the smaller bags, one in my car trunk and one in my house. When I get home from a hard day of shopping and unload my reusable bags, I put them in a bigger bag. When the bag is my car trunk is empty and the one in the house if full I just switch them and start all over again, easy. And we fashionistas love easy.

And if you get to the grocery store doors and realize you have forgotten to get your reusable bags out of the trunk, Go Back! Exercise is good, keeps those leg muscles in shape! That's all for today, but always be sure to listen to Mother Nature for the latest trends, dahlings!

For more tips go to Reduce Footprints and check out the Change The World Wednesday's Challenge.

Your Own Thoughts

Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind
don't matter
and those who matter
don't mind.

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel)

Faithful Followers

Hello all, we have something new today, something very special. Anne at Comfort Food Warms Your Soul has passed along a new award. If you have never been to Anne's cooking blog be sure to check it out, it is far more than recipes and will truly warm your soul. Thank you Anne for sending this my way.

This award came to Anne from Kristen at Hands, House, and Heart Full. Kristen designed the award herself to gave it to her followers. Please take a few minutes to visit Kristen.

The great thing about this award is that there are no rules, no list this or that, no set number of blogs to pass it to, or any other rule. This award is given out of love and friendship to those who take the time to read your blog. What could be more simple than that?

With all that said I am passing this award to all of my followers, all of you, yes that means you. If you are following me please take one of these awards and pass it along to your followers. If you aren't following me and just visiting . . . wait a minute, why aren't you following me?

I would like to take a minute and introduce a new member to the blogging universe, her name is Jade. I will let her tell you about herself, this is an excerpt from Jade's profile: "Hi, I'm Jade. I'm 11 years old going on 20 and I'm in 6th grade. I am very outgoing and smart and this is my blog about subjects of my life that I want to talk about. I like to inspire people so that's why I'm putting my thoughts in my blog for everyone to read. My family inspires me to inspire other people. I'm very different and unique and I believe that people shouldn't judge other people in bad ways." Her blog is Inside Jade, please drop by and welcome her to our community.

Thank you one and all for taking the time to read and leave comments, I love you all.

Daisy, Daisy Give Me Your Answer Please

I have more Today's Flowers posted at Through Squirrel Eyes.

For more beautiful flowers from around the world go to Today's Flowers.

Don't Let This Thought Escape

Happiness is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it eludes you.
But if you turn your attention to other things,
It comes and sits softly on your shoulder.

Henry David Thoreau (attributed)

What are Your Thoughts?

Color contributes to beauty, but it is not beauty. Color should have a minor part in the consideration of beauty, because it is not [color] but the structure that constitutes its essence.

Johann Joachim Winckelmann

Black & White Photo Challenge

The Black & White Photo Challenge is sponsored by Lynn at Musings from the Texas Hill Country. Visit Lynn's Blog for links to more photo participants.
I have more black & white photos at Through Squirrel Eyes.

All of the photos I have posted were made using the black & white mode on my camera. I rarely make any changes to the photos before they are posted , one of these has been lightened slightly and one has been cropped.

Restful Thoughts

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

J. Lubbock

To see more SkyWatch photos or to join click HERE

Honey Bee Photos an Update

For those who have been following my blog for awhile you may recall I am on a quest to get a perfect photo of a honey bee. I am still working on this and even though I am getting some interesting photos I may never get one I consider "perfect", but I will not give up. I just thought I would show you some photos I took yesterday.

Most of the bees I am taking photos of are honey bees, for anyone who did not see my post entitled So Much More Than Honey I encourage you to take a look and see just how important the honey bee is to our existence.

Honey bees can sting but they have to be provoked. I have been taking these photos for over a month, pretty much sticking a camera in their "faces" and I have not been stung. Honey bees are the good guys.

You can click on the photos to see a bigger image. Look for the pollen on the first and third bee.

Impossible Thoughts?

Start by doing what is necessary,
then do what is possible,
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Wordless Wednesday

All You Can Think, All You Can Do

Do all the good you can,

by all the means you can,

in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can,

at all the times you can,

to all the people you can,

as long as ever you can.

John Wesley

Something to Think About

Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Harriet Tubman (attributed)

Love My Friends Awards

It's award time! My new friend Stacie at Super Mommy To The Rescue has presented me with not one but two awards. If you haven't met Super Mommy go check out her wonderful blog. Thank you Stacie for these wonderful awards, I am honored.

I have already given out the One Lovely Blog on several occasions so I will not do it again, unless someone here has not received it then consider yourself awarded.

The Love My Friends award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I want all of my followers to know that I consider you friends however because of space limitations and the fact it is getting late I can't list everyone.

I am passing this award to the following bloggers, some are old friends some are new friends:

Joyful Reflections

bateau de banane

Fool Stop

Grandma Nina
Dad's Tackle Box

Herding Cats

Musings from the Texas Hill Country

My Favorites

Oklahoma Booklady

Sassy Sasha The Lovable Shih Tzu

The Little Web

Weather Vane

Blahwg

Burnt Chicken Republic

Kitty Designes

OK, I know that's more than eight but I got a little carried away. Everyone please take a few minutes and visit these wonderful blogs.

Far Reaching Thoughts

We can learn a lot from trees:
they're always grounded
but never stop reaching heavenward.

Everett Mámor