Memories of My {Spring} Peonies

August is just a round the corner. Summer is almost half way through. In my garden,  day lilies, phlox, daisies and coneflowers are in full bloom. The Rose of Sharon are budding telling me that the last batch of summer flowers will come very soon. It seems only yesterday that my lilacs, hyacith and irises were the star of the show. And oh, how can I forget those spring delicate peonies that smelled so sweet and heavenly! 

Still, I remember ....

.... that kind of excitement when I saw the buds starting to blossom.

.... that sigh of relief when most of the buds turned into beautiful blossoms before a heavy spring rainfall!

... that everyday I harvested blooms we can't get enough of, yes even our Muning shared our daily peony fix!

.... that almost all vases in the house were filled with peonies. It was truly a lovely spring and thanks to these gorgeous peonies.

Come September, I will start dividing and replanting some of them to make sure that next spring will once again be as gorgeous, colorful and elegant as these peonies!

Linking with : The Scoop

DIY | Repurposed Goat Feeder!

Back in spring, when we started cleaning the former goats and lambs' area in our property, I saw a this very heavy and very dirty wood goat feeder. The wheels inside my head started spinning! I knew i have to keep it and repurpose it into something useful for the veggie garden we are building. My dear poor hubby just stared and me and said : "Really? This? You know how dirty it is right?" I did not answer his questions but my smile and the twinkle in my eyes {as if I've seen a treasure} said it all!

Cleaning it was not a joke! It took several power washing, serious scrubbing, sanding and staining before I can finally say "That is what I want!". Thanks to my hubby who did 60% of the work :-)

It is so heavy that it took us several minutes to move it {we were literally moving it inch by inch because I can't lift my side of the bench and there's no way hubby can carry it by himself}. The perfect place for it is under the huge maple trees where there is abundant shade in the middle of the day and the perfrect vantage point when the sun is setting in the early evenings

Again keeping with the rustic theme of our veggie garden, we used whatever we have in the house to embellish our little nook under the maple trees. Hubby laid some broken stepping stones from previous project, while I took some throw pillows from the main house. We also planted some hostas on both sides of the bench and added a splash of color by placing an old water can which I got for a garage sale.

From trash to treasure .....

You can just imagine how thankful we are when admiring gorgeous sunset like this while sitting on our wooden bench that once a upon a time was a goat feeder to rescued goats.

Life is good!

Linking with: The Scoop
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The Colors of Pow Wow

What a colorful weekend!

Hubby and I joined the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation Pow Wow. It was our first time to witness this kind of festivity. After watching the colorful display of traditional clothes, soulful singing and dancing to drum tunes, we knew this will not be the last!

Pow wow is the First Nation's way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships and making new ones. This event is held once a year and everyone is welcome to join the feast. For me, this is a perfect way to immerse in a culture rich in history and stories of perseverance, tragedy and survival. 

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never new." 

                                                                                                                         - Pocahontas

Wet {BUT NOT} WIld

The weekend was lovely! It was sunny and hot on both days so we ended up hanging out by the poolside either enjoying a meal, drinking margarita or swimming. I guess we are not the only one waiting for this summer perfect weather. Our two adopted Muscovy ducks, Katniss and Peeta had a great time in the pond as well. I swear, I can spend a good hour just watching them bathing and having fun in the pond under the willow tree.

Bathing in the pond must be the highlight of these ducks' daily activities. It is more like a ritual if you ask me. As soon as I open the door of their home, they would make that happy sound as if telling me "OMG! what took you so long?". Then they would start the 230-duck-step {yes, I counted it!} journey from their home to the pond.

The first thing they do as soon as they reached their oasis is  quench that thirst brought by the "long" journey. Then Peeta (the white one} would almost always dive into the water while Katniss (the one with the brown highlights} prefers to wait a little bit just in case I have some treat for them. If she realized that the treat will come later she will join her buddy in the water.

These two can stay in the water for hours depending how humid the day is. The best part for me is watching them dry themselves after frolicking in the water. The moment they spread their wings is truly a sight to behold. Truly divine!

Thanks for dropping by .... and spread your wings everyday!

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