Hello July! Summer is really starting to ramp up! My garden is filling out, I’m barefoot as much as possible, and the butterflies are back.

Our strawberries are just about done with their production for the year, and they were so good. But now the raspberries are poised for their turn, and raspberries are my very favorite. I picked the first of the ripe raspberries the other day and Wyatt and I enjoyed them on the porch for breakfast. There were not many yet, but there soon will be.

Last night I said goodbye to June while lounging in my friend’s backyard, for girl’s night. It was a hot night, 90 degrees but her yard was cool from the breeze from the river and the shade from her trees. It was a wonderful night. I enjoyed catching up as it has been a bit since all four of us have been able to get together. Another sign of summer – I have switched to white wine as my drink of choice. I love it with just a bit of a chill on these hot nights.

I haven’t been raising butterflies this summer – I already have an abundance of tanks in my house and lots of little mouths to feed but I did bring in five early caterpillars a few weeks ago. They will more than likely be my only butterfly babies this year. This week, three have eclosed! We named them Daniel, Blueberry, and Basil. Wyatt picked Daniel, and a friend’s daughter picked Blueberry.

Wyatt and I are enjoying a slow down. I had intended to homeschool through June and July but I realized I was burned out. And if I was burned out, then Wyatt had to be as well. So, we are on holiday, and might be until the end of the month! We are still reading books by the stack. I visit the library at least twice a week for books for Wyatt, and we are reading Charlotte’s Web every night before bed. We have easy mornings, lazy afternoons, and it has been wonderful honestly.

Next week Billy, Wyatt, and I are going on a little mini-getaway, and I am so excited. I rented a tiny house on a farm for a few nights, and it supposed to be surrounded by fireflies at night in July. It will be nice to have a few days away the three of us.

As for the rest of July, I am hoping for lots of swimming, tomatoes and berries from the garden, flowers and bees and butterflies. Slow living. I would like to make jam and can tomatoes and paint and eat ice cream and have picnics, and just have lots of unhurried days and evenings.

How about you? How is the summer treating you so far? Any plans?

Recently, Lisa from Boondock Ramblings asked if I would be interested in recommending old, classic movies to each other and I was on board 100%! I love a good classic movie, especially film noir and musicals, but there are so many out there that I haven’t seen yet.

Our chat sort of turned into the two of us talking about our classic celebrity crushes as well – Paul Newman for Lisa, (young) Marlon Brando for me. If you need a reminder of the beauty of a young Brando, check this page out.. Anyway, this led me to suggesting Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to Lisa. Lisa recommended Double Indemnity to me, and on Saturday I watched it.

Billy was camping over the past weekend, and I was looking forward to a weekend of classic movie watching after Wyatt went to bed. On Friday I watched Key Largo, which I had I already planned to watch. Key Largo is one I have seen before but I love it. Then Saturday, I settled down with my snacks and my glass of wine and entered the world of Double Indemnity.

And here I thought the world of insurance was boring!

I don’t even know where to begin! I was completely sucked in to this movie, with its quiet malevolence and danger, sexual attraction, secrets and shadows. The cast was stellar, and Barbara Stanwyck is the ultimate femme fatale, slinking about, smoking and smoldering, while MacMurray is the classic stalwart, loyal, good guy – well, at least for some of the movie.

The movie starts with a confession, which sets up the rest of the movie.

It all begins when MacMurray, playing Insurance salesman Walter Neff, meets the blonde bombshell Phyllis Dietrichson, portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck. All he wanted to do was update their auto insurance, but found himself going down some dark roads to his eventual end. He stops by the Dietrichson house to find Mr. Dietrichson not at home – but his beautiful wife Phyllis is. She inquires about an accidental insurance policy on her husband, and whether she can place one on him without his knowledge. Neff picks up what she is laying down, and is not interested. However, she shows up at his house later and Neff can’t resist his attraction to her. From there, a nefarious plan is born.

This movie took some complex turns – Neff knew all the intricacies that would be examined and made sure to dot his i’s and cross his t’s. Or so he thought. Neff’s friend, Barton Keyes, an insurance investigator, begins to be suspicious of the whole situation, and launches an investigation. Keyes is played by Edward G. Robinson, who played Johnny Rocco in Key Largo which I watched the night before. It was kind of crazy to see him go from villain to hero!

I don’t want to give too many spoilers or giveaway the ending, so.. I will end my bit of a summary here.

Overall, I loved this movie! I loved the way it looked, the shadows and darkness, the fashion, the complexity, the smart and clever repartee, although Neff calls Dietrichson “baby” so often it sort of made me crazy. But, despite the roller coaster ride that was Neff and Dietrichson, it was the end scene between Robinson and MacMurray that was my favorite scene in the movie. And you will just have to watch the movie if you want to know more!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

We are home from our trip! It was wonderful and amazing and way too short! There is also this:

True words, my friends. And then when we got home, Billy left for a camping trip with the guys! So, not much reading happening for me, sadly. I told him he owes me a weekend away too; I am thinking a trip where I go off by myself (or with like minded people) to read all day and then have a good dinner, a glass of wine, and a fire in the evening. And take naps as needed too of course. That sounds like heaven just about now.

Read Last Week:

I read the first in this series the other week, and thought it was so enchanting that I had to get the next one! This one is also quite charming, and I have recommended them to just about all the parents I know as a read aloud.

Reading This Week:

The Gone-Away Lake books reminded me of this book that I read and loved years ago, The Hotel Paradise by Martha Grimes. And now I want to read it all over again. I have a weird theme going, I know.

Posted Last Week:

My Top Ten Summer Movies

Sand Dunes, Shopping, and Petoskey Stones

Lighthouses, Lavender, and Ice Cream

A Bear, A Beer, and a Bit of a Scare

Watching:

We watched Murdoch Mysteries this past week – it’s our go to show when the days have been long and busy, which they were last week. Then this weekend I watched two old classics – Key Largo and Double Indemnity. I had watched Key Largo before and loved it, but it was my first time watching Double Indemnity. Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are suggesting old favorite classics to each other to watch this summer. Feel free to watch along with us! I am going to post more about this on Thursday.

Billy and I are hoping to finish Outer Range and start Stranger Things (whatever number this new season is). And then we have The Umbrella Academy to watch as well!

And that is it from my corner of the world!

Saturday morning was chilly – and I love a chilly morning by the lake with coffee. I stole a few moments away by myself and went down to the deck to look out over the water, which is my favorite “up north” thing to do. I love listening to the birds singing around me, the gentle lap of the water, and the peace of the moment. After a bit, my brother and SIL wandered down as well, and we all spotted a mink swimming in the water in front of us! It was a really cool sighting, and less scary than the bear.

We had a slow morning getting ready, drinking coffee, having breakfast, and finally we all loaded up into our cars to head to Mission Point Peninsula and the lighthouse, our first stop.

The lighthouse lens was first lit in 1870 and kept ships safe until it was decommissioned in 1933. I always think about what a quiet existence lighthouse keepers lived in these remote areas, especially in the winter. Now you can pay to be a keeper at the Mission Point Lighthouse which might be fun just for the experience of living in a lighthouse. It was super crazy windy and kind of cold while we were there, and it is June – I can’t imagine January but it must be stunning to look out in winter at all the ice and snow.

We were freezing so we didn’t stick around too long before heading to our next stop, Brys Vineyards. This has become our family’s favorite winery on the Peninsula, and we love the Secret Garden best of all.

We of course had to do a “now and then” photo of the kids!

We played around in the garden for a bit before heading up hill to the winery. The kids and the guys stayed outside while the rest of us (Chrissy, Michelle, my mom, and I) went in to the tasting room. I was excited to see they had hard cider. They even had a lavender hard cider that all four of us tasted – and it was perfect! I picked up a four pack of the lavender cider and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I will save it for some future summer evening when I want to remember our trip.

This time when we got back into the car, Wyatt picked our next destination – Moomer’s Ice Cream! This place is a much loved tourist spot, and one we have never done. Apparently in high summer the line can be wrapped around the parking lot! Thankfully it was not busy when we were there and we got our ice cream relatively quickly.

After finishing our ice cream, we all decided it was time to relax back at the house. Wyatt took a nap, everyone else just chilled out doing various things – sitting by the lake, on the deck, just enjoying the sun and relaxing. For dinner we went to Red Mesa Grill (if you go get the tacos!), and then that was it for day 2!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

This week is going to be chaotic, but at the end of it we will be in Traverse City with my family on a much needed trip. I can’t wait! When we get home though my summer goals are for a simple summer, full of books and bugs and picnics at the park.

Read Last Week:

I really enjoyed this one! I liked the animal focused chapters more than the others, but overall this was a fascinating read. And I want to know more about leopards and elephants now. I love when reading takes you down other roads!

Reading This Week:

I just love this cover of The Hacienda! I am excited to get started on it!! And I picked up Gone-Away Lake after seeing it on a list of forgotten kids books and was thinking about reading it with Wyatt this summer, but I opted to just read it myself. I am not sure if he would be interested in it quite yet. He is definitely in love with Charlotte’s Web; I hope he still is after we finish reading it!

Posted Last Week:

10 on the 10th – Vacations

Vintage, Whimsical, Creative YouTube Channels I Love

Morning Coffee Catch Up

Watching:

We had been on pretty steady pace with Outer Range and then boom- Billy had to work late all week! So I watched Murdoch Mysteries instead. Hopefully we get to finish Outer Range this week.

And that is it for today, short and sweet this Sunday morning! What is going on in your world?

Hosted by Marsha and Lesley!

This month’s 10 on the 10th is all about vacations! This is very timely for me as we are actually going on vacation next week!

Let’s begin shall we?

1.  Are you planning to take a vacation anytime soon?  Please share!

We are!! We are leaving next week for a combined family trip with my brother, SIL, niece, mom, and my SIL’s mom. We all rented a house together in northern “up north” Michigan, and it has it’s own little private beach which the kids will love! We hope to make it an annual trip and create wonderful memories for the kids.

2.  Have you recently gone on vacation?  Tell us all about it!

Sadly, no. The last trip we took was last August.

3.  What is your favorite way to travel?

I don’t know if I have a favorite way. I don’t mind road trips because I like to take a lot of stuff with us now that we have Wyatt, but flying sometimes would be nice too. I’ve taken the train to Chicago a few times, and a longer trip would be really cool too. Billy and I daydream a lot about getting a camper and traveling that way, and while I hate boats, I would try a river cruise or a smaller cruise like that. I could never do an ocean voyage. They freak me out! Probably because in a past life I was a ship’s captain that went down with his ship, according to a street fortune teller in New Orleans.

4.  If money were no object, where would you go and why?

Oh man. This changes so frequently for me!! Hmmm. I would love to see Ireland, England, and Scotland and the places my grandparents came from. And Italy is a huge dream trip for me as well.

5.  Who would be your favorite person (living or dead) to take on vacation?

My family.

6.  What do you absolutely have to pack when you go on vacation?

Other than absolute necessities for life (my meds and Wyatt’s meds) – journals and books. I always have special books and vacation journals, and my nerdy list of our itinerary, reservation details, etc.

7.  What are your memories of your all time favorite vacation?

Our trip to Shenandoah National Park with my brother and SIL is one of my favorite vacations I have taken as an adult. There was this night where we spent the evening in the pub attached to the lodge, drinking and singing. The pub had sing a longs every night that were so fun, and we stayed a good while. When we left it was dark, that in the mountains type of dark, the stars were shining out all around us, and we could look down over the valley from where we stood. It was just a wonderful night.

I don’t know if I have an all time favorite vacation! I have loved them all. From the trips up north with family, to Disney, to Niagara Falls Savannah and Chicago and California and New Orleans, Gettysburg, the East Coast and so many others.

8.  Where would you never ever go on vacation and why?

Probably a tropical island. I am not a beach person.

9.  What is the worst thing you ever experienced on vacation?

I guess my brother getting an eye ulcer once on a trip to New Orleans? I mean it was worse for him but he had to have eye drops around the clock for 24 hours starting at like 10 minutes apart or something like that. It was the week before Katrina, which was being talked about, and there was talk that if his eye didn’t respond to the eye drops he would have to have eye surgery – which would have resulted in us probably maybe being in NOLA during the hurricane.

10.  What is the best thing that ever happened to you on vacation?

Introducing Wyatt to new places and experiences!

What about you?

It’s a rainy morning this morning, and the birds are quiet. I wasn’t awakened by the sound of our blue jay friends or the song sparrow today, but by the sound of the rain pattering against the window, one of my favorite sounds. (I feel like I am the last person on the planet to discover ASMR videos on YouTube and I never realized how much I enjoy listening to just sounds, like crackling fires and rustling leaves and coffee or tea being poured)

The past weekend we were big time homebodies. I think we needed it after our last few weeks of crazy! We played in the yard, where I planted a few new flowers in the ugly hole that pulling the cola plant left in the butterfly garden, and Billy and Wyatt munched on lettuce from the garden like a couple of bunnies. And speaking of rabbits..I discovered they are the critters who are nibbling on my strawberries! I guess they came to the right place since this gardener is such a fan of rabbits.

Our front garden is getting wild looking, and I love it. It’s like a ramble of raspberry, lavender, brunnera, yarrow, lupines, milkweed, and snap peas. And I love how the lupine leaves catch the dew like little cups of fairy water.

We did leave the house and yard one time – for ice cream at the park!

Trigger warning – this next section contains pictures of baby mantids so if you are not a fan of creepy crawlies, just keep scrolling! I understand not everyone enjoys them like our crazy family!

Our ootheca hatched! I did decide to bring it in. We used a giant water bottle with gauze over the hole to keep it in, and we have been checking on it a few times a day. And Sunday morning the container was alive and teeming with the newborns! We took them outside and let them go. They were sort of cute! ( I did take some video. It’s on my Instagram if you are curious)

And that is it from around here! I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your week!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Last week was a weird week! Already a short week due to the holiday, we also had Wyatt’s EEG that was on Wednesday and Thursday. So, I didn’t get much done last week, and still feel like I am trying to play catch-up. I will get there, eventually though. Wyatt did great during the whole EEG, and I hope we get the results tomorrow. It’s so hard waiting!

Reading:

I didn’t read last week. I just never got the chance. I usually read at bedtime but this past week I was asleep almost as soon as I got into bed. I did manage to line up a few books I want to read though, and started one last night. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the other from our interlibrary loan system.

I started Fuzz last night and I love it – although it is not making me less nervous about running into a bear in the woods. I picked this one up after seeing it on a blog – maybe Aj at Read All the Things? And I am looking forward to The Cherry Robbers – it sounds amazing.

Wyatt and I are reading Charlotte’s Web at night. He loves it so far. The kid is obsessed with pigs these days so I thought he would probably like it.

Posted:

What Wyatt’s Reading – May

Hello June!

Book Review: Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park by Aaron Johnson

Backyards, Parks, and Birthday Cake

Watching:

At night Billy and I are watching When Calls the Heart, and just finished up season 9 last night. It just makes me feel all happy to watch it. We are also watching Outer Range, which is crazy, weird, but addictive. Like what the heck is going on?? I need to know. It is sort of like Longmire meets a Larry McMurtry novel meets Twin Peaks.

And that is it from around here! What is going on in your hood?

And goodbye May!

How are we in June already? Has this year flown by for anyone else? Is this just what happens, the years start to just fly by? I try to live slowly, do things at our own pace, and enjoy the time we have but even still, that is not possible all the time is it? We still have obligations to keep, appointments to go to, and little by little our days fill up. However, it is now officially the summer season, which means nights around the fire, cooking meals on the grill, food straight from the garden, lazy mornings, lots of trips to the zoo and Greenfield Village and all that other good stuff that happens in summer and I am going to do my best to keep us present and mindful.

June is the month of the strawberry moon, which is one of my favorite of the full moons. We are part of the Kid’s Moon Club hosted by Wilder Child, although we don’t do as much with it anymore. Maybe we will this month though. The word for the month is savor, as this month reminds us to savor all the sweetness of summer, running barefoot through the grass, swimming in the pool, catching and releasing fireflies, ice cream on the porch at night. And of course, strawberries. Our own strawberry patch is wild this year! It really spread and I can’t wait for the strawberries to begin to ripen. We are so close! I usually duck out first thing in the morning to pick them for breakfast, hoping to beat the birds and squirrels. Sometimes they win though, and that is ok. I can share.

Later this month we are going on a family trip to the Traverse City area with my brother and his family, my mom, and my sister-in-law’s mother. We all went in and rented a house that has a little private beach area and a fire pit and are excited to spend a long weekend there. We also have a few trips to the wineries planned this year, while the guys hang out with the kids. We have at least one beach day, some sightseeing, and hopefully some Moomers ice cream in our future. I am excited for the kids to have a family trip together, and we hope to go to this same place every summer to establish a tradition and some great memories.

I do have some other little trips lined up, to farms and farm markets and and hopefully, fingers crossed, a few date nights for Billy and I!

Yesterday we spent some time outdoors, in our favorite picnic spot. Billy and I were doodling and drawing and journaling while Wyatt was busy exploring around us. I had the opportunity to play around with my Wildflower Workbook by artist Katie Daisy (I love all of her stuff!) and one particular prompt had me thinking about what would be in my wildness tonic. I thought of so many – the call of a blue jay, the fiery leaves of autumn, snails and pine trees and acorns were some that came immediately to mind. I thought this was such a neat idea that I posed the question to Billy and Wyatt. I was so surprised at how many of Billy’s answers were related to water, and Wyatt was all about trees and birds.

What would be in your wildness tonic? Are you looking forward to anything in particular this month?