A face only a mother could love...

 Look what appeared on the back of my Adirondack chair this evening. A grey tree frog, resting.

I tried to get a view of his little face. He didn't seem to mind me getting close. Last year I had one hang around on the log house for a few days. Great camouflage on a grey log but not as successful on the back of the chair. 

Summer evenings...

Summer is so lovely. Long evenings, bees buzzing, butterflies flitting. 

Especially when one of your many gardens looks like this. Friends invited us for "foursies," as she calls it: drinks and nibbles at four p.m.

Before we hit the road, a quick photo on the new refurbished deck, built round an old tree in their yard.
I'm taking this memory with me into the heart of January when it's dark at 4 p.m. and -30C.

I love poppies!

 I love poppies and have good luck with my gorgeous salmon-coloured ones that bloom each year.

 I've notice that the 1950s and '60s were good decades for poppies on tablecloths. 

 I love how illustrative these poppies are, swirling around.

 Aren't these pretty?

 Kind of a '60s, maybe '70s cloth with poppies around the edges.

And this cloth? I wasn't sure if it was poppies.... anemones. Maybe California poppies!

In my little Etsy shop, poppies are pretty popular. All of these cloths have already gone to good homes.

Mini-chefs camp

Last week I had the pleasure of teaching 10 kids how to decorate cookies. It was part of a week-long mini-chefs camp. At the end if the week, the campers invite two people to lunch; the meal they took all week to prepare. The previous day the gang made spumoni ice cream. Their decorated cookies would accompany the ice cream. The following two days involved making soup and an entree. Great day, fun kids.

I love vintage tablecloths!

 I've always loved the graphics of tablecloths from the '50s and '60s.

 This souvenir of Florida tablecloth is especially neat since it has a printing error and the registration is off, making it look like you should be eating with 3-D glasses!

 Fabulous fifties fruit...

 ...and more fabulous fifties fruity goodness.

 This one is printed on linen and is pretty elegant.

 Mexicans in sombreros on burros and senoritas dancing is a popular theme...

 More Mexicans in sombreros..this time napping and lots of cacti.

 Not Mexicans but Germans: boys in leiderhosen and girls in dirndl skirts.

 Gerbera daisies sure are pretty.

 Scottish thistles are a nice theme.

 Strawberries looking very funky.

 Herbs, veggies and kitchen thingies in classic '60s turquoise.

I particularly love this cloth, with the flowers looking Art Nouveau-ish.
As a graphic designer, I  can't help but love the designs of these cloths!

My shop on Etsy has more if you wanna see 'em. Click here! And now I'll stop with the blatant self promotion!

Trying something new

This recipe ran in last week's Ottawa Citizen and since I have scads of chard in the garden, I figured I'd give it a try. Yummy! Click HERE for the link to the recipe if you want to try this at home.

Wild in the Kitchen...is back!

Fifteen years ago I wrote and illustrated this book published in the U.S. It seems that last spring the publishers decided to not only reprint it and put it back into circulation, they've also created an e-book. Very exciting. To see the link on amazon.ca for new, used and the e-book edition click here. Pretty cool, considering wild edibles seem to be popular again!

Potato flowers

The flowers around here are gorgeous this time of year...I really have to start photographing them. I was in Richard's vegetable garden yesterday and it hit me how lovely his potato flowers were. Those I photographed!

Catalpa Tree: Saved!

 A few years back I blogged about this sweet tree...

 ...growing in a little park in beautiful downtown Alexandria.

 When our town council decided to spruce up this little park, part of the plan was to cut down the catalpa.

 In spring, this tree was not so glorious, but I started a Facebook page called "Save Our Catalpa" ...

 ...which over night garnered over 250 followers.

 And you know what? The tree was saved from the chainsaw. Democracy in action.

And the little parkette is spruced up with annuals and looks all the better for having a few mature trees around it providing summer-needed shade.

There's a kitten in the house

 A few weeks back I got to meet a two-week-old kitten that my friends brought to a party.

 His name is Ipse and he was found in a wood pile all alone.

I got to babysit him over the weekend.  What a difference two weeks have made.

He's looking more Himalayan every day. And what a sweetheart.

Canada Day Parade

Canada Day in my small town of Alexandria, Ontario.

It stated off pouring but just as the parade swung into action, it was a mere drizzle.

 Three smart kids staying dry at our local restaurant.

 Lots of red and white.

 More red and white!

  A float of tires!

 More red and white...this time balloons!

 These folks had a room with a view!

 The kids school's float.

 Farm equipment, so large it was wider than the road...just about.

 Horses and dogs and kids, oh my!

 Sweet dog with two horses.

 A pint-sized caber for a pint-sized tosser!

 Our veterans.

Our town council throwing candy.