Claim Summer

“It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.” Walter Winchell
What are you going to DO this summer? Besides stick to your chair? Won’t you share your summer dreams and plans with us?
Summer arrives officially June 21st at 1:16 pm Eastern Daylight Time, don’t you know. Yep, June 21st is summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the shortest night.
Summer’s here.
So summer’s here. Let’s claim it! Let’s make it our own the way we used to do when we were kiddos.

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  1. Kristy says:

    I am starting a quilt. This one is "taught" at my local quilt store. The pattern is Merry Little Christmas and is by Crab-apple Hill. Part of it is traced (and until now I did not know that you do not need a light box to trace a drawing on fabric) and colored with Crayolas with the wax ironed in.

    I am also taking my grandchildren to my local library for the summer reading program, the library offers a reading program for adults too. (May I recommend The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter.) And in the afternoons, I am taking them swimming in the municipal pool.

    These activities may seem somewhat laid back, but I am retired. Still learning but definitely retired.

  2. diana henretty says:

    For the past 12 yrs. I dreaded summer in the Ozarks.
    Especially when the temps and humidity hit the 90’s-100
    at the same time!
    Then we made raised beds, in fact, new ones go in every year,
    and I set my alarm and get out at sunrise to watch the sun
    come thru the pine trees on the top of our mountain.
    Sitting out on my patio to watch my gardens grow starts the day off right.
    In the heat of the day, I quilt and sew.
    Then, evenings are spent outside again around our homemade
    fire pit to watch the flames and fireflies.
    Yes, the heat is still here, but I love summers now here,
    and wish I had dug deeper sooner into what is important
    and made the best of the heat!!
    Best wishes from Noel Missouri!

  3. Joan Price says:

    Ah summer – unfortunately there has been a lot of bad weather already so the garden has been planted completely – twice – and oh the flowers have been beat up badly – BUT – always the faithful optimistic farm girl – it will come back and look beautiful for the local Garden Tour in July of which my garden is listed. Had a garage sale – the grand children contributed – did real well and now they want to spend their earnings – that will be fun. We have plans to do as much FUN as possible – visit family & friends – look for bugs, bird watch & read about the birds.
    Ah the love of God to give us all this nature to enjoy.

  4. JoEllen says:

    We are just getting some sun after months – and I do mean months! – of rain. I am not going to complain about the heat either — it is treasured and welcomed. My vegetables will grow and ripen, I can wear some new home sewn cool blouses and sandals will come out of storage. I am so ready for "inelegant sweat"! I’ll take hand sewing out to the back yard under an umbrella while sipping cold tea and nod off if I want. Summer sun — shine on our neck of the woods more than a day or two!

  5. CJ Armstrong says:

    My daughter, who is also my best friend, and I are so looking forward to the Women of the Wild West/Farmgirls on the Loose Road Trip. The "Kickoff" is officially set for next week, June 29th at the home of Farmgirl Michelle in Baggs, WY.
    We will be experiencing the pleasure of meeting up with Farmgirls all along the way, camping together, sitting around the campfire . . . and I intend to laugh until I cry as often as I can.
    The official "Finale" for this road trip will be a TEA PARTY at MaryJanes Farm in Moscow. What a treat that will be!!! Some of us will be staying at the Farm B&B . . and I look forward to a long, relaxing soak in one of those outdoor tubs!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh . . .
    The best part? Taking this trip with my only daughter, Robin . . enjoying our friendship and our farmgirl-ness, meeting new friends and building relationships. I’m so very thankful for the opportunity!!!!!
    CJ

  6. Julie says:

    Aw, you guys are making long ago summers and I like that….didn’t even think of that. Thank you.
    We will be walking the dog early in the morning as she doesn’t like the heat – like her mommy. I announce that I will not complain about the heat either.

    When not working I’ll continue to teach myself how to sew, get back to card making, photography and spend evenings outside on my beautiful brick patio reading and yammering to my husband. He likes when I do that..;)

    So, I guess my theme is back to nature. Even if it’s hot and I become inelegant….;0

  7. bonnie ellis says:

    Ah, summer. Time to sit on the porch and drink sun tea and enjoy the cats sniffing the air outside. I’ll read and crochet and quilt and smell the amazing things growing in the garden. I’ll eat fresh food and enjoy my husband and family. Since in Minnesota it seems like the day after the state fair (end of August)is Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For now, let go, and dream. Enjoy farmgirls. Bonnie

  8. Barbara Lavell says:

    I, too, am in Minnesota & the weather has tried to keep me from my gardening but, I shall persevere. In addition, I will spend time with my six year old great-grandaughter (she loves to garden with me)& enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer. I’m taking a quilting class so I will spend time quilting as well as sewing & knitting. I’m really looking forward to spending time in the northwoods relaxing by the shores of Lake Superior.

  9. Leslie says:

    I live in California where folks seem to think it’s always summer but truly it’s not. We have been in the 90s and dry this week but I have paid attention to you, my cold wintered sisters….Iced tea is a comfort and a necessity when one lives in a coastal desert. My tomatoes and herbs and lettuces are growing on my patio and I’m happy this solstice. It’s a new season to explore.

  10. Margarida says:

    Summer Summer it is so good I go to the garden every morning and have my cup of coffee it is so Peaceful I thank God for that feeling

  11. kimberly says:

    Summer began on Monday with mushroom hunting in the mountains nearby, cooked over a campfire and s’mores for dessert. Yesterday summer was found out in the pasture with a patch of daises after following a deer around. It’s in the kitchen today with iced tea brewing in the sunny window and the goat’s milk I milked from our goat this morning churning itself into ice cream. It’s our first summer on our little farm and we’re making the most of it!

  12. Debbie says:

    Love your Summer theme idea! We are not that far apart in age and I also remember the 70’s! This summer seems to be taking on a slow and easy theme. Maybe because real summer weather has been slow in arriving… So,I’m sticking with a Slow Summer theme filled with plenty of time for daydreaming, reading, writing, time with the teens and music… Lovin’ bluegrass these days and our daughters piano playing! I’ve made my summer book list and devoured several already! Food wise… salad and seafood are high on the list and precious time in my garden and at the beach!
    Happy Summer Rebekah!
    Deb ( Beach Farmgirl Blogging Sister)

  13. Brenda says:

    summer so far it has been alot of rain here in Indiana but the garden is starting to grow. I notice how the lighting bugs or fire flys what ever you call them are lighting up the night skies and my cats are dancing around to try to catch them. I can remember catching them and putting them in jars letting them glow like christmas lights. I guess sitting on the swing with a glass of tea will be one of my favorite thing to do this summer.

  14. Kirsten Deane says:

    Summer was on a monday this year here in quesnel, but thats not stopping my family and I going camping, enjoying our potted garden and all the lovely wild flowers…that don’t seem to mind the rain. I’ve always found that one must embrace what ever weather comes and not let it set you back. Have a great summer and always be creative and embrace.

  15. MaryFrantic says:

    Kirsten Deane, do you live anywhere near the Frances Wisebart Jacobs Park?
    It is such a small world, I thought I’d ask.

  16. Shery says:

    LOVE the W. Winchell quote…Oh So True. Have to gently peel your thighs out of your seat :o)!!! Too funny.

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Happiness Is…

What brings you happiness? Today, this precise moment? Won’t you go ahead and jump down to the comments to share? Then come back up here and let’s visit.
I stood out in the middle of my new garden this morning, surveying the result of lots of sweat, hard work, and frustration. A wave of happiness came over me. This garden, with its new picket fence around it, makes me happy.

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  1. Toni says:

    Happiness is a two-year-old boy and the toy tractor he just received for his birthday. 🙂

  2. Sherry says:

    Love this post…..I too have discovered that the garden and playing in the dirt evokes much happiness in me. The smell of dirt….the satisfaction of eating something that started out as a little seed. It is wonderful. Love your fence…..I need to do that too, although my problem critters are the chickens that I keep. Thanks….for the reminder that happiness is contagious…..heres to catching it all over the country!

  3. Right now, today, what brings me happiness is sitting on the beach with my husband and our daughter (who turns 20 tomorrow), just enjoying each other and the beauty of God’s creation. 🙂

  4. Janice K. says:

    I know that you are quite a bit younger than me, but you are on the path of finding the best of life in your quest for happiness. Working with the earth is a wonderful, relaxing, fruitful endeavor! Like I always remind myself ‘Even on the worst days, the sun still shines, and the birds still sing, and the garden still grows…’. We are truly blessed to find happiness at home!

  5. Lindsay says:

    Happiness is knowing the world will keep turning and the sun will come up tomorrow regardless of what happened today; and going to my parents house and just looking at nature after surviving this rat-infested city 😉

  6. Kristen W. says:

    Today I’m happy that we get another sunny, warm day in Seattle! That I will be able to work in my garden when I get home (and get plenty of dirt under my nails). I’m also happy that I get to go home to my house and see my hudband and pets – all happy to see me!

  7. Just finished reading your post. I’ve got gardening in my blood, from my grandfathers on both sides. Unfortunately, I lost one when I was only 9, and the other just 3 years ago. But I learned early on how special it is to plant a garden, weed it, water it, watch it grow with so many delightful offerings, and then harvest. A lot of work, to be sure, but the rewards are immense. I feel such peace when I’m in my garden. I’m on vacation right now, but still wondering if my strawberries have finished, wondering if my herbs survived the heat wave I heard we had last week, and, anticipating planting the veggies we temporarily potted so a family member could water them for us at their house. I’ll have much weeding to do before I can plant them.

    Thanks for sharing. A garden definitely can make one very happy.

  8. Pam says:

    For me … happiness is waking up in my newly rebuilt home after losing our home and all of our worldly possessions 30 months ago due to a raging fire that swept thru our town. I feel very blessed to be HOME again … and HAPPY beyond belief!

  9. Brenda says:

    Happiness is having a MaryJaneFarmgirl mention my garden and blog on your post. Giddy. Really. My hubs does so much of the work in the garden I cannot take a lot of credit for how pretty he keeps it. He is a worker and I just try to keep up with him half the time. But he is one of those mostly happy people and keeps me feeling younger than I am. And my grandchildren make me happier than I think possible when they are about. What a wonderful post I will have to go read your happiness quotes. And the water faucet what a smart man you have, just perfect!

  10. Jana says:

    Happiness is knowing that I have the freedom to work in my sewing room creating a quilt for a grandchild, son or daughter. Knowing that I have the freedom to walk through my vegetable or flowers gardens and feel the warmth of the sun on my face. Knowing that I can work in my kitchen to prepare something special for someone in need or to just share with family. Happiness is knowing and feeling just how good life is!

  11. Nicole says:

    Off the top of my head- homeschooling my kids. A close second, how they say thank you, even for things like driving them to music class or taekwondo.

  12. Leslie says:

    Right now, Happiness is the peace of having my mom on the mend from a broken hip, finally finishing school and now having the time to play in my little pots of dirt on the patio. It’s so lovely to sit out there at night in the summer.

  13. Cindy Rush says:

    Spending quality time with my man
    Laughing with friends/family
    Being creative..whether it’s attempting to arrange some flowers or herbs in a vase, making a jam, a new recipe, thinking of ways to save money, sewing, knitting, gardening…anything creative.

    Cindy Bee

  14. diana says:

    Hearing the Lord speak to me early in the morning, and bringing peace to my spirit.

  15. Jackie says:

    Happiness = my kids, their music, a daughter who graduated with honors, listening to the music my kids play, a son that was hired fulltime and a boyfriend that makes a world of difference in my life and to take a ride on the motorcycle. Yeah, right now that is happiness to me.

  16. bobbie calgaro says:

    Happiness is always spending time with my husband, daughter and son-in-law any time I can. And also, at this time of year sitting on the porch with a glass of tea or Cheerwine and a good book or magazine watching my flowers grow.

  17. Rene Foust says:

    happiness is finally having running water to a small bathroom sink and toilet in my 190 year young home that I just bought and am trying to make livable! No more driving to the corner gas station!!!!!

  18. Sarah says:

    Happiness is listening to my three year old jabber about the new book I got him yesterday. 🙂

  19. Barbara Lavell says:

    Happiness is teaching my 5 year old great-grandaughter to enjoy gardening & nature as much as I do. It is also watching her plant her flowers & vegetables with her pink gloves & pink sunhat on as well as using her pink gardening tools. After gardening we sit & have a glass of tea & cookies while she’s sitting in her little pink lawnchair & sipping tea out of her pink glass. It doesn’t get any better than that. I also bought her a gardening book for children so that when she’s not actually gardening, she’s reading & dreaming about gardening — just like Grandma.

  20. Carol in NC says:

    A moment ago I looked into the sweet face of my ‘garden’, my middle child with Down Syndrome, and surveyed the result of lots of sweat, hard work and frustration. And JOY! She leaves us little notes all over the house with a big smiley face and the word HAPPY written below. What a hoot.

  21. Brenda says:

    what makes me happy? good question. I guess there are alot of things some day it is a just sitting in the swing just swinging.I too like the smell of dirt when it is just turned and fresh cut hay but the first tomato still warm with the salt shaker can bring a smile too.

  22. gwen Quon says:

    Oh yes the garden!! I am in my garden for at least an hour a day. I love the birds singing
    and the sun and the colors. It makes me happy and joyful and above all grateful. I am a
    happy person and I make it my job to stay that way. I never want to waste time in any
    negative state. Thank you for your post, it made me Happy!!!

  23. Correen Drake says:

    Living on a farm makes me happy, always… But today as I mowed the pasture on my new Kabota…I was happy to see that I was winning my battle on the cheat grass…less each year. And the ‘good’ grass was thicker and taller this year… that is what made me happy today 🙂

  24. Merrie Jayne says:

    It’s so fun to read all of your happiness posts. We just returned from a beach house vacation with kids, sister and her family. She was evacuated from her little mountain town due to raging wildfires in AZ and yet we found happiness in each other. Although she may lose her home, her family is safe and we were surrounded by beauty. We know we have one another, love and an understanding that happiness surpasses what we own on the outside. We will continue to look for the beauty around us and to strengthen the love between us.

  25. Susan Ruff says:

    a sunshiney day, a gentle breeze through the window, little kids giggling, holding hands, sheets dried on the clothesline….

  26. Connie says:

    Farmgirl friends! That’s what happiness is to me!!

  27. Jady says:

    Smack-dab what I was looinkg for-ty!

  28. Nancy says:

    Thanks for the share!

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