Natural Designs Studio

A big display of melons took my eye.  I asked the Amish lady if they were good and sweet and she suggested that we cut one and taste it.  A command was spoken in Dutch to her young son who returned with beaming eyes and a big silver butcher knife.  I was impressed that she trusted a child so young with this knife.  It was not a weapon but a tool.  We watched as she sliced the juicy fruit and enjoyed the sweet treat.  I handed her a few dollars and continued with my errands.

Down the road at another produce stand I inquired about some feathers.  Again, a command was given in Dutch to a young boy who skipped off to the house.  The young Amish girl asked if I was heading home and wondered if their cousin could hitch a ride with me because their horses were busy in the field. I agreed to take her along and introduced myself.  She said her name was Mary as she put her bags in the back seat.  She was lively, young, and smelled of soap.  The family waved goodbye and handed me several beautiful feathers in exchange for the favor.  I felt a sense of trust between us.  Mary was born in Big Valley but move away at the age of thirteen. Now at age twenty-seven she returned to attend a local teachers meeting. I chuckled as she waved to every Amish buggy we passed extending her head out the car window so they could see her.  It was obvious that she was enjoying herself.  The relatives she planned to visit had no idea that she was coming.  She felt sure they would be home. As we drove down the long lane the folks came out on the porch with smiles and excitement.  Mary offered to pay me for the ride as she gathered her bags but I waved goodbye declining the money knowing that I received a gracious pay in the form of trust and friendship between two women of different lifestyles.

It is more difficult to identify when both Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper are growing side by side.  I always find these vines on fence posts.

Sugar peas, broccoli, strawberries, and a loaf of fresh baked bread filled the back of the Jeep.  When I stopped for eggs I was given a lovely bunch of roses.  The children greeted me as I pulled in the lane to purchase my milk.  An electric ice cream maker was churning outside the door.  On the table were two fruit pizza's ready for strawberries.  Yum,yum

Simple Gifts

'Tis a gift to be simple,
'tis a gift to be free,
'tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'twill be in the valley of love and delight.


When true simplicity is gained 
to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
to turn, turn, 
will be our delight till by
 turning, turning
we come 'round right.

Traditional Shaker Song

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's clouds illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all.

I've looked at life from both sides now
From WIN and LOSE and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all.
 Lyrics by Joni Mitchell

The scent of honeysuckle triggers a childhood memory of attending Summer Vacation Bible School in early June.  The nectar is as sweet as the fragrance.  Try breaking off the end of the trumpet and sucking out the sweet juice.

When I pause at the bridge I often discover activity by the water. Today this little critter scurried across the bridge to the fence while his mother scolded and tapped the tree limb above.  He finally gathered his courage and made a wild dash for his home.  

1 Tbsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbsp. Liquid Soap
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp. Epsom Salts
1 Gal. Water

-Mix Well - 
Spray in the morning before sunup or late evening after sundown
every 10 days for happy rose bushes!