Reading

Gathering of Poetry | July 2025

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small boy with green shirt and blue jean shorts walking on diamond shaped stepping stones in a garden
An evening walk at summer camp

I offer a poetic homage for this month’s third Thursday entitled June, although I feel it is more aptly named Summer.  (But who am I to challenge John Updike’s wizardry of words?)  

As a child of the 50s, Updike captures the essence of my long-ago summer days.  Mornings that began with my name sing-songed at the backdoor screen calling me out to play; intense kickball games in the cinder alley with the bases unevenly spaced – the corner of the Davis garage, the edge of the Bush’s stone wall, and the large trunk of their oak tree; afternoons spent biking or skating round and round the block each rotation made more challenging as we fixed metal clamp on roller skates to our scuffed white summer tennis shoes; and then the languid evenings of hide and seek or firefly hunting as we counted our treasure trove of lighting bugs captured in empty Mason jars.

From July 2007 through August 2011, I stepped back into that magical time as we hosted Summer Camp for our nephew.  Most often these carefree days, filled with fishing and crafts, reading and games, took place at my parents’ cabin on Lac Courte Oreilles in northern Wisconsin.  There was one summer when hospice home care made that trip impossible and we shifted our play days to Rochester where evening walks replaced boating excursions but with no less fun in the “live-long light.”

June

The sun is rich,
And gladly pays
In golden hours,
Silver days,

And long green weeks
That never end.
School’s out. The time
Is ours to spend.

The playground calls,
The ice-cream man,
And, after supper,
Kick-the-can.

The live-long light
Is like a dream,
And freckles come
Like flies to cream.

I am happy to join fellow bloggers, Bonnie at Highly Reasonable, Kat at as kat knits, and Kym at Dancing at the Edge for a monthly Gathering of Poetry.

Bibliographic credit:  John Updike © 1965.  Initially published by Alfred A. Knopf in A Child’s Calendar. A new edition of the same title was reissued by Holiday House © 1999 with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman which was a 2000 Caldecott Honor Book.

Travel

Jardin botanique de Montréal

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red and white rose with greenery in the background

Whether following a frenetic F1 race weekend or simply enjoying several days of international sightseeing, the Jardin botanique de Montréal is always on my itinerary when visiting this beautiful city.

With dozens of thematic gardens showcasing everything from fragile alpine flowers to monastic medicinal plants even including an opportunity to discovery Indigenous knowledge in the First Nations Garden, the colors and fragrances are ever changing. A stroll through the rose garden offers riotous hues as displayed by this variegated beauty; perfect for this week’s #SimplyRed Squares contribution. The Jardin botanique de Montréal Rose Garden was created in 1976 to mark the Olympic Games and features over 7,000 roses, representing more than 900 species and cultivars.

Check out the #SimplyRed offerings from BeckyB and others participating in this Squares challenge.

Knitting

Simply Red

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handknit red sweater with front cable design hanging from a purple ribbon

A swift scroll through years of digital photos revealed a varied selection of pictures suitable for this month’s square challenge #SimplyRed! (Not to be confused with the former English soul and pop band of the same name.)

Becky B. hosts this quarterly themed challenge. While participants are encouraged to post daily, the only real requirement for this fun blogging exercise is that the themed photo must be square. Her previous themes ranged from BrightSquares to GeometricJanuary to TreeSquares. With five Tuesdays, I have set a weekly goal for #SimplyRed! and, as this is mostly a knitting journal, I will start by highlighting a sweater knit for a new great-great nephew.

Featuring my favorite design element – cables, the Waterfall pattern by Marie Greene, offers assorted sizes from newborn (0-6 months) to seven years. Knowing little ones grow quickly, I hope this size 2-4 might keep our new great-great nephew warm on future chilly Indiana days. Knit in his older brother’s favorite color, red, the yarn is a blend of cotton, bamboo, and silk which knits up nicely with the advantage of being machine washable for busy parents.

#SimplyRed!

Other items of interest

Political Assassinations in Minnesota

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1000s of people rallying with St. Paul Cathedral and Minnesota Historical Center in the background

With the distressing early morning news, my blue bubble burst. This had not been the bubble of childhood afternoons or wedding party favors for showering the departing couple, but one of those iridescent spheres created by a gigantic backyard wand. With political chaos swirling like Pigpen’s cloud of dirt, I took consolation in my location – my blue bubble. While not a native Minnesotan, I have called this state home for over 40 years. This liberal state of Paul Wellstone, Hubert Humphrey, and Walter Mondale. This progressive state of Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and Peggy Flanagan.

While preferring a blue haze, I am not so delusional as to ignore the reality that Minnesota is really purple. It is red where my Congressional representative refuses to meet with constituents who would object to inhumane GOP policies. It is violet when we must rally to protest early morning ICE raids in Rochester and proclaim No Kings. But politically motivated assassinations and attempted assassinations should only happen in some dystopian universe not in the quiet residential neighborhoods of Brooklyn Center and Champlin.

Since the first appearance of those red ball caps, I have wondered to which greatness we want our country to return to:

  • Before 1974 when women could not get a credit card without a male co-signature?
  • Before 1960 when U.S. Marshalls were needed to protect a small six-year girl going to kindergarten?
  • Before 1920 when women could not vote?
  • Before 1865 when human beings were bought and sold as property?

While my late advocacy work at the State Capitol tended to focus on those legislators from our southeastern corner, I knew Representative Melissa Hortman and Senator John Hoffman to be library supporters, people of integrity, honoring the diversity in our communities, seeking equity for all of this State’s residents, and working for the inclusion of all. The murder of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, John, and the wounding of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, make a shameful statement of American life. And yet, even with an active shooter at large and police warnings to stay home, Minnesotans from Bemidgi to Rochester from International Falls to St. Paul gathered by the 100s and expressed their constitutional right to assemble and proclaim No Kings.

Photo credit: © Stephen Maturen/Getty. Demonstrators rally outside the Minnesota State Capitol building during a “No Kings” protest on June 14, 2025, in St. Paul.

Knitting

Mystery Knit-Along: Postcard from the Edge

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handknit shawl in purple, green, and peach colors on a white background
close up detail of a handknit shawl in purple, green, and peach colors on a white background

My in-house “colorist” helped select the lovely hues for the Spring String mystery knit-along. I am so pleased with the result that I am keeping the Postcard from the Edge shawl for personal use.  When making my initial yarn selection, I identified several pairings from among my stash that looked good but I was stumped when moving beyond two complimentary skeins.  However, the pattern required a third selection – a main color, a contrasting color and an accent.  I will admit I was hesitant when Richard chose Farmers Market (MC), Macrame (CC), and Pumpkin Spice, a variegated accent skein as I could not envision the outcome.  (Note to self – Trust the artist in the house!)

Knitting began when the first of five mystery clues was revealed on April 1 and continued quickly with the release of a new clue each Tuesday; all while learning several new stitches.  The hand-dyed organic Merino from Heather Best at Sew Happy Jane had a lovely feel, flowing through my fingers.  The Knit Camp pattern from Marie Greene offered clear, tech-edited directions and even provided stitch counts as the shawl grew by four stitches every other row – from just five stitches at cast-on to 419 at bind-off. The end result a triangular shawl featuring lacy scallops and slipped stitches drawn into flowery bursts.

Happy knitting!

Baking · Gardening

Tasty Rhubarb Scones

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five rhubarb scones on a blue plate

Fresh rhubarb pecan scones arrive hot from the oven in honor of this first day of meteorological summer.  Our lush rhubarb patch with five plants on the south side of the garage sprouted early and produced crisps in April, bread and cakes in May, and dozens of scones baked each month.

Moving from the alley to our raised bed, nearly all the planting is complete thanks to the healthy selections at Sargent’s on 2nd and Annie’s in Madison: beets, cucumbers, nasturtiums, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini, as well as garlic that survived a dry, nearly snowless winter.  We revel in the wonder that is summer in Minnesota, where we experience frigid short winter days only to enjoy, just months later, long fertile growing hours.

Knitting

Swiss Miss Knits

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hand knit cowl with white background and blue and teal dashes of color displayed on a wooden hanger

This year’s virtual Traveler’s Club: A Knitter’s Journey has moved from Switzerland to Germany. But before leaving the alpine meadows and glacial lakes of my grandparents, I finished two of the three Swiss inspired patterns. (The February knit-along project, Kleine Sweater, is still on my needles.)

Marie Greene developed these new designs after spending time in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps.

  • The Interlacken Headband features a clever mosaic technique that creates a textured fabric in two colors without actually carrying multiple strands. The 17-stitch width in worsted weight wool knit up quickly and will surely keep ears warm on nippy mornings.
  • Like its namesake, the Lake Stroll Cowl, was inspired by walks along the shores of Lakes Brienz and Thun while Marie visited Interlaken and features slipped stitches interspersed with garter stitch pops of color.

Happy Knitting! Or, more appropriately, Viel Spaß beim Stricken!

New House · Writing

We have a hole!

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large trough in dirt with houses in background
bare dirt trough with orange spray paint
large dirt pile and yellow earth moving equipment

Since March 6, when we selected Solstice Place as the location for our new house, we have scouted the neighborhood with a close eye for any progress on our lot. And today was the day for changes! The trenches have been dug for the footings and a nearby pile of dirt rests ready for future grading. Meanwhile, while waiting for the actual construction to begin, our days have been full of decisions, decisions, decisions.

Our first appointment was at the lumberyard for interior and exterior doors, door hardware, windows, and a hand-railing for the front steps.  This visit gave us a sense of what would follow.  With each visit there were offerings as bid and then the possibility to make choices from a broader selection outside the basic budget.  For example:  we were happy with the door levers as bid but opted for a different style kitchen faucet with the cost difference being our responsibility.

The tile store definitely lived up to the “and more” part of its title as we selected birch cabinets, granite countertops, sinks, LVP flooring, and (yes) tile for the bathrooms and the kitchen backsplash.  We needed two visits for all those decisions.  We even stayed within our allowance for flooring and tile but, I must admit, we went a smidge over in the cabinet category.  

As our construction package includes new stainless-steel appliances, we will leave our functional white appliances on First Street. But even at the appliance store there is a lot to consider: slide in or free-standing stove? freezer on the bottom, side, or top? range hood or cabinet fan? Plus, double checking consumer ratings for reliability.

It took two appointments to determine the location of all the disc lights, although we were steadfast in our choice of decorative blue fixtures for the kitchen and dining room, the brushed nickel for the bathrooms, and the exterior, prairie-style lighting.  From lighting we progressed to plumbing – from the kitchen faucet to the shower heads from grab-bars to towel racks the choices we made this morning will (hopefully) be the last, at least for a couple of days.  But, in the meantime — we have a hole!

Gardening · New House

Garden Report #1

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four whole potatoes and one cut in half resting on a white painted board

Folktale advice directs the gardener to plant potatoes on Good Friday. We opted for a more scientific approach and waited until the soil temperature reached 50°F. That occurred this weekend. The 20 hills of organic Kennebecs are the first of the plantings in this last garden on First Street.

And to boost the yield of late summer produce, I tried a slightly different approach when adding eggshells to my raised, square-foot beds. Usually, I just crumble the shells in my garden-gloved hand but after reading that smaller pieces release more nutrients, I put the food processor into garden service.

Photo credit: © Annie’s Heirloom Seeds, Madison, Wisconsin, Organic Kennebec Seed Potato (Solanum tuberosum)