Midsummer Mystique

Elsa Beskow

Who doesn't like midsummer?  It's magic, it's flowers, it's fairies, it's Shakespeare, it's summer, it's moonlight, and lots of moss!  

And who doesn't like fairy wings, tutus and dancing on the lawn!

It is one of the most important holidays in Sweden.  People have been making wildflower crowns for hundreds of years.  So of course, I made one too (I had to wear it around my neck though)! I had lots of fun collecting wildflowers with my young friends, who also enjoyed making bouquets and crowns!

My personal designer created this outfit on a gloomy, January day and I have long awaited the moment I could don this ensemble and flit with the fairies (fortunately I didn't get carried off to Fairyland!).

Elsa Beskow's book The Flowers' Festival is a very sweet children's book that takes place on Midsummer at the flowers' Midsummer celebration.  Growing up with her storybooks, this one was a favorite; I always enjoyed imagining what might happen if the flowers in my garden came to life too!

Arthur Rackham 

I have always loved Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream!  The confusion, the magic, the fairies and the donkey head make for a truly great Shakespearean comedy!  

Arthur Rackham 

Over hill, over dale,

Through brush, through brier,

Over park, over pale,

Through flood, through fire!

I do wander everywhere,

Swifter than the moon's sphere;

And I serve the Fairy Queen,

To dew her orbs upon the green;

The cowslips tall her pensioners be;

In their gold coats spots you see;

Those be rubies, fairy favours;

In those freckles live their savours;

I must go seek some dewdrops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear. 

-Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Arthur Rackham 

Arthur Rackham is another one of my favorite illustrators.  His illustrations of A Midsummer Night's Dream perfectly capture the fairies' other worldly countenance and the magical, mysteriousness of the forest at night. 

Titania the Fairy Queen....

K.D. the Fairy Princess.

Many people celebrate with bonfires, but I didn't want to chance it with my tutu, so I went for some nice lanterns; they were a bit more my size and speed! 

Under a bower of fairy lights, it was a scene straight out of Shakespeare's Athenian forest.

Arthur Rackham

                 To see the Summer Sky

                 Is Poetry, though never in a book it lie -

                 True Poems flee.

-Emily Dickinson

"Box Sweet Box"

Boxes have always intrigued and inspired me, perhaps it's their endless possibilities.  In my youth I spent many hours playing in cardboard boxes.  I think it's very important for children and puppies to play with boxes because it fuels the imagination, and the act of transforming a box engages creativity.  Often it seems boxes get overlooked with so many other toys available, but when it comes down to it many children and puppies are happy with the simplest things.    

This photo of me as a puppy later inspired me to write a short fictional story (my first encounter with writing), which began my lifelong love of words.

I have always enjoyed dabbling in art and crafting.  A small, endearing child I know is celebrating her first birthday, and though I am not especially fond of her using me as an aid for learning to walk, I thought I would be able to make her a nice gift to encourage her imaginative play.  Of course I had to try it out for size...  

"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old 

because we stop playing." 

-Source Unknown

I had some architectural help from my personal designer.  She also shares my love of boxes, and we have collaborated on many, many box projects!  Here she is as a toddler enjoying her boxes; she had a very minimalist decorating style at that age.
   

  











"Play is the only 
way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold"
-Joseph Chilton Pearce

Everything's Coming Up Roses

This week I've been feeling slightly under the weather, and nothing cheers me up like roses.  We have a humble rose garden by our door, and I just love to sit in the shade of the roses and smell their sweet perfume.  Roses have been admired for centuries for their delicate beauty and fragrance.  In the language of flowers, roses are the symbol of love.  The language of flowers enjoyed renewed popularity during the Victorian era; one could send a message through a bouquet via the flowers one chose.  

Here is a view of our simple rose garden,

 although the photograph really doesn't 

do it justice.

Our climbing roses are doing better this year 

than ever!

Naturally, roses have also inspired many artists.  I will let some of my favorite paintings of roses speak for themselves.

Auguste Renoir 

Auguste Renoir

Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot

Georgia O'Keefe

 Not only are roses beautiful to look at, they are edible too!  Candied rose petals are a lovely, decorative touch to most any dessert.  Their crystalline beauty is not their only virtue, they also have a sweet, delicate rose scent and taste.  Below is a simple recipe for candied rose petals.   

Candied Rose Petals 

• Gently wash desired amount of organic, unsprayed rose petals and cut off small white heel at base of petal. 

• Lightly beat one egg white (pasteurized, if desired), dip a petal in egg white (fully coating it), then dip in shallow dish of castor sugar (also called superfine sugar) to coat completely (without clumps).

• Once these steps are completed, place petal on a wire rack covered in parchment paper.

• Repeat steps until all the petals are evenly coated. Place rack of petals in oven at lowest setting until completely dry.

• Store in airtight container, not in refrigerator. I find these are best enjoyed within the first couple days.  

I enjoyed my rose petals on a small gelato in the garden.  

Rose petals are also perfect for cakes, cupcakes and any other light desserts; they make wonderful favors for tea parties too! 

"O my love's like a red, red rose,

That's newly sprung in June;

O my love's like the melody

That's sweetly played in tune."

-Robert Burns

"A rose is a rose is a rose "

 -Gertrude Stein

Emily Dickinson & Carlo

"There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry-
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll-
 How frugal is the Chariot 
That bears the Human Soul-"
-Emily Dickinson

This week I've been taking some time in the refreshing May evenings to read and revisit some of my favorite poetry.  As is always the case, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry best appreciated by candlelight giving it a true, simplistic 19th century air.  I have always been touched by Emily's deep friendship with her Newfoundland, Carlo.

Emily Dickinson has brought some of the most unique and beautiful poetry into the world.  We have many unclear depictions of her, and perhaps no one, besides her dog Carlo, will ever have a completely accurate picture of who she was.  Besides the fact that she was very eccentric, talented and somewhat misunderstood, what we do know is that she loved Carlo and was hardly ever seen without him.  

A Newfoundland

Emily and Carlo had a very strong bond, and Carlo was readily accepted into her family.  They were often seen walking together--an odd appearance because of his large size and her slight frame.  I have read that in correspondence with Thomas Higginson, Emily Dickinson said that often Carlo was the only audience for her poems.  At another time Higginson expressed that he hesitated to publish her poetry due to the unusual punctuation and unconventional rhymes, and she replied that she was more interested in pleasing Carlo with her writing than in writing for the public.  Emily also referred to Carlo as her "shaggy ally" and her "mute confederate".   


I started Early- Took my Dog-
And visited the Sea-
The Mermaids in the Basement 
Came out to look at me-

And Frigates- in the Upper Floor
Extended Hempen Hands-
Presuming Me to be a Mouse-
Aground-upon the Sands-

- an excerpt from a poem by
Emily Dickinson 

A page from Emily's Herbarium.

"Every bird that sings, and every bud that blooms, does but remind me more of that garden unseen, awaiting the hand that tills it."

-Emily Dickinson
from a letter to Susan Dickinson, 1852






Emily Dickinson was also a very passionate gardener, her love of plants began early in life.  At age 14, she started a herbarium (a book of pressed wildflower specimens each labeled with its Latin name); some of these pressed flowers were quite rare leading some to believe that she must have walked quite extensively in the surrounding woods and fields.

" I find ecstasy in living- the mere sense of living is joy enough." 
-Emily Dickinson

Tea in the Garden

This week we have been working most ardently in the garden.  We have our beds prepared and most of our plants in.  It's always very exciting getting the gardens going in the spring. I am always very helpful....

In the summer most of our produce comes from our vegetable garden.  This week we put up a new fence and transplanted the small plants we started under grow lights from seed.

In my small, personal garden bed the flowers are really taking off; sunflowers and strawberries are some of my favorites!  Unlike the meticulous vegetable garden, my garden grows with its own whimsical will, perennials come back every year as a strong foundation while the annuals spring up as they please always in different, imaginative configurations. 

Tasha Tudor

 Tasha Tudor (1915-2008) is my favorite illustrator; I have been collecting her books for quite some time.  She was also an avid gardener.  She lived in Vermont and illustrated many children's books.  She would always lay down her paints in the summer to work in her extensive gardens and tend to her chickens, goats and of course, her constant Corgi companions.    

In the middle of the afternoon with the sun at its peak, it's always nice to stop for some iced tea.  This week I will share with you the premiere of my original recipe for my favorite iced tea. 
  

    - - - - - - - Thé au Citron Fraise - - - - - - -  

2 teaspoons loose Oolong tea (or tea choice)

1/2 cup fresh Lemon Balm leaves (about 12 sprigs)

2 cups water

1 2/3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup 

4 pureed frozen medium strawberries 

2 cups ice cubes

      

                      

* Bruise Lemon Balm and brew with tea in 2 cups of just boiling 

  water for about 5 minutes.

* Strain tea into pitcher and mix in maple syrup, lemon juice,   

  pureed strawberries and 2 cups ice.

* For an added touch, garnish glass with sliced fresh 

  strawberries or lemon and enjoy.  

It really is quite good!

* And for my canine friends, remember more than a few sips of caffeine can be harmful to your health.

In the Spotlight

Though personally I have always enjoyed a simple, pastel lifestyle, it's not to say that I'm not intrigued or inspired 
by celebrities.  

As a Cairn Terrier, I feel a kind of kinship toward Terry (Toto) from The Wizard of Oz (1939).  I have always enjoyed The Wizard of Oz!  Who doesn't like this excellent Classic about the little dog who saves the day by leading her incompetent friends through forests and poppy fields to the wonderful Wizard and is almost eaten by a witch along the way!  Toto was so modest she didn't even ask for anything from the Wizard!  

Many people are unaware that Terry had a full career as an actress; she also starred in Bright Eyes with Shirley Temple.

I simply adore old movies!  When I think of old movies, I think of Petey.  Pit Bulls were the nanny dogs of the 20s and 30s; where would the Little Rascals have been without Petey?  He was always there to help, protect, and play with them.  Petey was just an all-round endearing dog!

I have always loved Audrey Hepburn's films even though they are, for the most part, sorely lacking dogs.  Her close companion Mr. Famous is an iconic dog.  There are many wonderful photographs documenting their "loverly" friendship.

Uggie, who starred in The Artist (2012), is such a wonderful actor; he is also very handsome and has such style! (Oh, I may be blushing!)  Anyway, it's a very good film.  Uggie also starred in Water for Elephants.  He always adds such comic relief!  I have included pictures, both from the Artist and the Golden Globes.

I, myself, have dabbled in a little acting. I received a wonderful review as Sandy in the musical, Annie--and my own bow.  I have also participated in some innovative independent films.  
It took at least an hour just to get into costume for my avant-garde role as The Lion.

I think everyone deserves a walk down The Red Carpet.  As Shakespeare said,  "All the world's a stage..."