Independence Day…

…I have to remind myself that I am indeed lucky & proud to live in this wonderful country!  I cherish our growing pains (although sometimes painful) as we continually strive to evolve and hopefully better serve all of our beautiful & diverse citizens.

Happy Birthday America…here’s to another year of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”!

This, then, is the state of the union: 

free and restless, growing and full of hope. 

So it was in the beginning.  So it shall always be,

while God is willing, and we are strong

enough to keep the faith. 

~Lyndon B. Johnson

In the truest sense,

freedom cannot be bestowed;

it must be achieved. 

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Those who won our independence

believed liberty to be the secret of happiness

and courage to be the secret of liberty. 

~Louis D. Brandeis

For what avail the plough or sail,

or land or life, if freedom fail? 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Freedom has its life in the hearts,

the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily

earned and refreshed -

else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots,

it will wither and die. 

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

…Hope everyone has a Happy & Safe 4th of July!

{All photos by me}

…thanks to all the Dads!

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. 

~Clarence Budington Kelland

It’s Father’s Day weekend…time to give a big thanks to all the Dads out there!  Below is a quote from Harmon Killebrew, one of my all time favorite baseball players.  He was considered a “killer” at the ballpark because of his huge swing (which became the iconic MLB logo) but off the field he was known for his huge heart.

Harmon recently passed away and it was touching hearing all of the tributes from his former teammates as well as current players who were influenced by him.  Everyone who knew Harmon (even if not personally) was somehow touched by him…and always in a positive way.

But the most special of all was hearing his children and family speak…despite his celebrity he was clearly a wonderful father, husband and friend.

{Image via The Sports Cubicle}

My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. 

Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” 

“We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply.  “We’re raising boys.” 

~Harmon Killebrew

{Image via We Heart It}

…here’s to many happy memories tearing up the grass with your loved ones!!!

{Click photos for their source}

Reading…

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something

- a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things -

that you’d thought special, particular to you.

And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met,

maybe even someone long dead.

And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”

— Hector in the film version of The History Boys

Here are some of the books I’m hoping reach out to me this summer:

1. The Space Between Us: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar
2. Witches on the Road Tonight by Sheri Holman
3. North River: A Novel by Pete Hamill
4. A Mountain of Crumbs: A Memoir by Elena Gorokhova
5. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
6. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

{Click photos for their source}

Dive into summer…

{Image via Old Sweet Song}

I tend to get a little panicked looking at the calendar in summer…days, weeks and months always seems to move three times faster than their frozen counterparts in winter.  It doesn’t help that I feel the need to cram every free second full with some random “summery” activity.  After all these precious, sunny, warm moments tend to be fleeting in the unpredictable Minnesota weather!

In an effort to take a deep breath and savor the season, here is a reminder of a few of the things I’d like to do this brief, but wonderful summer:

1. Enjoy the bounty of local, organic & freshly grown veggies & fruits found at one of many farmers’ markets.
2. Attempt a new recipe each week (preferably with that new fresh produce).
3. Drink gallons upon gallons of home-brewed iced tea.
4. Bike, hike, swim, run and just be active outdoors.
5. Catch an outdoor or rooftop movie.
6. Visit local wineries and have a sip, or two.
7. Kayak & sail in the chilly waters of Lake Superior.
8. Read outside as much as humanly possible.
9. Browse art fairs & find a unique piece of art or photography.

Sit still.

{Image via Old Sweet Song}

{Click photos for their source}

New Beginnings…

 ”I had that familiar conviction

that life was beginning

over again with the summer.”

-F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

{Image via Oh Happy Day}

Here’s to new beginnings in the sunshine…

{Click photo for source}

Summer is here…

This past Tuesday Minnesota hit the triple digits…it was hot, humid, windy and generally unpleasant for all of us Midwesterners who are still emerging from a long, cold winter and spring.  Our bodies need time to acclimate to summer…but Mother Nature decided (as usual) to throw us for a loop.  The icing on this hot, sticky cake was that right at sundown when it finally became pleasant to sit outside we were attacked by swarms of hungry mosquitoes.  And so I retreated back into the air conditioning to finish reading a book that’s all too familiar with those pesky, blood-sucking creatures!

Karen Russell’s debut novel Swamplandia! is set in the swamps of the Florida Everglades.  Russell so brilliantly describes the climate, geography, flora and fauna that I would still feel like I was right in the heat of deep summer even if Minnesota wasn’t boiling.  But beyond the descriptive setting, Russell’s words describe the rich & deeply compelling familial love of the Bigtree clan.  Specifically it focuses on the powerful bond of three siblings as they deal with the death of their Mother and the fear of their unknown future.

I found myself surprised, sad, excited, disappointed, angry, happy, relieved and more as I devoured the pages of this unexpected book.  All in all I fell a little bit in love with each of the complex Bigtree family members.

Happy Reading…

{Click photo for source}