for next year's father

I wish I had seen THIS sooner, I would totally have made one!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads!

At the wrong time

The problem with funerals is that they never come at the right time. You never feel as if you were able to adequately say good bye, you feel as if you only had had a few more days, months, or years, you could have told that person exactly how much you loved them and exactly how much they meant to you. Just a little more time and you would be ready to say good bye.





But of course, no matter when we lose someone we love, we feel we never had enough time.
We are not ever ready to say good bye.
Any time there is death we want to do something, anything. We want to yell our love for that person, we want everyone to know just how great our loss is and how very much they meant to us.

Too often, a lovely expression of sympathy can become more than what it should be. We order extravagant arrangements in hopes that we can express that last moment of love. Of course we miss them. Of course we wanted more time together.

Of course they knew we loved them.

So before you send flowers for a funeral, think about the person you have lost.
What kind of person were they?
Were they bold? Larger than life? Exciting? Colorful?
Send something that speaks to their nature.
Send something bold and big and colorful and exciting!

Were they kind, gentle, demure, sweet?
Send something delicate and sweet.

Did they have favorite flowers or a favorite color?
Make sure the flowers reflect those preferences.

When you think of what you would like to send, think of what is most appropriate for your relationship with the person you loved.
Think about what made you both happy together.

And send what makes you smile.

Is this thing on?

So! By the looks of my last post it has been almost a year since I've been on this little Sugarfield venture!

It has been a while, hasn't it?  Let's start over, shall we?

wild raspberries beginning

I do still love flowers quite a little bit.  I took a break for so many different reasons, not least of which we had an elderly lady live with us for a year, and all of my attention was given to keeping our house running in a way that helped all of us thrive.  The kids needed attention, the husband needed attention, the elder needed attention, and well, so did I.  Our elderly friend does not live in our house any more which leaves me with ever so much time on my hands.  Back to you, dear Sugarfield.

I love the purple/green combination, don't you?

We took a jaunt to one of our favorite spots - the Watershed - yesterday.  You will be seeing quite a bit of this lovely landscape, seeing as how it is so close and changes every time we visit.

smelled like wild onion

It was chilly, so we stayed a very short while, but we are looking forward to many picnics, scooter rides, and walks at the watershed.  It is a beautiful place all year around.
 

Reminds me of gorse growing wild in Scotland.  I'd be happy to go back and compare the two.

What was happening while I navel gazed took these lovely flower photos?  Well, a little of that:

And a whole lot of this:

 

It is good to be back.  You can look forward to a few things here in Sugarfield land. I will be unveiling a new website - please be kind, I am new at this - offering some classes, and in general sharing what I do with all of you.  I hope to see you all back here in the future.  

 

*Disclaimer*

No actual children were harmed in the writing of this post.  In the playing of monster, maybe, but not in the writing of this post.

Summer Wildflowers

It is finally summer in Indiana!
I prefer cool mornings, followed by warmdays and cold nights,
but I don't believe it is everyone's idea of summer.

It hit the 80's and 90's here, so we deiced to take a walk around
the local watershed.

It is a beautiful place, full of flowers,
bugs, birds, toads and nature.

***

I think my favorite part of the watershed is the complete relaxation
we feel as a family.
The kids laugh and play, my husband becomes the scary monster chasing them accross the walkways,
and I give a sigh and just enjoy,
a smile on my face.

bloom

I think this is my favorite time of month in the garden.
Everything is bursting.
The Echinacea, the Shasta Daisies, the Hollyhocks are going crazy.

One of our happier discoveries this year was of the plant you see below.
I always thought this was a weed, and it may be, but I've been to lazy the last 3 years to chop it down.
This summer my slothfulness paid off.



I think the common name for this plant is Evening Primrose, or Night Blooming Primrose.
One of our favorite evening activities is to now gather in front of this plant as dusk falls to watch it bloom.
As night falls, the tight little buds pop open and begin to unfurl.
We are able to watch as flower after flower opens and blooms.
They smell fantastic too.

Right now .... 10:03 pm

Closer to ready