there's no place like gnome.

The gardens on Beacon are plugging along. Baby green tomatoes are growing in number, plants are growing taller, reaching towards the sun. I kind of dropped the ball on anything but tomatoes and peppers; our established veggie area is slowly becoming more shaded because of the surrounding trees so not all bales get the sun required. I half-heartedly planted zucchini and green bean seeds with nothing to show for the quick effort. Oh well. We’ll have to buy those at the store or farm stand.

But what I really want to update you on are my ranunculus. A couple blog posts back, I shared the beginning process to get the corms in the ground and how I had just learned they should have been planted, oh, a month or so sooner. Ranunculus like cool weather and so I was worried they would result in nothing.

Lo and behold, we have some ranunculus blooms! They’re not the most full or tall plants in the world (I think the heat has stunted them.) but we have a handful of blooms and that makes me happy. Next year I know to plant earlier and even squeeze them a bit closer together for a more appealing garden appearance.

The cut flower garden isn’t ready for blog attention yet; I remember from last year that it will be August before they will bloom and have something to be featured. Stay tuned.

Dave and I are fresh off a nine-day, 2300 mile trip to the east coast and back. We left mid-afternoon on a weekday and didn’t stop driving until we reached the Atlantic. (It was a bit crazy and not necessarily the plan but an audiobook from John Grisham kept us awake and safe.) We arrived to the beach before our hosts and so we spent time eating (authentic east coast – I’ve told you Dave is a bagel snob) bagel breakfast sandwiches and napping on a park bench until we could get into the house for a proper sleep.

Leg 1: Ocean City, NJ

Dave’s brother, Ryan’s in-laws have a family home two blocks from the beach in Ocean City, NJ. It would be our home base for the next three nights. Matt, another brother, and his family was due to arrive same day but a delayed flight brought them in the following day. While we were gathered at the beach house, we spent time on the beach, walking the boardwalk, eating classic beach food, and hanging out at the super cute house.

This, my friends, is called Polish Water Ice. Apparently a NJ/beach specialty? Think slushy but creamier, not as ‘icy.’ That’s the texture of the water ice, the red (cherry) pictured. It’s best mixed with soft serve.

Leg 2: Stroudsburg, PA

We drove to PA where we would spend the next three nights with Dave’s brother, Ryan and his family. More specifically, Dave and Ryan would embark on an overnight hike on the Appalachian Trail, complete with a black bear encounter and coming to the aid of a sick through-hiker. While they were off on their adventure, I did a little hiking with the family left behind and engaged in some alone time, antiquing and cross-stitching.

Leg 3: Cleveland, OH

Dave and I left PA for a single night stay in downtown Cleveland. Why Cleveland? Because Cleveland currently has a run of The Back to the Future musical and it was kinda, sorta on our way home. (I made it be on our way home!) Did you know Back to the Future is my favorite movie? (I’ve probably mentioned it two or twenty times.) We checked into our hotel, found a fun brewery for supper, and then settled into our seats at the theater. The whole time I was worried Dave would HATE it. He proclaims that he hates musicals. Well, folks, not this one. Dave was just as enthralled with the show as I was. I’ll be watching for future closer stops and will happily pay money to see it again. (Fun fact: Dave’s brother Matt and family continued onto NYC after the beach. They also saw the musical in the Big Apple and loved it just as much as we did.)

Leg 4: Adrian, MI

We left Cleveland and drove the coast to Dave’s family home where we stayed a night with his parents. En route, for kicks and giggles and coffee, we stopped off in tiny Heron, OH where we ate the best donuts we have ever had from this unsuspecting little donut shop filled with retired men around the counter drinking coffee out of mismatched mugs. We ate our donuts on the shore of Lake Erie and walked out to the lighthouse before continuing on our way. We arrived to the farm with time to catch up and supper out at Culver’s.

Nine days after we departed, we picked the dogs up from my mom and step-dad’s and arrived home, happy to sleep in our own bed and inspect the progress of the garden. Okay; that second part was really just me. (The garden is growing! Blog update to come!)

We’ve been out with the camper twice this early season. Mid-May found us at Devil’s Lake State Park – a new to us state park. This past weekend, a familiar place at Lake Emily County Park near Stevens Point.

Devil’s Lake weekend was filled with hiking, some exploration of another nearby state park, and a short trip into Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo. We arrived to our campsite super late, as we pulled off to wait out a severe thunderstorm with some crazy high winds. The tick count was relatively low (oh, how I hate those little things) but they didn’t stop us from hiking through the bluffs. It seemed like a fun area we hope to explore more.

This past weekend we returned to a favorite campground near Dave’s sister and family. It has become one of our favorite places to stay while we visit them. We arrived Thursday night and spent Friday on our own adventure; we visited and hiked Rib Mountain State Park in Wausau (another new park for us), stopped for pinball at one of Dave’s favorite places in Point, and then enjoyed a beer at the Point Brewery beer garden. Saturday we met up with family, starting at a local swap meet (My sister-in-law purchased two goats! This swap meet was other-worldly with chickens, ducks, and rabbits galore.) and then waiting out some rain at the camper with lunch and a movie. S’mores, bowling and pizza followed.

The best purchase to add to the camper this year has been this set of collapsible loveseats/double chairs. (Thanks, Costco!) Emmett has always been an old soul, preferring a chair to the ground. And honestly – we prefer it for the dogs, as it keeps them cleaner. They have adapted well to their new spot.

Once we journey home later today, the camper will stay parked for about a month until we head out for the Fourth of July weekend. A couple weekends at home are needed (so I can to finish planting the garden!) and then we’ll head out for a non-camping trip at the end of the month. More adventures to come!

It’s not a secret that it’s the year of 40 for myself and my high school besties. I blogged about my 40th birthday weekend in Chicago. My twin friends Kim and Kris threw a roller-skating 40th birthday party in January. (Where we were encouraged to also dress as twins. See Dave and I at the end of this post.) My friend Kay? Her birthday was 4/7, the day before the eclipse and she decided, for her 40th, she wanted to be in the path of totality.

Kim, Kris and I (the WI/IL crew) met Kay and her husband (VA) in Indianapolis for the big event. The Sunday to Tuesday gathering was filled with laughter, the first time we’d been together in … forever? (And we’re only 4/7 of the Dancing Bananas. We missed the rest of our bunch!) Fun dinners out, lovely weather, games of giant Scrabble and The Great Dalmuti, and – the main event – the eclipse on Monday.

We made a home on a patch of grass at White River State Park with thousands of our closest eclipse-viewing friends. My sister and her husband joined us too (since they live in Indy) and shared a picnic blanket with us. It was certainly an awe-inspiring moment; the darkness, the cheers, the gasps. AND DID YOU SEE OUR MATCHING SHIRTS? (Thanks, Kim.)

Even if there hadn’t been an eclipse, it would have been a lovely time with a handful of my long-term besties.

(As promised: Dave and I as twins in January.)

I’ve shared my routine with you before. I read books on my Kindle (checked out from my library via the Libby app) while I eat breakfast. It, quite honestly, is one of my favorite parts of the day. It helps me get out of bed; I look forward to it. I used to be a CRAZY reader who kind of died during college/seminary but I’m so glad she’s back.

Without further ado, here’s what I read and (mostly) loved in 2023:

Ruth Gallway novels by Elly Griffiths. I counted them up; I read EIGHT of these books in 2023. It’s no secret; I love a good series that guides me to what I should read next. Ruth is an archaeology professor in England who gets wrapped up in helping the local police force solve crimes. They’re a bit corny, easy reads but, oh dear, how I have come to love Ruth as a character. There are two books left in the series; they’re currently on my holds list with the library. I will cry when it’s over.

Veronica Speedwell Mysteries by Deanna Raybourn. I read the first two of these novels this year and again, love how it leads me to add the next one to my holds list. They’re fun reads.

Historical fiction: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict.

(I think I really like mysteries. Huh. The whodunit calls to me.) The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse. We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz. In the Woods by Tana French.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. (So lovely. Still have yet to watch the Apple TV series!)

Upgrade by Blake Crouch.

How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior. I remember crying a lot with this one; like good crying.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell.

The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick. A novel that bounces between two time periods.

Truth or Beard by Penny Reid. A silly little romance, corny and a bit ridiculous. (But I’ll still read the next one.)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I literally JUST finished this one tonight. I love fantasy/other-world novels. This one was a little, erm, graphic romantically which I could have done with a little less but, OF COURSE, it ended with a HUGE surprise and now I need to read the next one in the series like tomorrow (but will need to wait patiently until it’s my turn on Libby to check it out).

Ten years ago, I turned 30. (Maths.) I then conned my family into taking a train to downtown Chicago, meeting up with my birthday twin, cousin Connor, who was living in Chicago at the time. I remember shopping, the German Christmas market, and a joyous weekend to mark a new decade. I have very few photos except this one – a selection of us eating a pretzel at the market.

This year, this past Friday, I turned 40. So I conned my husband into taking the train to Chicago for a night. (Conned, not really. He was more than willing.) Since we moved to WI from MN, we live 20 minutes from an Amtrak train stop … and we haven’t gone once. It was time to take the hour long ride to Union Station.

But first, let’s start with Friday. The actual day. I took the day off of work so I could prep soup in the slow cooker, get groceries, and clean the house. No joke. I haven’t had a full day at home since probably, oh, early October; it felt like the best gift to give myself.

We took the 11:30 train on Saturday, grabbed some lunch in the food hall at Willis tower, and then headed downstairs to The Color Factory. (The first of two factories we’d visit this day.) What colorful fun. Lots of photo opps, laughs and treats. A conveyor belt of macarons to begin. A series of different rooms/experiences that link color to taste, sound, and compliments.

The line to the Christmas market was about a block long so we decide to continue on towards the hotel. We stopped at a Paper Source store I didn’t know existed downtown. (Love Paper Source!) We ditched our overnight things and headed further north to our second factory – The Cheesecake Factory. A super delicious dinner and cheesecake to go.

Today (Sunday) was an international day of sorts. We started at Eataly which is a coffee bar, Italian market, bakery, deli, restaurants, etc. etc. (The croissants were so very tempting.) We came home with pasta straight from Italy, chocolates, and coffee. We found that HMart, an Asian grocery, was just a few blocks past Union Station and thus we decided to take a gander and purchase a few things, both known and unknown. (Photo below: Italy on the left, Asia on the right.)

In conclusion: Turning 40 for Lindsay means spending a free day running errands, preparing food, and cleaning the house. It also means walking 12 miles around downtown Chicago, stopping not in their fancy department stores but rather purchasing groceries at international grocery markets. If this is life in this next decade, I’m not mad about it.

I shared my new gardening overalls earlier in the summer. They’ve been put to good use this year.

The vegetable garden is in full force, harvesting zucchini and tomatoes each day. The zucchini, well, it’s starting to pile up. Time for more zucchini bread and noodles. The tomatoes will be stored in the freezer until we have enough to can. (Oh! I got a new canner. An electric Nesco pressure canner. So far, I’ve only water bathed jam. Strawberry, cherry, and rhubarb orange. Looking forward to dipping our toes into pressure canning with tomato products.)

I removed a corner of hosta in our backyard and planted a cut flower garden. For most of the summer, I’ve been wondering if it was a mistake. Fighting with deer and rabbits, and my own dogs to keep them out. Slow growth due to colder temperatures this close to Lake Michigan. It just felt like a failed effort.

Until August showed up. All of a sudden, I have dahlias. Dahlias! My first time growing dahlias and, my goodness, they’re impressive. Zinnias. Bachelor buttons. Calendulas. Cosmos. A Shasta daisy plant that grew bigger but never bloomed. (Sigh.) It’s been a joy to cut flowers and have a vase on the kitchen counter.

Our other big gardening project this year was to take four metal file cabinets, turn them onto their backs, add wheels, remove drawers, paint and plant them. Our “patio” is on our driveway and we sought to have some sort of division. The file cabinets of wildflowers and sunflowers have done the trick.

We went garage sale-ing for a couple hours this morning before I had to clock in for some on-call visits. I scored a rolling pin for my growing collection. We found a couple dvds for the camper. A flower pot. And then we found an estate sale.

Dave’s strategy: basement. Basement first. Because – you know – that’s where people keep their pinball machines. This strategy has often been employed but never paid off.

Until today. I was still browsing the kitchen and laundry room of this house when I figured I’d better find Dave. Knowing his strategy, I went to the basement. Where he had found a pinball machine. Which he promptly bought. And started to break down.

I kept browsing and – while it’s no pinball machine – I scored a lefse grill for $5. $5! The grill still has the round paper that originally was taped to the grill surface. Maybe this thing has been used once. $5! My lefse-making will be kicked up a notch this fall with two grills.

I bought gardening overalls and it has changed my life.

Okay. Dramatic much. It has changed my GARDENING life.

Here’s how it happened: I saw a facebook photo with my sister-in-law in overalls. She and my Alaskan brother recently bought a farm in WI and she’s out pruning her fruit trees and planting Christmas trees in her overalls. And I thought to myself: huh. Overalls. I forgot about overalls. They make complete sense.

Facebook obviously read my thoughts because suddenly there were overall ads all over my feed. Duluth Trading Company sells gardening overalls. And I was sold.

Loads of pockets. Space to insert knee pads (haven’t gone that extreme yet). Snaps to roll them up to capris. A fabric that mulch or dirt doesn’t cling to.

They’ve seen me through a lot of hours outside already this season. Tearing up hostas, planting a new cut flower garden, spreading twelve yards of mulch. Gamechanger.

Game. changer. I now better understand what my Dad and Grandpa Sid saw in their blue-and-white-striped wardrobe all those years on the farm.