Dear Deb,

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this post! The advice is the best ever. I think what I loved the most was your comment, “Sometimes I’m the first mate and sometimes he is…”. I do believe that is such a key to a good marriage. Give and Take. Thanks for sharing your story. Hugs – Dori –

Congratulations and many more happy years together!

Aye matey’s for sure, no matter who is 1st mate at what time, the two of you have made a beautiful life, 2 wonderful children and many many friends, be it in person or on your blog, facebook or whatever manner. You are special, thanks for sharing the great story. God bless.

That was a lovely post. Happy anniversary! Donna

Loved your post! Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a lovely celebration and wonderful dinner!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
CJ

ditto ditto ditto. love love loved every word. such complimentary words for each other. it very much read as a short story. luv luv luv

aww, so sweet !! Congratulations to the happy couple !

Wow, I am properly impressed! So easy on the eyes! For my personal taste (only one probably), I was not pleased with the watering can, but that’s just me.
Your flowers and photography are awesome, especially the light on that dahlia!
Thanks for the visual treat!

I have to say that I loved every one of your arrangements. I am very excited about collecting more items to put flowers and herbs in. As far as the glass flower frog, I have seen them before and could not figure out what they were for. Thanks for the info.

Deb, I love all your flowers & containers and I am inspired to try this next spring. Congrats on being featured in The Cottage Journal Magazine, what an honor. I also read your chicken news too. You are a lady of many talents! Your daughter will be fine and study hard and do great things, like her mom. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas.

Your flowers and arrangements are superb!!! I have now vowed to try my hand, this next year, at a cutting garden. I love frogs, only wish I would have kept them from my Gram. I loved the article in the Cottage magazine – maybe they will revisit you and show more of your lovelies. Thanks for sharing.

I love them all, but my very favorite by far are the pink and purple dahlias and zinnias… with the touch of yellow thrown in makes it the happiest arrangement! Your ideas are excellent. – Dori –

Deb, All the flower arrangements were beautiful. Really loved the one with autumnal colors in the urn shaped milk glass vase. You have provided inspiration for future gardening in the spring and a trip to the thrift store for interesting vases. Thanks for a real day brightener!
Vicki

Love both your blogs, so enjoyed reading about LuLu’s. Keep up he good work.
I love the farm stand.

Hi Deb! Thank you for featuring Dori. I just love the farm fresh stand!! As a quilter, I can’t wait to check out Dori’s blogs to see if she writes about her quilts. Also Deb, was thrilled to read the article on you in the autumn edition of The Cottage Journal.

Love both your blogs, so enjoyed reading about LuLu’s. Keep up he good work.
I love the farm stand.

Hi Deb! Thank you for featuring Dori. I just love the farm fresh stand!! As a quilter, I can’t wait to check out Dori’s blogs to see if she writes about her quilts. Also Deb, was thrilled to read the article on you in the autumn edition of The Cottage Journal.

Your garden looks lovely and I can really appreciate your hard work. I too would leave the fence natural rather than paint it: it will weather in the salt air to what you already have now. Congratulations on the bargain!

Night gown, Nikon and barefeet – mornings in my garden, especially after a gentle rain. Love your photos.

Your dahlias are always so pretty. I have had a couple bloom, for some reason, a few of mine will put leaves out but never any flowers. (hope I didnt plant them upside down..lol) We too finally got a good rain, we have not had any so far this season. I too go out in my pjs in the mornings. My favorite time of day is between 6-6:30. It is always so peaceful listening to all the birds singing. My garden has hit its peak and is fading now, so I am thinking it is about time to start dividing irises and hostas. They really outdid themselves this year. I love my picket fence, and I wanted to leave natural as well, but hubby talked me into painting with an off white deck paint. That was 5 years ago and still looks good. I will send you a pic via email. As always great blog. Be Blessed! Neta

Nice post, Deb! I had no idea daisies had such a prolific background. What a fun flower. Happy 4th to you, too!
From your Farmgirl sister across the continent, Alex

Wow! Thanks for reminding me of the beauty of these simple flowers….he loves me, he loves me not! Simple, clean, cheerful and fun! I think I’ll go buy a bunch this afternoon! 😀

Happy 4th Deb, I have the Flower Fairy book, it is such a nice read. I will look into getting the other one.
While I read your letter just now, as you talked about driving up and knowing that was your new home, it reminded me of almost 23 years ago, when the realtor brought me here to my home. I looked down at the 2 1/2 acre property from the road, saw the house and knew right then I wanted to spend my life here without even looking inside the house. it needed a really good cleaning and work but it was all worth it.
I have felt so at home since that day. I am surrounded by woods, only have 2 neighbors.
Life is good and it is the perfect day to celebrate and be thankful for our freedom.

I just missed an opportunity to be the docent at the Fort Point lighthouse in San Francisco Bay. It would have been great to live in my RV next to the building and give tours to those who stopped by. The nice part about living here is the ability to be on the shore within seven miles in three directions. Ah! I love your shoreline and hearing about your trip to the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Thanks Deb, so enjoyed this !!!

Oh Dear Sister Deb,
I am so inspired to read Beston’s Outermost House and Thoreau’s Cape Cod because of your inspiring blog. I live in Los Angeles, but my heart belongs to rural beaches…we have a multi-generational family beach cottage in Cambria, California but there’s a mystical draw to the eastern sea board that comes over me every summer. Perhaps it was my 7year old summer on Long Island in 1977 with trips to Nantucket and Cape Cod…the vibrant colors, the smell of tar on the warf, the salty air and sea breezes in my frizzy brown hair, the taffy and trying to learn how to needle point for the first time, I believe the yarn was purple and tangerine, the needle was butter colored plastic and grandma (who’s house I live in now) helped me tape the edge. It was in those days that my dad called me a sandpiper because I was always hunched over and looking for a ‘find’ on the beach…my four children are the same…homeschooled on the beach. Today, at 43, the forest might be too far to travel to get away from the noise, but there’s a kelp forest ‘in dem der’ waters, and that’s forest enough for me as I stand on the edge of the Pacific praising God for inventing…beaches that feel more like home than home, and there, I am not alone. I’ll keep following your blog, I’m so grateful you take the time to share and refresh others. Many Blessings to you and yours.

Oh Deb, how I envy you and your little cottage on the beach. I am so going to find me one somewhere on a beach somewhere someday…lol. Loved your story and I think I will try to read the book as well. Be Blessed. Neta

Greetings Deb: Just love your posts! Our family is able to retreat to our cabin in the Adirondacks (NY), so different than a shore line, but equally an amazing experience with nature. Last weekend we actually saw our first moose!!! I ordered the book, via Kindle, today and can’t wait to start reading.

Oh I love reading your post. I am going to read this book,Big thank you for posting the link to the The Cape Cod National Sea Shore! I loved it I miss the Ocean so and to see and hear the water was a gift to my Soul!

Beautiful

I’m in! I just requested a copy of the book from my local library. Looking forward to my first summer read along with you girls! Enjoy your day! 🙂

I love your prose and photos. Being raised in Hawaii, I long for the ocean. I do not live close enough to the Puget Sound to see it, and it’s a reasonable facsimile to the ocean, but I do take an annual trip to the Oregon coast to renew and refresh. I love smelling the ocean and having it lull me to sleep. It’s powers are deep. I’d love to read Henry Beston. I’ll search for those books.

Just got back from the Outer Banks, NC last weekend and still smelling, feeling and seeing it all as you write. Rereading The Outermost House may help. I’m in.
Henry, Henry – Northern Farm my absolute favorite. I have a 1948 hardback edition. I can’t read his books without notebook and pen. “Then with a swing of the finger,I started the pendulum of the clock, and with the steady tick, the life of the house began to beat. Home again. Home.”
That’s where I am, home again and back to the real world.

I too will try to get the book “Outermost House”. I live in the Santa Cruz mountains in northern California. My little cottage is perched on a hillside with 180 views of the hills and vineyards and gorgeous sunsets. I love my little house. It is such a refuge from my job in Silicon Valley.
By the way, I thought your prose in this article was exceptional:).

Thank you. I needed a gental tug back to reality. Being in nature is one of the most wonderful parts of being alive. I live out in the middle of nowhere NV. Not a lot of people, just enough. It is hot here now and will only get hotter until September when it cools a bit down to a simmer. I do my best during these months to let my mind think we are at the beach. Outermost House is a wonderful read and one worth repeat.
My favorite escape is a quiet mountain area not to far away where I can take long cool walks under the trees following the river. I imagine I could just live in the bed of my pick-up all summer but I have animals and such that need to be looked after. A day or two at a time is …Heaven. I love visiting your cottage, thank you 🙂

You make me drool over your description of a day at the beach! I love the beach and miss it living here in TN. So when I do get to the shore, I pay attention to every detail: shells, waves, texture of the sand, the wind in my hair, the smells. What’s that old saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder. When it comes to the water’s edge of the ocean, it sure does! I’ll look into Henry Beston.

Happy Mother’s Day! You and your family are truly blessed and I wish you all a lovely weekend together. I’m sure you have ice cream for the wisdom teeth removal, right, Mom?

What a wonderful article! I’m a mom of four and have been a stay at home for most of the 30 years. Your fun comments made me realize once again how blessed I am! It also helped me realize that we have way too much experience to put on a resume! I also decided to cut and paste your article into emails to my kids so they can be impressed!

Hi Deb.
I love how you phrased the whole Mom job! I’ve raised two, then two grandkids. Been a lot freer with the grandkids. They lived with me for 6 years. Despite having my freedom cut off when they arrived, I truly enjoyed having another crack at being a Mom. I relish the moments spent with both my kids and the little ones. This weekend is both my daughter’s birthday and Mom’s Day. We will celebrate and I will be thanking God for such a blessing.
I like the chocolate ice cream soother.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

Great list. I’ve been a mom for 47 years and mostly it’s great. Especially when they’re. great kids

Happy Mothers Day to you all !
I have two boy’s 25 and 18 both great kids and as my oldest will admit to anyone he is a mama’s boy lol all though I have know idea how cause I am a tomboy mum lol ! Wonderful post and photos . Being a mum has never been a job or a chore to me it is a blessing ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !