The proverbial When Life Gives You Lemons....

Ah, how true is the proverbial ditty, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade"...

Yesterday I took a quick sunshine-break out and about in our yard here on the island since the weather was so balmy, breezy and bright for what by now is a very extended Indian Summer going way into November this autumn. Our lemon tree that my late mother planted is loaded down with lemons and so I picked a few of the ones that were ready. I also picked the roses which were in full bloom in mother's rose garden that, since we moved-in here to be with my father, I've tended and even added some additional rose bushes into. It's a tiny bed out in front of the first stair landing leading up to the house's front door with a bird bath in the middle of the assorted rose and lantana bushes. (One of my first posts on this blog has a picture of it) And above is a photo of the harvest-bounty from today's gleanings...gathered up in one of my favorite old baskets which I set out onto our dining room's table.

For the most part, we've kept the yard areas around here (upper and lower lots) au natural n' woodsey but I have retained the rose garden in front by the stairs and then we also have our 3 large raised-beds kitchen garden in one of the side-areas. My aesthetic style is much more woods n' vines than it is neat beds of landscaped boxwood bushes n' bark chips. I greatly admire the full, lush beds of English Gardening and many-chimney country homes I've glimpsed on various trips into the English countryside over the years but as for me, it's always been a joy of natural spots with a cottage plunked down amidst the trees, deer, vines and occasional flowering tree.

And the tree in bloom right now is mother's lemon tree.

Life did so seem to be filled with lemons, tart, biting, very sour lemons when I came back here to help my mother in her final 5 weeks of life five years ago this past August. It seemed quite bitter indeed that she never even made-it to her retirement age and left us so shockingly quickly after her surprising diagnosis. I don't think I will ever stop missing my mother or stop missing the life I was absolutely enjoying living out there on a mountain side in Park City, Utah however...

... some of those lemons have indeed turned into sweet lemonade thank goodness!

Living out here on this island is wonderful as are our local friends and church family. Plus now for the first time since my early childhood, I'm close to my aunts, uncles and assorted cousins who live in Savannah and also up in Charleston. And of course being able to spend time with my father is so great too. It's also been this time period within my life where I was finally able to go on to graduate school and tonight, er this morning at 4:00 a.m. I finished-up what is my Master's Portfolio project which I'll be turning in soon before I graduate in December. Very exciting!

Though we honestly can't believe that we've been out here five years already, James and I both enjoy this simple island livin' chapter of our life together. It's been 20 years now since our first date and 18 1/2 years of marriage and... we're still having so much fun! We've just traded-in time spent out on rivers fly fishing for fishing outta' kayaks pushed off of our yard at high tide. I do prefer catching and releasing nice and easy brown or rainbow trout to the seemingly endless supply of bonnethead sharks I tend to catch here but overall, life is good and a lot of our happily-living-times are still being spent out of doors which we both love so much.

And so my quick ramble around outside today in between lotsa' hours of schoolwork was delightful!

There's so many lemons on this lemon tree that in another week I think I'll be making a lemon tart in addition to pitchers of fresh lemonade...life gives me lemons, oh, they're going to be put to good use alright ;)