Bounty from the local farmer's market....

I will be doing some watercolors of these fruits and vegetables! They are so beautiful!

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Meanwhile, early morning photos of my garden, show me that I could use a few more, larger potted plants in this setting (below).

Here the morning sun is gently striking the birdbath at the corner of the "lasagne" (layered) garden.

the "Beefmaster" tomato is making lots of blossoms but no fruit yet???? Do we need more bees????
Right next to it, the heirloom "Cherokee Purple" has 2 tomatoes and also more blossoms.

I did see one little bee the other day......hope he was helping with this!

Our overnight guests last night....because my sister never travels alone!
We loved watching them romp in the backyard yesterday evening. SO CUTE!!!
Now, they are on their way to new homes, my sister being an English Shepherd breeder.
[See my sidebar under family webpages] It was delightful to enjoy their antics and then send them on! The garden was protected by portable fencing during their time here!

Possible project for today...

McCall's patterns are on sale at Hancock's so this one came home and may be sewn into some comfortable lounging pants with batik fabric from my stash. I could try out the "new" Genie sewing machine which arrived a day or so ago.

I am heading, first, to our local farmer's market on the square downtown. There I hope to find local honey to use, hoping it will alleviate my on-going allergies.

I would also like to visit the botanical gardens, in full bloom right now...but maybe that is more pollen than I need!

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These are going into my oven in a minute....

BAKED ITALIAN MEATBALLS
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tbsp. parsley
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
Mix all ingredients well. Form into small balls and place in glass baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Add to your favorite Italian sauce and pasta.

This is my new little "model", Tomasita, she won't charge much to pose for me while I paint!

(Of course, you can't really paint unusual vegetables like this one, no one would believe your painting....they would think you just couldn't draw a round tomato. One more reason why, for a painting, we have to find the beauty of the ordinary!)




[In case any of you missed my video montage of 30 of my favorite watercolors, please go to my "Painting
my 'art out" blog (either from my side bar, upper left, or from my profile page) and watch...it has music too!]



Back to how I met my willing tomato model.....



I was reading how everyone was getting carried away with their new digital cameras so decided to take our camera on an outing this morning.....






The place I went has lovely well- tended flower beds with many exceptional plants and also has benches for sitting and watching people....





You can feast your eyes, or the camera, on delightful sites....like this pile of radishes....just look at those colors...pinks, carmines, magentas, all the way to purple!

Maybe you guessed it....I went to our farmers' market!
(That is where I found the cute tomato to post for you! I'm sure she will taste wonderful with some of the basil I picked up too!)


















Here are ferns from the shade garden side of the square........Japanese painted ferns, transcantia, columbines. large hostas and a white and yellow day lily which is coming through the hosta leaves!






It is a lovely morning on the mountain top...around the square with an old post office building in the center! The temperature is about 70 degrees and a bit of wind makes the shopper's hair blow and causes some of the vendor's to lower their shade umbrellas.










In additions to home grown (mostly organic) produce, we have handcrafted items....wooden spoons, homemade jams and syrups and a booth with baskets made by the Gibson family, basket makers here for generations..( in the Smithsonian, too!)


I don't go as often as I could....once I am there, I hate to leave!!!!!


A final note.........

Tomasita is gazing wistfully out the window....I suppose she'd like to be back at the square too!( or maybe she overheard about the basil...my plans for her...)




[ How fun for my hubby, "Mr. Pear" ( Loretta, of Pomegranates and Paper, didn't seem to mind if I follow her lead in giving a husband a "blog" name!) when he walks in from work today and sees her...empty nest syndrome strikes again!]

We are having glorious May morning here...goddess of spring indeed!!!!

Steve (husband) and I got up early in order to drive Lizzzzzzzy to the airport...we picked her up from her front door at 6:00 a m. It was dawn...Saturday, the weekend!!!!
Our airport is in the middle of farmland about 30 miles from where we live.
We had vistas of early morning light on foggy fields with sleepy cattle...lots of trees too... silhouetted against the rising sun.

After dropping Lizzzzzy with hugs and wishes for a wonderful trip, we began to wake up and see the possibilities of this wonderful day! We could just keep driving and explore...or more important, find some coffee (and food).

(As we rounded one curve, we came upon a large tortoise creeping across the blacktop...we didn't hit him, thank-goodness! It amazed me to think of all nature's creatures who are still out there, "dwelling", watching us "fly by" on our way to who knows where! )

It took us about an hour for the round trip back to our part of NW Arkansas and by then the local Saturday morning breakfast spot was opening. This is not a chain...but called "The Rolling Pin" and of course it has a collection of rolling pins on the back wall.

We talked to the waitress, Patti, about canoeing on the local rivers, something she was doing tomorrow for her Mother's Day (her MOM is thinking of getting a kayak!). Had eggs, hashbrowns, grits and biscuits and sausage gravy (how Southern is that?). We used to canoe every spring...it is one peaceful way to travel!

After breakfast, we went to our town square.....on a mountaintop....where our local farmer's market is held. the square has an old post office building in the center...3 story brick...from early 1900's...with lots of sheltering older trees.

Around the old building are lovely flower beds and rock work with a fountain on one corner. I bought fresh asparagus for lunch... and a pot of thyme for the herb bed beside the driveway. While there, we met and chatted with many acquaintances and local characters (I think my husband qualifies as one of the "characters!"); we have celtic music and clogging for atmosphere on one corner and a women's drumming circle on the other! It is fun to be in a funky town!

(NOTE: the photo at the left is from a different weekend last year, we aren't to the gladiolas stage yet this season, but we didn't have a camera along today......)