not clover

before STILL blog, i would have referred to these weeds that line my sidewalk this time of year as clover. but now i know better–these lovely little heart-shaped leaves belong to wood sorrel. and they taste like spinach with a little spritz of lemon.

wood sorrel leaves

nature’s eye

i was up at my local Walgreens today getting last minute passport photos for a trip to chicago tomorrow for an appointment at the French consulate to apply for an extended stay French visa. considering that i was doing this on july 4th, you can imagine how over-extended we are at the moment. so my mind wasn’t on STILL. and yet,  i saw these wildflowers blooming beside a pond at the edge of the parking lot. i grabbed a few buds in a hurry. then spent the rest of the car ride pondering how it seems nature often seems to have complimentary colors blooming at the same time. was there an evolutionary advantage to the plants, perhaps so that insects and birds were less likely confuse them? was mother nature just being generous to the human eye–always putting forth harmonious palettes?  this is how i daydream…

july bouquet of wildflowers

4th of july

i love my quiet. sometimes people spend a few minutes in our house and suddenly sort of look around (especially people with young kids) and say, “it’s so quiet here.” yes it is. and i’ll take it. we lived for 16 years on the corner of two thoroughfares in minneapolis, where between the semis, the harley’s, and the ambulances, we rarely spent an hour without some disruptive noise. all of which means that 4th of july is not my favorite holiday, for reasons having purely to do with noise. i would like to spend the evening looking at these goatsbeard, as they silently explode, rather than lying in bed with my freaked out dog, waiting for the next detonation. regardless, i hope you have a happy 243rd birthday, america.

goatsbeard (aka salsify)

STILL learning

after seven years of doing STILL blog, i can still be surprised. all the linden trees around us, and we have a lot of them, are in full bloom right now. the scent is almost as pervasive as lilac but gentler somehow.

linden blossom and bract

of two minds

i love how this mum is trying to open up to the world and be all, hello sunshine, while the central part of it is saying, nope, i’m sitting tight, you can’t make me. i’ll do this my own way. on my own time.

chrysanthemum