Hello and happy Sunday to you. First I want to announce the winner of the ginger jar giveaway. Congratulations goes to-
#114 Mary Alice Taylor on 6/4/2020
All. Beautiful – loving garden stools! Downsized no room- actually if I was a fab decorator I’d be able to find a spot 🙄
Please email [email protected] with your name and shipping info so we can get your jar out to you!
Hope you are having a nice weekend. Here weekends and weekdays kind of blend into one. Though we did get together with some friends while carefully social distancing for the first time, sat out on their patio with a glass of wine.
It was different but so nice to feel that connection with important people in our life. Life has felt rather anticlimactic in the last months, and I am hoping to at least salvage part of summer. I think that might mean carving out more time for beach days as few things relax me as much as being at the beach does. We are still in Phase 1 here in NY, but in the next week or two will go into phase 2 which means some restaurants will offer outdoor seating. It’s a start!! OK moving along to the post……..
1 PATINA FARM FARM During this difficult time in our world, I think a lot of us find ourselves daydreaming about both a quieter and more peaceful time in our world (last year)! But also about getting away, far away from all the chaos, frenzy and stress. For me, that means an escape to the beach or a farm/rural area. Both those places calm me like no other. I came across pictures from Patina Farm which belongs to Brooke and Steve Gianetti of Velvet and Linen, and found myself daydreaming….what do you think? Their beautiful home was featured as shown here in Veranda.
Velvet and Linen was one of the very first blogs I ever followed even before I know what a blog was. Brooke was just starting to map out her dream of Patina Farm with her architect husband. What they created looks like a beautiful European family compound that has been there for many years but it is in fact, new and beautifully nestled into the magical region of Ojai Valley in California. Love how their vision came to life, and how the gorgeous colors and layers of this elegant yet very incredibly inviting home came together. A very special place! Click here to visit their blog and find out much more.
Have you ever seen such a stylish chicken coop!
Wow imagine taking a bath here! Love that wall of glass
2 ONE INCREDIBLE VIDEO I knew when I saw this, I just had to share it. How beautiful this is but that this woman is 79 years old is what makes this unbelievable! Truly astounding and so worth sharing. Proof that age is just a number…..such a beautiful art. I have no doubt she will keep on dancing, I could watch this all day long.
I became so fascinated with her that I found this wonderful video about her lifelong dedication to ballet. Truly remarkable and inspiring! I will think of her next time I need to push myself to do something physically and think I can’t, I will think of Madame Suzelle.
3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Such a bevy of gorgeous instagrams today, along with a few newly discovered accounts. Hope you enjoy!
4 DELICIOUS PESTO! I love pesto, it is so flavorful and lighter than a lot of “sauces” plus it’s a great dish to pair with almost anything. I tend to make it a lot in the summer. I like that you can serve it hot or at room temp, even cold it’s fantastic!
You can also add small cubes of mozzarella and diced up cherry tomatoes which I occasionally do. Always tops with fresh Parmesan. Made it the other night and it was soo good. This recipe I am pretty sure is from Bon Appeit magazine, and it is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
½ cup pine nuts
3 oz. Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup) plus extra on the side to serve on top when serving
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
6 cups basil leaves (about 3 bunches)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add cheese and garlic and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add basil and place the top back on. With the motor running, add oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with salt.
Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Top with ½” oil to prevent browning. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface, and chill.
5 PRETTY OUTDOOR TABLE AND A FABULOUS NEW HYDRANGEA SOURCE! Have you heard of Dollar Hydrangeas? They might be my new favorite “go to” hydrangea resource. I got a huge box of them last week and wow they are spectacular. Huge blooms! Amazing prices! Fast delivery..what else do you need? Click here to visit their website.
So getting these flowers were a great excuse to set a pretty outdoor table. No reason at all, just another family dinner out of many these past few months. I wish I could have thrown an impromptu dinner party, getting these beautiful flowers really put me in the mood to entertain. I almost forgot what that feels like!
This jar is one of my favorite for flowers, small enough for center of tables but big enough for impact. Click here for details
T
This is our new topiary melamine which is coming in 3 weeks!! I cannot wait! It is now available for preorder. Click here for details
Our best selling baskwetweave flatware is sold out but coming back in next week, click here for details
6 NEW PRODUCT ALERT. You know you are always the first to know about new things cooking over here. The Pandemic halted many new products that were either in development or in production but I am happy to say we are resurrecting and getting back to business. One thing that was in the works was a new line of beautiful hand painted art.
These will come either as a complimentary pair or a grouping of four. Going to start with three different collections. These are the first samples and give the over all idea. There are some tweaks being made but this gives you the direction and an idea of where this is going. I wanted something unique that you don’t see everywhere. I would love your opinion!
They will be approx 14″ x 18″
Colors and designs are still being tweaked but this gives you the feeling…
So this above will feature for different blue and white porcelains with flowers that will all coordinate, still tweaking this one
This pattern will also be one of four chinoiserie patterns offered in a pale blue and a pale green
7 SUNDAY’S SURVEY This past week I have to say was not the smoothest week. Numerous things happened that did not go according to plan and it made for a frustrating, stressful week. Thankfully it seemed to get marginally better by the weekend but all in all I am happy it’s almost over:) I noticed in general at least here in NY, that people are really uptight, stressed, bent out of shape, etc….more than usual. I witnessed two instances where people behaved very aggressively to another customer (in a supermarket) mostly about social distancing and one person telling the other her mask was not being worn right which resulted in a “tiff”.
I was at Starbucks and as I was paying for my order, the girl behind the register told me “you are not standing on the green dot”. I did not know what she meant then another person told me there’s a green dot on the floor that I need to stand on in front of the register! Ugh, couldn’t wait to get home. I feel the friction and tension every time I walk into a store. Spoke with a friend who felt the same….so curious if you feel that people are just a little more tense, short tempered and uptight? I see a notable difference and its very upsetting. I pray things will get back to normal, or at last a quasi normal soon:)
There you have my Sunday post. Hope you enjoyed it, always happy to have you stop by and love hearing from you. I hope you are safe, managing to enjoy a nice weekend and that things are peaceful on your end, that’s the name of the game! Stay safe everyone, until next time…….
Love the chinoiserie of any design/color combination! It reminds me of my vintage “Singapore Bird” dishes. As for the tension…I am picking it up in my children as well. It’s easy to forget that quarantine has been very hard on little ones. They’ve been removed from environments that have always been their “norm” – school, parks, play dates with friends, etc. I certainly hope a solution comes about soon.
The new prints with the blue & white vases and checkered Matt’s are darling, I would buy. On the fence about the chinoiserie are pretty but would not fit with a lot of new home styles, I.e. clean, modern and sleek
Great post. I am always in awe of what Brooke and Steve have done. I watch every Instagram post to see the animals. It is so calming.
I can’t say enough about the ballerina. Wow! Bravo!
Loved it all!
Teresa
xoxo
So happy you introduced Velvet and Linen to your followers. What a lovely peaceful blog. My favourites are Beatrice and Clementine and watching the kid goats eat lol not one sticks to one bowl and the backdrop is wonderful.
Great minds think a like I just picked up some very nice basil at WF and pine nuts because I was craving pesto, making it today! I use a Genoese recipe by Chef Laboa. He suggests soaking leaves 15 mins in cold water which removes bitterness or licorice notes. Delicious, best pesto I’ve tried. If I don’t have pecorino cheese I just use Parm.
6 cups (2 ounces) basil (Genovese style if you can find)
1/3 c pine nuts (Italian, I find the Chinese bitter)
1 clove garlic
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt (medium or flakey)
1/3 c Parmigiano cheese
1/3 c Pecorino Toscano cheese
Wash basil. Then soak in cold water for 15 mins.
Combine nuts, garlic, oil. Purée until nuts are finely ground and mixture is creamy. Add salt.
In 4 additions lift basil from water and shake excess water but not all as the water aids in emulsification
Add to blender and pulse 3 or 4 times (do not over blend)
Add cheese 2 or 3 very short pulses, purée just to combine
I love the blue and white floral and would like to buy that but not the others. Perhaps you can have an option of buying a single frame as well as a group.
Hello and thanks once again for an uplifting message! I have tried extra hard to have a smile in my voice wherever I am shopping since they can’t see my mouth – That seems to be welcome. Clerks also seem to appreciate it when I thank them for “being here” to wait on all of us. It is a very strange time! A very sad, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking time.
Wishing all a safe week(s) ahead.
So any great things today, I love exploring new Instagram accounts, and the 79 year old ballerina…amazing.
As for the state of things in the country, I agree with you. I don’t want to go out at all. I’ve been on my dot and people have stood on my dot with me, people I don’t know that just want someone to talk to. I’ve been other places where people will stand on their dots and complain loudly to anyone who will listen and I’ve seen numerous incidents of people getting testy with people for not being on their dots, putting their food on the grocery belt before they should and more.
I think everyone is weary, and so tired of the unknown and the strange new world we are coming out to.
I live in Pasadena, CA. I’ve found that everyone is very respectful of others. They step aside to let others pass; they thank people for doing so; they chat while waiting in line; they don’t crowd. Guess we’re fortunate.
Thank you for another lovely post. Patina Farm is a treasure and one can certainly happily daydream about the peacefulness. The way daylight filters through and around the property creates a magical atmosphere. The art is very pretty and would also make gorgeous placemats. Just a thought. As far as the mood of our fellow citizens as we all get through this, I see people trying very hard to be kind. Some have drawn or even painted a smile on their mask in an effort to be pleasant. I have seen acts of kindness toward others in the grocery store, customer to customer as well as extra courtesy from employees to customers. Americans often rise to the occasion. Some are getting weary it seems, particularly true in the states where the grip on the people is too tight. Let’s pray that this will soon end. Try your best to deal with cranky individuals by killing their testy mood with extra kindness, perhaps even humor. We never know what people are dealing with in their own lives so a little extra TLC may be just what they need at that moment. A smile from someone as lovely as Tina would make anyone’s day!
Well there’s a lot to comment on here. Thank you for introducing me to Patina Farm , how pretty!
Your table setting is so beautiful, puts me in the mood to entertain too. I definitely need to purchase that new melamine, it is beautiful.
Love the artwork and hope it will be made available soon, I would not hesitate! I especially like the idea that you would sell it as a grouping of four because that illuminates the quandary that we all seem to have about how to mix and match art pieces, this takes the guesswork out of it!
I agree with everything that you said about how quickly our world has changed and how people in general seem to be much more stressed, I have noticed it here in California as well. I find myself going out much less than I ever used to but of course mostly because everything is closed and secondly because I feel happier being home with my kids and horses!
oh, my…I followed V & L from the start as well! Brooke shopped @ Tone on Tone in DC and Steve’s father,wow, whenever we’re at the “Washington Cathedral” I marvel more. This IS a good year for hydrangea…at least 500 blossoms turning periwinkle in our garden! franki
Here in Manhattan, not much has changed due to Covid. Not like after 9/11 when everyone was kinder and more respectful. Now you’ll see people not social distancing even when they clearly can, not wear a mask around others and generally not care about anyone but their own comfort. Maybe they see it as an act of defiance but it comes across as an act of selfishness.
In my experience adversity generally reveals who people already are as opposed to bringing out the best in them. Rude people will remain rude and considerate people will continue to be considerate.
Have to agree, Tina re: stress and personal aggression. I am staying away from FB a) because a FB rant about social change and injustice is like screaming into the wind and, let’s face it, only makes Zuckerburg richer with every post and b) people have lost all perspective and common sense. Just because you aren’t in the streets protesting, but prefer to treat others decently and vote for change does not make you a racist, and it’s a waste of precious time to even try to reason with most people. Have kept the daytime news turned off, seems to have only made matters worse.
Pesto makes everything better and is the perfect way to use all that basil you planted. One item I keep in my pantry is the Trader Joe’s pesto, really great to have on hand ‘just in case’. You can also put homemade pesto on ice cube trays, pop them out when frozen and put in a freezer bag in freezer for future use, add to hot pasta or sauces.
The mask at half-mast did bother me, but now my take on it is this: not my problem, I’ll just keep my distance and if she wants to inhale a nostril full of Covid, that’s her problem. You can’t fix stupid…
Oh, and last week’s winner’s comment about garden stools: perfect to place between two chairs in living room or as a tubside ‘table’ in the bathroom.
Hope everyone has a great week, stays safe & well!
Patina Farm is a beautiful property. Thanks for the introduction. Yes, our world has changed dramatically in four months. We can only live our best life and remain hopeful for a brighter tomorrow. Love your pictures and your blog?
I’ll never tire of seeing your beautiful tablescapes. Just gorgeous, and your yard is lovely. Now I’m missing Upstate. Summer in NY is so wonderful! I hope you have a much better week…
Just wanted to thank you for the delicious Greek salad recipe from a couple of days ago. Made it last night and it was a huge hit! So pretty and delicious!
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Hello and happy Sunday to you. First I want to announce the winner of the ginger jar giveaway. Congratulations goes to-
All. Beautiful – loving garden stools! Downsized no room- actually if I was a fab decorator I’d be able to find a spot 🙄
Please email [email protected] with your name and shipping info so we can get your jar out to you!
Hope you are having a nice weekend. Here weekends and weekdays kind of blend into one. Though we did get together with some friends while carefully social distancing for the first time, sat out on their patio with a glass of wine.
It was different but so nice to feel that connection with important people in our life. Life has felt rather anticlimactic in the last months, and I am hoping to at least salvage part of summer. I think that might mean carving out more time for beach days as few things relax me as much as being at the beach does. We are still in Phase 1 here in NY, but in the next week or two will go into phase 2 which means some restaurants will offer outdoor seating. It’s a start!! OK moving along to the post……..
___________________________________________________
1 PATINA FARM FARM During this difficult time in our world, I think a lot of us find ourselves daydreaming about both a quieter and more peaceful time in our world (last year)! But also about getting away, far away from all the chaos, frenzy and stress. For me, that means an escape to the beach or a farm/rural area. Both those places calm me like no other. I came across pictures from Patina Farm which belongs to Brooke and Steve Gianetti of Velvet and Linen, and found myself daydreaming….what do you think? Their beautiful home was featured as shown here in Veranda.
Velvet and Linen was one of the very first blogs I ever followed even before I know what a blog was. Brooke was just starting to map out her dream of Patina Farm with her architect husband. What they created looks like a beautiful European family compound that has been there for many years but it is in fact, new and beautifully nestled into the magical region of Ojai Valley in California. Love how their vision came to life, and how the gorgeous colors and layers of this elegant yet very incredibly inviting home came together. A very special place! Click here to visit their blog and find out much more.
Have you ever seen such a stylish chicken coop!
Wow imagine taking a bath here! Love that wall of glass
2 ONE INCREDIBLE VIDEO I knew when I saw this, I just had to share it. How beautiful this is but that this woman is 79 years old is what makes this unbelievable! Truly astounding and so worth sharing. Proof that age is just a number…..such a beautiful art. I have no doubt she will keep on dancing, I could watch this all day long.
I became so fascinated with her that I found this wonderful video about her lifelong dedication to ballet. Truly remarkable and inspiring! I will think of her next time I need to push myself to do something physically and think I can’t, I will think of Madame Suzelle.
3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Such a bevy of gorgeous instagrams today, along with a few newly discovered accounts. Hope you enjoy!
4 DELICIOUS PESTO! I love pesto, it is so flavorful and lighter than a lot of “sauces” plus it’s a great dish to pair with almost anything. I tend to make it a lot in the summer. I like that you can serve it hot or at room temp, even cold it’s fantastic!
You can also add small cubes of mozzarella and diced up cherry tomatoes which I occasionally do. Always tops with fresh Parmesan. Made it the other night and it was soo good. This recipe I am pretty sure is from Bon Appeit magazine, and it is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add cheese and garlic and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add basil and place the top back on. With the motor running, add oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with salt.
Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Top with ½” oil to prevent browning. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface, and chill.
5 PRETTY OUTDOOR TABLE AND A FABULOUS NEW HYDRANGEA SOURCE! Have you heard of Dollar Hydrangeas? They might be my new favorite “go to” hydrangea resource. I got a huge box of them last week and wow they are spectacular. Huge blooms! Amazing prices! Fast delivery..what else do you need? Click here to visit their website.
So getting these flowers were a great excuse to set a pretty outdoor table. No reason at all, just another family dinner out of many these past few months. I wish I could have thrown an impromptu dinner party, getting these beautiful flowers really put me in the mood to entertain. I almost forgot what that feels like!
Great news- the new topiary and trellis melamine is now available to preorder! It will be arriving on or about June 25th. Click here to see.
This jar is one of my favorite for flowers, small enough for center of tables but big enough for impact. Click here for details
T
This is our new topiary melamine which is coming in 3 weeks!! I cannot wait! It is now available for preorder. Click here for details
Our best selling baskwetweave flatware is sold out but coming back in next week, click here for details
6 NEW PRODUCT ALERT. You know you are always the first to know about new things cooking over here. The Pandemic halted many new products that were either in development or in production but I am happy to say we are resurrecting and getting back to business. One thing that was in the works was a new line of beautiful hand painted art.
These will come either as a complimentary pair or a grouping of four. Going to start with three different collections. These are the first samples and give the over all idea. There are some tweaks being made but this gives you the direction and an idea of where this is going. I wanted something unique that you don’t see everywhere. I would love your opinion!
They will be approx 14″ x 18″
Colors and designs are still being tweaked but this gives you the feeling…
So this above will feature for different blue and white porcelains with flowers that will all coordinate, still tweaking this one
This pattern will also be one of four chinoiserie patterns offered in a pale blue and a pale green
7 SUNDAY’S SURVEY This past week I have to say was not the smoothest week. Numerous things happened that did not go according to plan and it made for a frustrating, stressful week. Thankfully it seemed to get marginally better by the weekend but all in all I am happy it’s almost over:) I noticed in general at least here in NY, that people are really uptight, stressed, bent out of shape, etc….more than usual. I witnessed two instances where people behaved very aggressively to another customer (in a supermarket) mostly about social distancing and one person telling the other her mask was not being worn right which resulted in a “tiff”.
I was at Starbucks and as I was paying for my order, the girl behind the register told me “you are not standing on the green dot”. I did not know what she meant then another person told me there’s a green dot on the floor that I need to stand on in front of the register! Ugh, couldn’t wait to get home. I feel the friction and tension every time I walk into a store. Spoke with a friend who felt the same….so curious if you feel that people are just a little more tense, short tempered and uptight? I see a notable difference and its very upsetting. I pray things will get back to normal, or at last a quasi normal soon:)
__________________________________________________________
There you have my Sunday post. Hope you enjoyed it, always happy to have you stop by and love hearing from you. I hope you are safe, managing to enjoy a nice weekend and that things are peaceful on your end, that’s the name of the game! Stay safe everyone, until next time…….
Living under the iron hand of Governor Murphy it’s really hard NOT ro be stressed. Will he EVER free us from our chains?
My mistake but I thought or hoped the new art work were actually table mats, would love table mats like this x
Love the chinoiserie of any design/color combination! It reminds me of my vintage “Singapore Bird” dishes. As for the tension…I am picking it up in my children as well. It’s easy to forget that quarantine has been very hard on little ones. They’ve been removed from environments that have always been their “norm” – school, parks, play dates with friends, etc. I certainly hope a solution comes about soon.
Do you have the beautiful round tablecloth available? Or will you share your source?
The stunning new handprinted art can’t come fast enough!
The new prints with the blue & white vases and checkered Matt’s are darling, I would buy. On the fence about the chinoiserie are pretty but would not fit with a lot of new home styles, I.e. clean, modern and sleek
Great post. I am always in awe of what Brooke and Steve have done. I watch every Instagram post to see the animals. It is so calming.
I can’t say enough about the ballerina. Wow! Bravo!
Loved it all!
Teresa
xoxo
So happy you introduced Velvet and Linen to your followers. What a lovely peaceful blog. My favourites are Beatrice and Clementine and watching the kid goats eat lol not one sticks to one bowl and the backdrop is wonderful.
Great minds think a like I just picked up some very nice basil at WF and pine nuts because I was craving pesto, making it today! I use a Genoese recipe by Chef Laboa. He suggests soaking leaves 15 mins in cold water which removes bitterness or licorice notes. Delicious, best pesto I’ve tried. If I don’t have pecorino cheese I just use Parm.
6 cups (2 ounces) basil (Genovese style if you can find)
1/3 c pine nuts (Italian, I find the Chinese bitter)
1 clove garlic
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt (medium or flakey)
1/3 c Parmigiano cheese
1/3 c Pecorino Toscano cheese
Wash basil. Then soak in cold water for 15 mins.
Combine nuts, garlic, oil. Purée until nuts are finely ground and mixture is creamy. Add salt.
In 4 additions lift basil from water and shake excess water but not all as the water aids in emulsification
Add to blender and pulse 3 or 4 times (do not over blend)
Add cheese 2 or 3 very short pulses, purée just to combine
I love the blue and white floral and would like to buy that but not the others. Perhaps you can have an option of buying a single frame as well as a group.
Love, love the chinoiserie art work. I hope you are able to offer them in your store.
Hello and thanks once again for an uplifting message! I have tried extra hard to have a smile in my voice wherever I am shopping since they can’t see my mouth – That seems to be welcome. Clerks also seem to appreciate it when I thank them for “being here” to wait on all of us. It is a very strange time! A very sad, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking time.
Wishing all a safe week(s) ahead.
This is the second week in a row that you Seven on Sunday did not come to my email inbox. Just wondering if I need tiding up fir it again??
Good morning Tina.
So any great things today, I love exploring new Instagram accounts, and the 79 year old ballerina…amazing.
As for the state of things in the country, I agree with you. I don’t want to go out at all. I’ve been on my dot and people have stood on my dot with me, people I don’t know that just want someone to talk to. I’ve been other places where people will stand on their dots and complain loudly to anyone who will listen and I’ve seen numerous incidents of people getting testy with people for not being on their dots, putting their food on the grocery belt before they should and more.
I think everyone is weary, and so tired of the unknown and the strange new world we are coming out to.
Take care Tina.
I live in Pasadena, CA. I’ve found that everyone is very respectful of others. They step aside to let others pass; they thank people for doing so; they chat while waiting in line; they don’t crowd. Guess we’re fortunate.
Thank you for another lovely post. Patina Farm is a treasure and one can certainly happily daydream about the peacefulness. The way daylight filters through and around the property creates a magical atmosphere. The art is very pretty and would also make gorgeous placemats. Just a thought. As far as the mood of our fellow citizens as we all get through this, I see people trying very hard to be kind. Some have drawn or even painted a smile on their mask in an effort to be pleasant. I have seen acts of kindness toward others in the grocery store, customer to customer as well as extra courtesy from employees to customers. Americans often rise to the occasion. Some are getting weary it seems, particularly true in the states where the grip on the people is too tight. Let’s pray that this will soon end. Try your best to deal with cranky individuals by killing their testy mood with extra kindness, perhaps even humor. We never know what people are dealing with in their own lives so a little extra TLC may be just what they need at that moment. A smile from someone as lovely as Tina would make anyone’s day!
Well there’s a lot to comment on here. Thank you for introducing me to Patina Farm , how pretty!
Your table setting is so beautiful, puts me in the mood to entertain too. I definitely need to purchase that new melamine, it is beautiful.
Love the artwork and hope it will be made available soon, I would not hesitate! I especially like the idea that you would sell it as a grouping of four because that illuminates the quandary that we all seem to have about how to mix and match art pieces, this takes the guesswork out of it!
I agree with everything that you said about how quickly our world has changed and how people in general seem to be much more stressed, I have noticed it here in California as well. I find myself going out much less than I ever used to but of course mostly because everything is closed and secondly because I feel happier being home with my kids and horses!
That ballerina is incredible!
Love your blog!
oh, my…I followed V & L from the start as well! Brooke shopped @ Tone on Tone in DC and Steve’s father,wow, whenever we’re at the “Washington Cathedral” I marvel more. This IS a good year for hydrangea…at least 500 blossoms turning periwinkle in our garden! franki
Here in Manhattan, not much has changed due to Covid. Not like after 9/11 when everyone was kinder and more respectful. Now you’ll see people not social distancing even when they clearly can, not wear a mask around others and generally not care about anyone but their own comfort. Maybe they see it as an act of defiance but it comes across as an act of selfishness.
In my experience adversity generally reveals who people already are as opposed to bringing out the best in them. Rude people will remain rude and considerate people will continue to be considerate.
Have to agree, Tina re: stress and personal aggression. I am staying away from FB a) because a FB rant about social change and injustice is like screaming into the wind and, let’s face it, only makes Zuckerburg richer with every post and b) people have lost all perspective and common sense. Just because you aren’t in the streets protesting, but prefer to treat others decently and vote for change does not make you a racist, and it’s a waste of precious time to even try to reason with most people. Have kept the daytime news turned off, seems to have only made matters worse.
Pesto makes everything better and is the perfect way to use all that basil you planted. One item I keep in my pantry is the Trader Joe’s pesto, really great to have on hand ‘just in case’. You can also put homemade pesto on ice cube trays, pop them out when frozen and put in a freezer bag in freezer for future use, add to hot pasta or sauces.
The mask at half-mast did bother me, but now my take on it is this: not my problem, I’ll just keep my distance and if she wants to inhale a nostril full of Covid, that’s her problem. You can’t fix stupid…
Oh, and last week’s winner’s comment about garden stools: perfect to place between two chairs in living room or as a tubside ‘table’ in the bathroom.
Hope everyone has a great week, stays safe & well!
The new art is so beautiful! Gets my vote.
Patina Farm is a beautiful property. Thanks for the introduction. Yes, our world has changed dramatically in four months. We can only live our best life and remain hopeful for a brighter tomorrow. Love your pictures and your blog?
I’ll never tire of seeing your beautiful tablescapes. Just gorgeous, and your yard is lovely. Now I’m missing Upstate. Summer in NY is so wonderful! I hope you have a much better week…
Just wanted to thank you for the delicious Greek salad recipe from a couple of days ago. Made it last night and it was a huge hit! So pretty and delicious!
These are so beautiful!!! Who paints them for you?