June, June, June! Exit Spring and enter Summer. Officially, in the northern hemisphere, Summer begins on June 20 this year. But in Maine, Summer always arrives the beginning of June. The bright green blush of the trees and bushes is gone. The leaves are full sized. Pine pollen no longer coats cars and patio furniture a hazy yellow.
The time of intense gardening is done. Do I miss it? Yes, I do. There was something thrilling about getting up each morning and planning to spend as much time outdoors as my knees would take. Housework? What’s that? My book that’s coming out in the fall? Editing will have to wait until June. May gives northern gardeners a sense of urgency and purpose that pushes most other activities to the side. And nothing brings zest to life like a sense of urgency.
Yet, how good it is to settle into summer. Clif put up the screen house, which means we can enjoy sitting on the patio after 4 p.m. when the mosquitoes come out in hordes to plague us. It has been a wet spring, perfect breeding weather for those dratted little biters.
June is also the time I get together with my blogging friend, Judy of New England Garden and Thread. It is a treat I always look forward to. Last week, we met at Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine. They have a lovely patio where Judy and I can sit and chat for hours, where none of the servers will give us pointed looks suggesting that we have outstayed our welcome.
We arrived early, at around 11:00, just after breakfast had ended and just before the lunch crowd arrived. We had our choice of seats.
I had a fig jam and brie grilled cheese served with homemade chips. My oh my, was that sandwich ever good. I could have one for lunch today. And tomorrow.
Judy and I talked about gardens—she brought me aster and lupine seedlings—and family. We tried to solve the problems of the world, but as they are so big and numerous, I’m afraid we didn’t get very far.
Our next plan is to get together with blogging friend Dorothy from The New Vintage Kitchen. The distance is more of a challenge, but we hope we can make it work.
Stay tuned!
Notes From the Hinterland 
How lovely to hear from you. 🙂
Oh, thanks so much!
I love the Iris photo. It’s perfect! I also loved our luncheon visit. It warms the soul to spend time with a friend and discuss, families, gardens, and that other stuff. 🙂 Hope we can meet up with Dorothy because I think we’d add cooking to the list of topics. 🙂
Thanks, Judy. Getting together with you is one of the highlights of the summer. Fingers crossed that we can meet up with Dorothy. It would be grand to get some cooking tips. I sent you both an email.
I understand that sense of urgency — after all, there are only so many pretty days for outside work before the cold sets in. I love the iris over the moon — nicely captured, Laurie. And your screen house? What a fabulous idea! We’ve had a wetter-than-normal spring, too, meaning those of us the mosquitoes like had better lather up with protection!
That screen house is a wonderful addition to the garden. It means we can sit outside at dusk and not be covered with bites. Fun how that iris went over the moon.
Sometimes planting seedlings and having lunch with friends are radical acts!
Indeed!
I want the sandwich and the Iris!
Too bad you live so far away!
We’d love to live in Maine!
Is that a possibility?
It is a dream. We have missed that window and now we will settle for vacationing there. Lucky you!
That iris is truly a stunner! Fig jam and brie also sounds like a stunner – yum! Glad you had a good time.
An accidental stunner. Always fun when that happens. And that fig and brie was so darned good.
Brie and fig jam – Yum!
Utterly delicious!
Cafes that understand the importance of long, chatty lunches are very precious!
You bet! Always a first choice when meeting a friend.
Lovely to see everything looking so summery Laurie and the iris flowering over the moon is pure magic! 💜🌙 xxx
Thanks so much! I think I will use that photo for one of my cards.
Spring is all about gardening, I agree. The big push when we’re excited to get out of the house after the long confinement of winter. Your lunch with Judy sounded fun, and delicious!
You bet! And even creaky knees didn’t dim the pleasure.
It’s a great thing when WordPress brings people together in real life.
It certainly is!
Nice to see you back and that sandwich sounds delicious!
Thanks, Barbara! The sandwich was delicious, and I am thinking of trying to replicate it at home.
Loved that iris photo – your title was perfect! Happy summer to you.
Many thanks! And happy summer to you and yours.
Thanks, Laurie.
I like your screened retreat. A really good idea.
It certainly is! Especially when you live by the edge of the woods.
What a lovely post! I love the iris! You need to get together with your blogging friends more often, take all the time you need, and actually solve all the world’s problems! (Good luck there, huh?)
Many thanks! Good luck is right.
Good morning from a rather-cold-for-us Down Under morning so glad to look at a gorgeous bloom doing its thing and read about a totally civilized lunch 🙂 !
Many thanks! Stay warm.
June is busting out all OOOOVVVER…..
It sure is. What a month!
One spectacular iris!
Thanks so much!
It’s so good to see you posting again, and ready (and prepared!) to enjoy the summer months. I’ll confess I didn’t see a moon. Instead, I saw a gondola, decorated with a flower and carrying a crytal orb, floating down a river of summer blooms!
Thanks so much. I hadn’t thought of the picture that way, but after reading your description, I see your point. Fun how two people can view the same picture in a different way.
Enjoy it all, Laurie. That pic of the iris is marvelous!
Many thanks! That iris bloomed in exactly the right place.
Enjoy the summer…
Thanks so much!
Hi, Laurie ‘ Your Iris Over the Moon’ photo is amazing. A real keeper!
All attention to Iris. Enjoy summer.
Many thanks!
What an amazing iris over the moon picture. I’m pleased you are enjoying the patio and your blogger meet ups
That picture was pure luck.
I love the tent to keep the mosquitos out, we need one of those!!
Keep up the good conversations and lovely lunch with Judy.
That tent is worth its weight in gold.
Good conversation and lunches are wonderful things.
Such a delightfully uplifting post! I shall have to try and emulated the fig jam and brie toast 🙂
I was thinking of doing the same thing. For me, the trick would be getting good bread. We don’t have any good bakeries near where I live
Wonderful! I love the cafe at Stonewall Kitchens!
So do I!
I sent you and Judy an email about a meet-up. Hope you got it.
“Housework? What’s that?” Well said! I do my fair share of housework, and in my view it’s vastly overrated. Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow, or next week or, preferably next month or even next year. 🙂
Fig jam and Brie grilled cheese! Must have been an elf restaurant!
That is a very beautiful composition with the iris and garden moon, Laurie! Yes, this summer is hurrying by, and I feel a sense of urgency myself out here in the west. The dryness in summer does give us an advantage in the mosquito department. 🙂
Iris – my favourite flower. Glad you have some things to be happy about.
We are also plagued with mossies so I love your screen house. We are trying different options to deter them but they LOVE my fair skin and can’t resist me.
The fig jam and brie grilled cheese looks delicious.
I wish I could meet up with some of my blogging friends sounds like you had a great time
My daughter Dee also has fair skin and is plagued by mosquitos. That screen house makes quite a difference.
So much fun to meet blogging friends!
OMG, the iris over the moon is fabulous!! I’m so glad you were able to have such a wonderful lunch and great conversations. The sandwich sounds delicious and I have enjoyed several Stone Kitchen items I’ve bought at the store. Enjoy all those patio evenings!!🙂
I would also be over the moon if our flowers and garden deco conspired to create such an artistic arrangement as you captured in your first photograph.
There is something uniquely rewarding in hours spent gardening when our labors get rewarded with months of beautiful blossoms or edible produce.
I’m happy to read that you and Judy get together once a year. Meeting other bloggers is a treat. Your lunch looks scrumptious, and enjoying it on a patio with a like-minded friend is a delight.
Laurie, the iris over the moon is extraordinary. I thought at first it was a vase with a bloom. Great shot.
I’m glad you’re enjoying summer so far which includes limited mosquito bites. They’re the worst.
Enjoy.
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the summer weather, Laurie. All that gardening in May was well worth it!
Friends, good food, a lovely welcoming place and plenty of time to chat – perfect! And your garden is looking lovely thanks to all your efforts. I really like all the quirky bits of sculpture and the signposts as well as the flowers.
Thanks so much! We love our backyard and patio. In spring summer and fall, it is our second living room.
What a beautiful iris! And in just the right spot. A lovely picture, Laurie. Enjoy the summer. Before you know it, it will be time for the autumn clean up.
Thanks so much! In the north, summer is fleeting. We need to enjoy every last bit of it.
You have worked so hard – everything ready for a wonderful summer ahead! I am so happy to have you back in this space!
I love the screen house – such a great idea! For some reason, I didn’t imagine you would have trouble with mosquitos and other such bugs.
Many thanks! Maine has lots and lots of mosquitoes. And because we live by the edge of the woods, we are especially plagued by the little biters.
Do you suffer from the bites? Some in our family seem relatively unscathed while others get welts which itch for days!
Hello Laurie! I’m Karen – I came over from Dawn’s blog, Change is Hard – looking for active bloggers. I’ve recently revived my blog after a 7 year hiatus. How cool to find a blogger from Maine! I’m in Massachusetts and I love Maine. I imagine Mainers don’t think too highly of us so-called “Massholes” – I’m not one of them, I swear!! I go to Maine just about every year, usually in the Kennebunkport or Portland area, and I do day trips to Kittery. Next week I’m headed to Camden for the first time and I’m very excited about it.
I love the photo of your iris with the moon! How glorious that it grew that way – bearded iris are one of my favorite flowers.
Welcome, Karen! Thanks for stopping by. I’m not one who thinks of folks from Massachusetts as “Massholes.” Too xenophobic for me. Have a wonderful vacation in Maine. Thanks for the compliment about the iris and the moon. Fun how it grew that way. No artful arrangement necessary.