Wednesday Photo Essay + A Visit to Sans Souci Community Garden

Most of my mornings start like this...

Which is perfectly okay! Only a few more weeks and I'm done...at least until September! Rising early to it all done before the day begins works for me, and also allows for a bit of time outside before the extreme heat of Southern summer kicks in. I call it the eight-to-six rule, meaning from about eight in the morning until six in the evening, it's not very pleasant to be outdoors.

This doesn't mean we don't make the effort, though! Here are a few images from this week's explorations!

"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder." 

- E.B. White

And a walk about the garden earlier this week proved to be delightful! Tiny tomatoes, bell peppers and spaghetti squash. I am never without the belief that it's all utterly amazing, a miracle.

And lastly, a wonderful visit to the Sans Souci Community Garden in Greenville. This garden has been a tremendous source of inspiration to me for many years, and I was thrilled to be able to finally see it in person.

I was also thrilled to visit the Haywood Mall while in Greenville, but we won't discuss that!

I hope you are enjoying these photo essay mini-posts! You can follow Sans Souci Community Garden on Facebook, and I recommend dropping by if you live in or near the area. Lots of awesome stuff happening there!

Now we're heading off for some skating fun! See you Sunday!

~Amy

Wednesday Photo Essays - a mini post plan

After last week's unintended blog break, I promised to return with a post on raising happy minimalists - in other words, a child or children who find more joy in moments and experiences than things. And that post is coming over the weekend; it's a subject near and dear to my heart. In the meantime, I'm sharing a few photos from yesterday's post-summer-storm-deluge stroll with a friend around the grounds where I live. It's no secret what I'm in search of on these walks....

...mushrooms!

I don't know why or when or how I became so obsessed with fungi, but my phone is filled with images like this. I think they are so magical! This little mushroom village in the above picture was almost too much for me to stand......then I found this wee red-capped one. Oh my golly gosh!

Then we came across the twins here...

And this little guy at the base of the big oak tree...

Nature is so fascinating and amazing, and I love photographing it. I feel so grateful that there is no need to drive to another area, town, or state to do this; there is breathtaking beauty right outside my front door. Each Wednesday this summer, I plan to do a mini-post showcasing some of the natural beauty that we are surrounded by, including wild beauty, which I believe sometimes is the best of all.

My friend and I rounded out our mushroom-hunting stroll yesterday evening with a stop by the garden to pick a fresh spring bouquet for the kitchen table (the produce is from our local farmer's market; it will be a few more weeks before we can harvest our eggplant and sweet potatoes!)

Even though this is an indoor shot, I'm counting it as a nature photo and throwing it into the mix! I'll be back next Wednesday with more nature photos, and I'll try and keep the mushrooms to a minimum! Look for my post on children and minimalism Sunday!

Happy Wednesday all, and thanks for stopping by!

Amy