Figs

Our June and part of July was definitely dominated by our fig harvest. Our little tree was producing like never before! When we planted it 11 years ago, it was a merely a little stick, maybe a foot tall.

Every day for a few weeks we picked a couple of bowls of figs. Luckly they don't all ripen at the same time.

I bought a food dehydrator and dried what I thought where huge amounts of figs.

We indeed had a couple of big containers filled with dried figs and then Daniel discovered a recipe for a rye sourdough bread with dried figs, which is excellent and freezes really well. So, we've already used most of the dried figs and have decided that next year, we'll dry even more of them. 

Of course, we also made a lot of fig jam, some with lavender, another batch with thyme and also a few jars with orange blossom water.

All of them delicious! 

We made a rustic fig tart, 

fig pizza with goat cheese, caramelized onion and pine nuts, 

but the best recipe that Daniel found this year is for Roasted Fig Agrodolce. We made several batches for the freezer and it is delicious just on crackers or - like in the photo below - as an appetizer on toasted baguette with goat cheese or cream cheese. Next year, I'll definitely make more of that to freeze!

To be honest, I was glad when the fig season was finally over, but I'm happy we get to enjoy the jams, the dried figs and agrodolce in the freezer yet for some time to come.

❧ Silke

A Long Overdue Update!

Wow, this was a long break from blogging! I was going to start again in September, but then we were preparing for a hurricane evacuation and Daniel's start of school. We ended up being able to stay home during Hurricane Irma as it had weakened to a tropical storm, but we didn't know until the last day. Luckily, we had no damage at all except no power for four days, which was nothing compared to what others experienced and are still experiencing.

I also spent the summer trying to understand the mind-boggling political situation in this country and the world. I will continue to keep my blog free of politics, but I did want to mention it here since it defined my summer to a large extent.

The paintings above and below were really fun commissions I worked on during the summer.

It made me feel quite powerless and so sad and angry to read about what this current US administration is doing and undoing. And then came the unbelievable natural disasters that were happening too fast and were too destructive to fully comprehend: incredibly strong hurricanes, earthquakes and now the deadly fires in California.

There was and is so much suffering so close to home and all in places we have visited. They are all places we love. And I have to say, this year's hurricane season was so unbelievable and so much more stressful as we often didn't know if we were going to be directly in the path. I'm so glad the season is finally winding down and the communities affected can heal and rebuild.

I noticed over the summer how my art was changing. At the beginning of the summer I still liked working loosely with acrylic inks and acrylic paint. I liked the element of surprise. Not so much later in the summer. There had been too many surprises that I had no control over and I noticed how I craved taking my time with my art and drawing more intentionally and realistically.

I found a wonderful young British artist on Patreon whose tutorials have taught me so much. Here's the link if you are interested. The golden retriever above I drew with charcoal pencils and my nephew I rendered with graphite and charcoal.

What I really want to learn is how to draw realistically with colored pencils. I followed Kirsty's tutorial for this kingfisher bird using colored pencils and solvent and absolutely loved it.

I used to think I wasn't patient, but that's not true. I am so enjoying these drawings that take me many hours to complete. I'm working on one right now that's going to take me a few more days until it's done. Again with colored pencils.

Thank you for sticking with me. I have missed our interactions. I'll do a few more blog posts with all the photos I've taking over the summer in our garden and a few knitting projects I've finished or am still working on.

In the meantime, I hope you are all doing well!!

❧ Silke

Reflections

I took all these photos at the Chihuly Museum in Seattle this summer. It was spectacular! 

I can't believe that our summer is almost over. Daniel starts teaching again in another two weeks and already our days are getting busier with things that need to get done.

During our summer we painted, we read, we relaxed went to the movies, met up with friends, celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and traveled to Seattle to see some wonderful friends. We enjoyed every minute of it.

We also made plans to do a few renovations on the house and were getting busy with the prep work after we got back from Seattle when one of our pine trees close to the house was hit by lightening.

The lightning jumped to our outdoor spotlight and from there through some of the electrical wires into the house. We and our pets are all fine, although we were all shaken from the loud bang. And we lost quite a few appliances and electronics despite surge protectors, which need to be replaced.

But that's the ebb and flow of life - periods of free time to relax followed by busy times that keep us hopping. With everything we have going on this fall, we'll have to block out some time each week to relax and recharge.

Well, speaking of the ebb and flow of life.... lately I've been reflecting quite a bit on this next phase of my life I am entering: peri-menopause (sorry to any guys reading this. TMI, I know!). And while I kind of thought it would all be happening in my body, there's a lot going on in my mind, and my emotions are all over the place.

I'm definitely feeling this transition. It's sort of like going through puberty again (right down to the the increase of pimples in my face), but puberty was accompanied by great anticipation of being grown up and independent, with all the dreams of the young.

This now feels much calmer. In so many ways I have the life I have dreamed of. And I still feel anticipation of all this next phase will bring. At the same time I'm feeling just a little unsteady - not quite here anymore and not quite there yet.

There are days I feel confident and full of energy and others when I cannot find my place at all. I don't feel old, but I'm also not young anymore.

My body is changing, which I have trouble adjusting to. I used to be rail thin and skinny and now I am suddenly curvy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but somehow I got it in my head that - for me - skinny is good and curvy is not. I know that's total nonsense, but it wormed itself into my thinking and it's taking me a long time to learn to be kind to my changing body and to still see it as beautiful.

I always thought that I would not ever have a problem with getting older, but... that was when I was young. When you are young you can't see things from an older person's perspective. But I do now. And while I have no regrets whatsoever about the choices I have made in life so far, and while I love my life right now, I still have to adjust to this new version of myself.

So, last night when everything felt a little chaotic with all the things we have going on right now around the house and life in general, I was wondering what I could use as an anchor of sorts. Painting has become sporadic and that won't change for the next few weeks. And then it occurred to me: my blog! I need to write again. I need to share. I need to go through my day and take photos that I'd love to put in my blog. I need to document this transition time for myself. I need to write! For me!

And if you are here reading what I write, even better!!

With much love and gratitude,

❧ Silke

Summer Medley

Well, friends, it happens every year. And somehow it surprises me every year. Summer Fatigue. Even though we've had some lovely days of low humidity and a break from the super heat, toward the end of August and into September I notice that the summer here in the south just wears on me.

I feel tired and like not doing anything. At all. I don't just lay around and I do plenty of things, but I really have to psych myself up for them.

I feel like I've lost my creative mojo as well since my studio upstairs just gets too warm to be in it long. I haven't painted in a week or so, I haven't done any sewing, but I've done plenty of knitting, which I can do downstairs where it's cooler.

The upstairs rooms heat up with the afternoon sun and don't really cool down much even at night and even with the A/C going. If we'd lower the A/C enough that the upstairs is cool, we'd be icicles downstairs...

I know this will come to an end. But I'm used to living in areas where the end of August and September would already bring the first hint of fall. You have to look really hard here to find that first hint. Usually it's the leaves on our fig tree turning brown and falling off. At first I used to think it had some terrible disease until I realized that it's just fall for the tree even though for us it's still hot summer.

Here are of my knitting efforts - this is really pretty and sparkly yarn and the scarves are like jewels. I've also used it to make some of my beaded necklaces. Gorgeous!!

Winslow thinks it's way too warm as well, although we've all enjoyed the momentary reprieve from humidity with long mornings spent on the back porch and walking the neighborhood. We were even able to open the windows for a while in the mornings getting some fresh air into the house.

Here's another scarf I made. This is done with really soft and warm yarn, but with a lacy pattern. It was fun to knit and made me think of winter.

This morning I was trying to get a good picture of it on the back porch.

As soon as I picked up the scarf, Louie thought it was time to be scratched and photographed.

He definitely made himself comfortable and my scarf photo shoot was over. That's ok. I was getting too warm anyway.

I hope that the weather pleases you wherever you are! I'll continue to dream of fall and winter...

The scarves are all available in my Etsy shop (the link is on my left side bar).

❧ Silke

And Today...

Not that you think my studio stayed as tidy as it was in the last photo of yesterday's post. This photo I took just now. There is still some order, but I have three paintings in the works and nothing stays tidy when I paint: not my studio, or my clothes, or my hands...

We are enjoying the slow days of summer right now - it is fairly hot every day and definitely humid. Summer here is so different from the summer I grew up with in Europe. There you were never sure if you'd really get a good summer and when you did you spent every minute outside. It was often the best time of the year. And it was always sad when the summer solstice was over and the days would get shorter again.

Here, summer is for sure. For sure! And I turn into a little wilted flower. So, I've learned to stay indoors mostly and do all the things I love to do. The summer solstice is a happy day for me, knowing that the days are getting shorter and our amazing winter is on its way. It'll be October or even November before our night-time temperatures will dip below 70 degrees and we'll feel that little bit of crispness in the air, but that's ok. I know it's coming and in the meantime I am grateful for air conditioning and cool showers.

And I have enough creative projects going to keep me going for a very long time! That is a good thing!!

❧ Silke