This view is from our side yard looking into the front. In an effort to have less impact on Mama Earth, we’re (well, Neal) slowly shrinking our front yard by transforming it into a meadow. Neal did a lot of landscape architecture coursework as an undergrad, and I reap the results with an interesting yard. When the grass is freshly mown, the line between meadow and yard is crisp, and the flow of the path to walk in order to enjoy the meadow (along with the myriad frogs, bees, and dragonflies) is nothing short of delightful.
I savor these autumn days, especially when they are linked with chilly nights. I know that, before long, I’ll need to brace myself before I open the door. Right now it’s enough to pull on a sweater and bring my beloved pashmina onto the deck with me if I want to enjoy the fresh air.
The leaves are taking their sweet time changing, and I’m not complaining. We drove to the New York border today to mess around in a few antique shops. I scored a delightful little embroidered gift for my mom, and I also made a purchase at an impressive tea shop. When I came back from my summer in England, nothing but a proper cuppa would do for me. Over the years, I’ve settled back into less satisfying American tea bags. One of the little changes I want to make to enrich my life is to return to a proper cup of tea. I’ve only myself to blame if I’m feeling less than elegant about the details of my life, and it’s up to me to establish and maintain some standards.
I’d love to hear about how you ensure there are little moments of elegance in your life.
Oh, see I am slowly turning my backyard into a field of green with patches of yellow since my effing lawn mower died and sent me into a meltdown (literally, it wasn’t pretty crying in my backyard, hyperventilating). Seriously thinking of bricking the whole damn thing in, albeit in a very elegant sort of way.
Our leaves are just beginning to change in the Poconos and I am hopeful for a good show this year. I might take a hike up part of the Appalachian Trail to knit just to savor the colors.
I love how you are working with the earth. Your meadow is absolutely lovely!
Moments of perfect elegance – curling up on my couch with a nice glass of red wine at night and a good book. If it’s the middle of the day, a cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate, same location, same activity. If it’s snowing, curling up on the big cozy chair in our sunroom that looks like a VT cabin and watching the snow fall, no tv, no music, just perfect, relaxing silence.
What a lovely meadow. 🙂
Tea is also a must for me. I go here:
http://www.specialteas.com
They have a wonderful Malty Assam and some incredible breakfast blends (like East Friesian) that are anything but wimpy.
When we go on picnics, we don’t do chips or sandwiches. We get a fresh-baked baguette (or two), a bottle of sparkling cider or red wine, and an assortment of meats & cheeses like prosciutto, sopressata, boursin, gouda and chevre. We usually include some sliced apples, too. Then we find a beautiful, quiet spot and enjoy the feast. This weather is perfect because it’s not too warm, not too cold, and parks tend not to be as packed as they are in summer. Even if we’re in jeans, it feels immeasurably elegant to picnic like this. We even bought a huge, sturdy basket that can be carried by two people. Even though we don’t have a beautiful yard (yours looks SO inviting!) we know of a half dozen places that let us enjoy the afternoon in peace.
RE: tea: Have you been to the Dunbar House in Cape Cod? I think you would absolutely adore it.
http://gonewengland.about.com/library/users/ucdunbarteashoppe.htm
I like to enjoy nice teas too. I also try to use a nicely scented lotion on my hands at night. It’s soothing.
I love this idea of a return to more natural plants in the lawn/garden. One of these days, we should try to meet for a cup of tea. It would be a bit of a drive for both of us, but if we found a good tea shop midway…
Your meadow is beautiful. Having a cup of tea would be wonderful in that setting. I usually enjoy a cup of green tea from http://www.tealaden.com.
Oh I too love your meadow! How wonderful it must be to have a yard, being in the middle of the big city this time of the year really makes me yearn for a piece of grass to call my own. For now my balcony will do. As far as my own moments of elegance go, they are very hard to come by as a working mom of two. I used to much prefer to relax and enjoy a good cup of tea but since having little time of my very own, I’ve come to love and depend on my cup of coffee. Thanks to you I’m going to try to get back to a soothing cup of tea at night when the kids are in bed and my time is just that, my own. Thanks for the reminder to stop and enjoy the tea. 🙂
I love fall! Its still hot here in Georgia but the mornings are refreshingly cool. Your yard is very pretty.
Neal must have been in shock by all the brown in our NM yards.
What a gorgeous yard!
I have to have my cup of tea every afternoon. I too perfer the loose teas over the bagged ones.
*waves shyly from Ravelry*
I am entirely with you on English tea spoiling you–I was in Scotland and England for a few weeks in 2003 & 2004, and I’m afraid I’ve not quite recovered. I take refuge in Yorkshire tea on such cool fall days, and make homemade applesauce, and spin and knit, and try to remember that the self needs time to make things–aside from academic things. (I’m wading through a creative dissertation at SUNY Bingahmton–writer to writer, wool is good for us. Fiction percolates well in it. At least, that’s how I justify it.)