Noted: May

I guess it’s Summer now, ha? Maybe not officially, but absolutely in practice 😉

The temperature swings and stormy forecasts have my body believing it’s summer even if my mind is still somewhere else.

So, with another month behind us, it’s time to take stock. May was full of ups and downs in our little world, but it all wound up just fine in the end, so there’s that. Thanks goodness!

Here’s a peek at my May. How’d yours shape up?

Create + Inspire

May brought just a tad bit of crochet and a wealth of behind-the-scenes digital work.

I got re-inspired to set up my t-shirt and mug print-on-demand shop again so worked in Canva (during a free trial) on some new designs. I hope to have the shop up and going in the next couple of weeks.

I also took advantage of my Canva time to make a new graphic for my sidebar bio.

In addition to all that, I was inspired to create a /now page to sit nested underneath my About page. Not sure how often I’ll update it, but it was fun to think about and create something I never have before for any of my blogs.

Have you had an opportunity to be creative over the last few weeks? Where has inspiration been pulling you lately?

Farm + Garden

Goodness, May on the farm was a little bonkers and all the work I intended to get done is still largely waiting for me after my health scare (see Over a Cuppa: Twenty Four, linked below) took several days out of me. Feeling better now and with no scary test results, I’m just doing my best to put one foot in front of the other.

That being said, things did get done, like…

• Bed weeding, composting, and seeding (about half done in the garden)
• Daily tending of the starts in the greenhouse + hardening them off, and slowly get them in the ground
• Helping with a Chile Planting Party for our landlords

Also! After some close inspection in the orchard, it seems we didn’t lose everything! The majority of the fruit is gone, yes, but there are a few apple trees, a couple of pear trees, one peach tree, and one sour cherry tree that still have fruit on them! So, I will remain hopeful for a small harvest if we can just get past Hail Season.

How are things growing where you are?

Food + Family

May brought the closing of the homeschool learning year and this one felt extra big! Our girl is joining the teen group at Summer Camp this year and is officially a rising 7th grader. This mama is having all the feelings!

We also shared a lovely, big lunch with my brother, his partner, and her parents (mom and step-dad to be exact).

No other fun meals to report but I’ve realized I need to get locked in with my Summer meal planning and find some good crock pot meals that I can easily throw together for the longer days on the farm.

Do you have favorite crock meals you could share with me? I’d be forever grateful!

Read + Write

While I still haven’t written a proper post about the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, I promise it’s still on my list! However, I would be remiss if I didn’t say that attending an afternoon at the Fest as a volunteer was definitely a top highlight of the month!

Outside of the Fest, I finished two books this month, Small Spaces by Katherine Arden and A Crown of Ruin by Jennifer Armentrout, and am still greatly enjoying A Ghost in the Throat.

Beyond books, I wrote eight blog posts here in this space, which feels like a great accomplishment given the busy-ness of the month in general! Here they all are, just in case you missed any of them:

• Welcome May (On Loss & Hope)
• Over a Cuppa: Twenty Three
• Busy Bees & Good Things
• Work(s) in Progress – (Digital Spaces)
• A Ghost in the Throat
• Over a Cuppa: Twenty Four (Through the Fog)
• Top Ten – Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors
• Blues, Greens, and Beautiful Things

There you have it…

An entire month boiled down into just a few sub-headings 😉 It’s not everything, but it’s plenty.

I hope the past month has been kind to you and the month ahead is filled with all the peace and joy your heart can hold!

I’m off to see what Natalie has been up to and check the comments for posts by other community members. Join me?

Onward,

Melissa