June! Oh, June. What a magical month.

Last year in my June garden post I wrote: “So much changes within the month of June. So much changes within a single day… June is a month of delights.”

It is, isn’t it?

a handful of asparagus and lots of columbine flowers in the background

June is delicious and beautiful.

One of the strawberries in this cinderblock raised bed looks like it has a nose

It invites us to discover joy in each day (and have more fun, too).

You never know what a garden season will be like and so far, this year has been filled with abundance.

an abundant garden with lots of lettuce, breadseed poppies, pansies and strawberries

I haven’t spent much time in my garden this month.

purple chives, alliums and salvia in an abundant spring garden

But it keeps going without me.

A tiger swallowtail enjoying a purple allium flower on a beautiful june day

I feel as if my brain is still stuck in April. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that the solstice has come and gone. That the gardening season has progressed without my full attention.

Each time I return to the garden, there’s another surprise. I try to take it all in. Notice and enjoy each delight.

There’s so much to notice.

Purple lupines blooming beside a mushroom covered stump

My garden is beautiful, even if it is a bit scraggly (and weedy! I pulled those weeds after I took the photo but then I forgot to take another photo… it’s a good example of life lately).

One surprise is making me laugh… the (non-productive) apple trees I’d planned to cut down are filled with apples.

a small apple tree is loaded with baby apples

I’m letting them stay.

I like to imagine them as a gift for the next person to tend this space.

If you’re a Joy Letter subscriber, you’ve already heard that we’re moving. I’ll be saying goodbye to my garden and embarking on a new adventure.

a container garden on the edge of a deck in a backyard fenced garden

In my Joy Letter I wrote, “we’ll be taking our time with… the move as we work on projects, here and there. I know things will be messy and unsettled for a while. I’m embracing going with the flow (something that is very hard for me).”

shadow self portrait — *my long evening shadow in the space that will become my new garden*

Taking our time with moving sounds nice, doesn’t it. Relaxed and easy.

Haha!

It’s been so much work and we still have more to go. We fall into bed exhausted each night.

But, oh! It’s been lovely, too.

a beautiful country road — *the view down our new road — it’s hillier than it looks*

I can hardly believe it’s real. My lifelong dream of living in the country isn’t just a dream anymore.

I have to remind myself of this over and over.

I’ll have more to share as we get settled and make changes and nurture the neglected home and land. Right now we’re solidly in the messy middle. Everywhere I look something else needs attention. And I think (hope) I’m getting a bit better at going with the flow.

We have nearly 11 acres, but no garden (yet). Except for the pots I’ve brought over.

And my houseplants, of course.

two dogs on pillows in a plant-filled sunroom

Our new home has a big sunroom, open to the kitchen (to the left in the photo).

Even though there’s no garden, there are flowers on the property and it’s been fun to discover them.

mock orange flowers smell delicious — *mock orange flowers — they smelled delicious*

Some are garden remnants, planted long ago.

two peony flowers -- one light pink and cream, one dark pink with yellow stamens

There are many wild plants, too.

purple flowers of the wildflower dame's rocket — *purple dame’s rocket flowers*

Delights among the weeds.

Much of the property is wooded and I keep noticing more wildflowers. I try to remind myself to bring my phone with me for photos when I walk around. I didn’t have it with me in time to capture the mayapples before they began to fade.

mayapple, a woodland wildflower — *a mayapple forming beneath faded petals*

Although I want to have a photographic record of the early days here, I know it’s more important to be fully present.

I’m making a point of capturing my thoughts and feelings and everything that happens each day in my journal. It’s become a morning ritual to sit in the sunroom with my coffee and journal.

I don’t want to forget anything.

One day, sweaty and dirty and in the middle of a project I discovered a perfectly ripe wild strawberry. What a beautiful (and delicious) gift.

I’m keeping my eyes on the other berries and when they’re ripe, I hope the wildlife will share.

unripe elderberries are a beautiful bright red — *unripe elderberries*

It’s probably more theirs than mine. The deer and rabbits and groundhogs and squirrels and birds. So many birds.

blackberry flowers resemble roses — *blackberry flowers*

The first morning sleeping in our new house we woke to birdsong. Wrens keep us company all day long. Deer peered in the windows at us that first morning, too. A doe and her fawn regularly visit and check out our projects.

We have a LOT of work ahead of us but I’m trying to take time for discovery, too. Reminding myself how special these days are, even if they’re stressful and challenging.

I haven’t picked up a paintbrush in weeks, but when I finally do, I’ll have ample inspiration.

My time tending my little town garden space is ending, but a new garden is beginning — right now just in my mind.

We’ve decided where the main, productive garden will go. In the space between three outbuildings. We have plans for the buildings, too.

beautiful evening light behind old farm buildings

Can you imagine it?

Note: I had taken a break and only been writing on Substack and now I’m experimenting with posting in both places. I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks for being here!

Endings, Beginnings and the Messy Middle