In the middle of winter when frost decorates the windows of my studio and I pull on another sweater, I’ll think back to summer days in my garden, cicadas singing, sketchbook on my lap.

In June when I wrote to my Joy Letter subscribers I said that June was my favorite month. Right now, though, I’m thinking August might be.

Flipping through magazines in a bookstore with a cup of coffee in one hand. Checking out a stack of magazines from the library. Opening the mailbox to find a magazine tucked inside.

One of the things I love most about my garden and gardening is connecting with nature. I plant my garden and I tend it, but I’m not really in control.

Earlier this year I invited you to share suggestions of what you’d like to see here on my blog. Since then I’ve been sprinkling in posts inspired by you.

One type of question a few of you had was around making decisions.

It’s truly amazing how much changes in the garden in just one month.

I’ve been in a bit of a creative funk. I know it’s just a natural part of the ebb and flow of my creativity. It’s taken me years to be able to recognize this and let the funk happen.

This week I’ve turned my blog over to my dear readers. Twelve of you are sharing your gardens with us today.

We’re more than half-way through June. The solstice is just a few days away. Summer is well and truly here.

Last weekend was the Winding Roads Art Tour.

I keep trying to write about it, but nothing I write truly captures the experience.

After being canceled the past two years because of Covid, the Winding Roads Art Tour is finally going ahead.

Not much was happening in the garden in April, but now things are really starting to take off.

Before I dive in to talking about what a typical day looks like around here, I want to take a moment to thank you for sharing your experiences with online subscriptions and communities in last week’s post.

I regularly invite you, my dear readers, to engage in conversation here on my blog by asking questions in my posts. Nurturing an open, encouraging and inspiring environment is important to me.

Your materials are gathered. You have time. You have a space to work. But when you sit down to create… nothing.

I spent Monday in my garden. Mondays are technically the weekend for me and I was so glad my time off coincided with good weather.

I was going to jump back in to blogging today with a post addressing a question I’ve gotten from readers and students, but then I realized I want to talk about my blogging break.

At the end of 2021 when I was starting to plan for 2022, one of my goals was to take an art sabbatical at some point during the year.

In a recent review of one of my classes, a student wrote:

“She encouraged me to step out and paint for me instead of for approval.”

When I woke up on Wednesday the temperature was 43. The warmest we’ve seen this year. On my morning walk I didn’t need a hat. Chickadees and cardinals sang their delight at the taste of spring in the air.

The next day it was more than 30 degrees colder.