The Lake Cottage, Garden and the 4th of July

The middle of the year is upon us! How fast winter turns to summer it seems.

Winter drags on and somehow summer seems to be in a rush, for us in New England.

The fourth of July is always a favorite holiday, centered around relaxing and cookouts

and easy celebrations. Decorating for the 4th is all about the flag, and I was excited to 

find this nostalgic and festive looking fabric that had both flags and roses.  The fabric is called Americana Summer Roses and can be found here at LilyOak's Spoonflower account.

I bought three yards to use as a tablecloth and can see this piece of fabric becoming a family

heirloom in the way that it will grace our tables on the 4th, Labor Day and Memorial Day for

years to come!  

Its so pretty with the rose wreaths and swirling flags, dotted by unexpected yellow roses.

I can even throw it over my wicker daybed in front of the cottage windows

to add holiday flair instead of using it as a tablecloth at the lake cottage.

Last weekend we all went up and did some cleaning and site work at the cottage

that suffered a lot of damage from last year's microburst storm.

Over the winter the critters find their way inside and its deflating to come back

and see the damage and filth that awaits....but I got a lot of work done inside while hubs

and son worked on the outside with the excavator clearing the trees and stumps and 

making the lot more pedestrian friendly.  The big logs are all gone now!

It will be at least one more year before we can build here, so we are preparing

to enjoy it as much as we can for these two short summer months.

Our son got his boat license and its going to be really fun having

 two boat operators at the ready for lake cruises and waterski adventures.

We even hung a flag down by the dock, anchoring it on a tree.

 Back at home our gardens are coming to full bloom, and that is 

another pleasure of our short summer season that I savor.

 Three years ago we installed this white picket fence with both privacy panels

and open pickets and its one of my favorite upgrades we have done to the house.

The inner area contains the dogs when they need to go in and out, and I've always felt

that a gate is an enchanting way to enter a property.

Along the outer fence there are some roses that are 

in their second year, and the star of the show is 

this abundant Fairy Rose.  I also have a few David Austin rose bushes,

but they are high maintenance compared to the hearty Fairy.

The clematis is in its third year and putting on quite a show right now!

Summer has Reeve enjoying the outdoor activities with me, and that includes

teaching her how to pull weeds (haha) and take little breaks in her kiddy pool.

She turned two last month and with that comes a lot more fun with her

being able to be a big girl helping her grammy.

Piper and Sylvia are ever present at our heels as we walk about the yard

doing our watering and weeding and planting. 

Life is the way it should be,

with the simple pleasures of family connections and 

always being mindful of our abundance.

Wishing you all a safe and happy 4th!