Welcome to summer here in Bend, Oregon, or wherever you call home if it is in the Northern Hemisphere. One TSLL reader who lives in Australia, recently shared the shift to the shortest day of the year, cold temps and all the more inspiration to snuggle up inside next to a fire. Certainly wherever you call home, a change in the weather pattern is occurring, and it is in finding the aspects of that season to savor that make it sweeter, more memorable and elevating. 

For me, the garden provides an immense amount of awe and delight at the moment: from the first delphinium to bloom at Le Papillon (see below image), to the roses at this very moment blooming in all their glory. I savor the time in the morning and evening to dead-head, ensuring even more blooms have their time in the spotlight, and it fascinates me how in just 12 hours, a new flower will complete its bloom-cycle while seemingly five more buds are beginning to burst open. 

Visiting the local produce stand for the first time (seen above with the berries), strolling through the weekly farmers' market (see this pic I captured from this week which just drew my eye like a magnet as the farmers sure know how to style their booths) and even removing my socks and shoes during the middle of our walk along the river and sitting along the bank to dip my feet in the cool mountain water are all moments I revel in even though I may not revel in the hot temperatures. When we focus on what we do love, what we can savor, what we cannot do in any other season, we shift the quality of our days for the better. We shift our mindset and we change our lives. 

As many things have been delayed whether in current projects I am working on, news waited for in great anticipation or simply the outcomes of how all of the pandemic related life details will play out, we each are tasked with strengthening our patience and how we choose to navigate through and with the many unknowns. Here are here posts (here, here and here) you may want to explore on just this topic. I know I will be revisiting them. :)

Even more than usual, I have been craving traveling to France and Europe in general, and just yesterday as I was recording a podcast episode for French week with the founder of Paris Perfect vacation rentals (I think you will enjoy our conversation - look for it to air on August 9th during the 6th annual French Week event here on the blog), as she joined me from Italy, I was reminded again and even more why I love visiting France. She talked about pastries and jardins and everyday life that is truly quintessential Europe and specifically France, but Italy as well. Needless to say, whenever that trip occurs, it will be far sweeter than perhaps any other trip I have made in the past. One item specifically I will share with you prior to releasing the episode is her urging to travel to Europe sooner rather than later before the crowds return. Described as surreal in the most wonderful of ways, she and her sister were strolling near a quite popular locale in Florence, and the crowds were nearly all but absent. 

Speaking specifically of France however, in this week's This & That post, you will find quite a few French inspired items from films to music and yep, to the commencement of Le Tour de France tomorrow - June 26th, but as well, in each of the four weeks of June's T & Ts, French finds are shared, especially a new series I have just begun and am enjoying one episode a night - a lovely way to travel to France even if we can't go just yet. :)

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Until Friday July 30th, I will see you on the blog.

—Shannon