Hello, June! Fresh Linens, First Blooms & the Start of Market Season

First blooms, fresh linens, farm market finds, and pots ready for planting — signs of summer on the Maine coast!

Hello June!

I’m back!

I feel like I keep saying that lately — it’s been a busy stretch of travel — but here I am again!

I just returned from a wonderful few days of cycling with friends. The rides were great, but the long drive there and back wiped me out. I got home Wednesday and was met with the usual post-trip to-do list: unpacking, laundry, tidying, and a much-needed grocery run.

But I was also greeted by blue skies, sunshine, and temperatures in the 60s. It felt like someone flipped a switch while I was gone — suddenly, it’s starting to feel like summer here!

The lilacs are blooming, and the lupine in the field are ready to pop.

The new sheets I mentioned in my last post arrived while I was away, and they’ve given the bedroom a fresh, breezy feel.

Yesterday I visited my favorite local farm stand and came home with the makings of a delicious salad — the start of many more fresh-veggie-filled meals to come.

And now it’s time to plant the pots on the deck and front steps — always a favorite ritual of the season.

Just a short and sweet check-in this week, but I couldn’t resist sharing these first signs of summer on the Maine coast!

First Signs of Summer on the Coast

After weeks of gray skies and chilly temps, I came home to a much-welcome change — sunshine, blue skies, and temperatures warm enough to throw open the windows (at least for part of the day). It finally feels like summer is tiptoeing in.

The lilac bush planted in my mom’s memory is in full bloom, filling the air with sweet scent and my heart with memories. In seasons past, the blooms have been sparse, but this year — so many. I cut a few to bring inside and arranged them in one of her antique blue and white pitchers. Hello, Mom.

The lupine in the field are nearly ready to burst into color. They grow wild here in Maine — in meadows, along roadsides, even in the highway medians. I look forward to lupine season all year. It’s a sure sign that summer is just around the corner.

The trees have finally (finally!) leafed out. And the lawn, meadow, and — of course — the weeds are growing like mad after all the rain we’ve had. Things are lush and unruly. That’s early summer on the wild Maine coast.

After a long winter of grays and browns, my eyes can’t get enough of the vivid display of color!

Fresh Linens for a Breezy Summer Bedroom

A change of season always means a change of bed linens for me. Cozy flannel and deep colors in winter. Warm tones and rich layers for fall. Light hues — but still toasty — for Maine’s chilly springs.

And summer? Oh, sweet summer. It’s all about light layers and bright, happy colors.

I’ve tried, but I’ve learned I’m just not a solid-sheet gal. Give me all the patterns! Florals and geometrics, big and small — the more the merrier.

As I’ve said before, I want this home to feel like an old Maine coastal cottage, passed down through the generations — filled with treasures gathered over time, layered together to tell a joyful story. That philosophy applies to the bed, too. You know I love a mix-and-match look — heavy on the mix!

For this year’s summer bed, I started with a light quilted coverlet from Schweitzer Linen I’ve had for years. Its dainty floral in soft pinks, blues, yellows, and greens — plus a scalloped edge — gives it a sweet, old-fashioned charm.

The sheets are a new find from Garnet Hill — a large, exuberant floral in similar colors. I was instantly smitten, and not surprised to learn the pattern was based on a piece of antique artwork. No wonder it felt so nostalgic! I love the way it almost goes with the coverlet — just enough to look carefree without trying too hard.

Next came green-and-white checked ruffled shams from Amazon. The ruffle feels like it’s straight out of Grandma’s house, but the bold check keeps it playful instead of precious. I finished things off with a pair of boudoir pillows that match the coverlet and a folded plaid blanket at the foot of the bed.

The bedroom is officially summer ready!

SHOP MY BED:

Johanna Multi Floral Organic-Cotton Percale Sheet Set from Garnet Hill

Market Days: The Start of Fresh Produce Season

The farm stands are opening up, and the farmers market in town is back for the season!

Fresh produce time is hands down my favorite cooking — and eating — time of year. There’s nothing I love more than a simple home-cooked meal made with the bounty from local farms.

So it was with great excitement that I stepped into my favorite farm stand for the first time this year. While the growing season is still early here, I was not disappointed — tender lettuces, spicy radishes, curly kale, tart rhubarb, the first cucumbers, hothouse tomatoes, spring onions, baby garlic, and a few bunches of just-picked asparagus (here only briefly!).

What can I say? Veggies make me happy!

Next stop was the farmers market on the harbor in town. Not as many vegetables there yet, but I picked up some beautiful mixed greens — and a wood-fired pizza for lunch.

Dinner that night? A big fresh salad made with the day’s finds.

I’m so looking forward to many more meals ahead, made with ingredients fresh from the farm!

Pots, Plants & Planning for the Porch

I have a collection of blue and white pots on the back deck and stone-colored ones on the front steps that I fill with plants for the summer and well into the fall.

And finally — it’s time to get them planted!

The forecast is calling for a cool, wet Saturday, but I’ll be dodging raindrops at the plant store anyway. Then, come Sunday and Monday, I’ll get everything planted and in place — just in time for the season ahead.

Just like with my interior decor, I lean toward a casual cottage, mix-and-match style outdoors. I love groupings of smaller pots filled with plants in a variety of heights, colors, and textures.

Last year, I went with a blue (okay, mostly purple!) and white theme out back, and blue, white, and yellow in the front. I wrote a blog post listing many of the plants I used: 16 Easy-Care Annuals for Your Blue and White Pots. I loved how it turned out, so I’ll be leaning heavily on that list again this year.

A few new pieces of deck furniture should be arriving soon, and I can’t wait to get everything summer-ready.

Then it’ll be time to kick back, soak in some outdoor living — and enjoy that ocean view from the back porch.

This Week Into Next

I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing Memorial Weekend!

Mine was wonderful — but I wouldn’t exactly call it relaxing, ha.

As you might remember, I traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia, to meet up with friends for three days of cycling. It was so great to be back on my bike again. While I haven’t ridden outside much in recent years, I was relieved to find that my almost-daily Peloton workouts have kept me in pretty good shape. It was definitely nice to actually go somewhere on my bike for a change!

The rides were, of course, physically tiring — but they left me feeling energized and accomplished.

The travel, though… that was a different story.

It all started the evening before I left, when Cisco ate an entire batch of homemade granola I had prepped for the trip. Yes — six cups of oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Fortunately, he was fine (though he did wake me at the crack of dawn asking to go out…) and I was able to drop both him and Maddie at the kennel Thursday morning.

Then I hit the road in the middle of a Nor’easter for a 12½-hour drive to the D.C. area. About halfway through the rain-soaked journey, I noticed a not-so-lovely noise coming from my right rear brake. Thankfully, I found a place that could fix it the next morning before continuing on.

I broke the trip up over two days each way, stopping overnight at my daughter’s place — which meant I got to visit with her and my sweet granddaughter, Poppy. A wonderful bonus!

The drive back had its own fun twist — I had to leave at 4 a.m. in order to pick up M & C from the kennel before it closed at 5.

But I’m home now, safe and sound — bags unpacked, laundry done, house tidied, fridge restocked. Happily reliving memories made with friends and family.

And now… I’m ready for them to come visit me!

Be well, friends.