A peek at the back rhododendron garden on this Victoria Day long weekend. The bees are buzzing about drunkenly, not letting me get too close. Busy days continue. Tomorrow a cousin from Finland comes to visit!

I have been peeking into some of my late mother-in-law's boxes which my husband brought home from her house, now sold. Her obviously very old handwritten cookbook intrigued me, reminding me a little of my mother's Finnish cookbook.

While my mother's book was a published one, "Omi's" is all handwritten by many different hands in an originally blank and indexed book. I imagine that her mother, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and friends may have written many of these, perhaps for her when she was a new bride, or when she was emigrating to Canada. The handwriting is exquisite and often seeming too tiny to read.

I don't recognize her handwriting in the book itself unless it changed later, though some of the loose slips may be by her hand. Like in my mother's cookbook there are numerous slips of loose recipes and clippings inserted throughout, and some glued in, like the one above with Gothic text. My German is poor, and the handwriting hard to read (even husband has trouble) but I do recognize a lot of kuchen (cake) recipes! Omi loved to bake cakes so I'm not surprised.

Two quick drawings from my art school days recently came back home to me, one of my then future mother-in-law and one of my future husband. She loved these so I had given them to her. They were framed along with another one I'd done of a future sister-in-law. They were hung in every home she lived in since.

Being behind glass, I had difficulty capturing good photos of these drawings. Finally I tried my scanner by taking the lid off in order to fit the frame over the edges. They are still not accurate copies but suffice as an example of my very early sketch work and shall be my record in case one of our daughters wishes to have these. As I've mentioned before, my late mother-in-law's home has been sold and contents are being dispersed amongst family as much as possible. "Omi" was a wonderful supporter of my work, even purchasing several of my prints which have also come back.

a crocheted silk lace piano scarf
made by my late mother-in-law many decades ago
bringing forth memories of it gracing her piano

Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
          William Blake - Auguries of Innocence

the first fallen flower from several on the phalaenopsis
gifted to me by my sweet three months ago