Saturday Meanderings

Happy Saturday! Can you believe we are nearing the end of August? Yikes! It has been a wonderfully diverse week here at Bella Terra North–from a two-day Garden/Farm Tour last weekend, to diving headfirst into a complicated zoning case, to carving out a little much-needed time in nature. It has been a long, busy and full week. So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and get ready for some truly gorgeous garden photos. There is plenty to share!

White Mountains Garden and Farm Tour

Angie, the owner of our favorite mountain coffee shop, The Depot, is always a wonderful source of information. She was the one who told me about the annual Garden & Farm Tour, a two-day even held every August. For only $20, you can visit eight properties on Saturday and six more on Sunday, with gardens and farms scattered throughout Pinetop, Lakeside, Show Low, Pinedale, Taylor and Snowflake.

The Tour offers a wonderful variety-from small private gardens and community gardens to working farms and sprawling ranches. But what you really experience along the way is a shared love of gardening and growing. Some participants grow flowers, other cultivate vegetables, some are working toward greater self-sufficiency, while others have turned their passion into small businesses, from co-ops to flower sales. We even stopped at one property where the owner bakes bread in her very own “bread shed” tucked right into the middle of her garden. How could I not love that?

I was lucky enough to have Scott join me, and surprisingly, he really enjoyed the tour too. What we came away with was a new found appreciation for just how much can be grown here in the mountains, even with a considerably shorter growing season than I am accustomed to in Phoenix.

There are so many plants that thrive here but simply cannot tolerate the Phoenix heat–gorgeous dahlias, hydrangeas, heirloom tomatoes and tomato varieties I had never heard of, and so much more.

The tour is sponsored by the White Mountain Community Garden, one of the real gems of our mountain community. In addition to providing space and guidance for growing healthy organic produce, they help educate, feed and nurture the well-being of the community.

I came away from the weekend inspired not only by the gardens, but by the passion of every person who generously opened their property and home to us. From tiny backyard gardens to 20-acre working ranches, each one had a story to tell and something to teach. I took an embarrassing number of photos, so I hope you enjoy taking a little garden tour with me.

A Foot in Two Seasons

As I get older, I find that time seems to pass far too quickly, and I try to hang on to every last bit of the seasons as they come and go. Perhaps that is why this particular time of year always leaves me feeling a little conflicted.

Of course, the retail world and social media have already moved on to fall. Pumpkin everything is appearing on store shelves, fall decorating ideas are filling my feeds, and everyone seems to be eagerly anticipating cooler days. Meanwhile, I’m digging in my heels and thinking, Wait! Summer isn’t over yet!

Even here in the mountains, where I can feel the very subtle shift toward cooler mornings and evenings, I am not quite ready to let go of summer. And in Phoenix, the summer’s heat can linger well into October, so the arrival of fall feels particularly premature. I find myself straddling two seasons~still wanting to enjoy the easy, slower pace of summer while simultaneously dreaming about all the delicious things that come with fall: crisp mornings, cozy sweaters, hot soup, changing leaves and, of course, pumpkin everything.

Maybe that’s the paradox of this time of year. One foot is still firmly planted in summer while the other is already stepping into fall. I want to savor where I am, yet the world around me keeps nudging me toward what’s next.

So, if anyone has figured out how to gracefully juggle this seasonal tug-of-war, please let me know. I’m perfectly happy to enjoy a bowl of soup in October~but for now, I’m still holding on to summer!

Great Deals on Outdoor Furniture

We have a smaller front deck on the eastern side of the cabin where we love to enjoy our morning coffee, or later in the day, a glass of wine. There is something particularly wonderful about sitting there in the morning and watching the sun rise through the pine trees. The only problem? With just two outdoor chairs, it wasn’t exactly conducive to having houseguests or friends join us.

We do have a much larger, western-facing deck that can accommodate plenty of people, but somehow the morning coffee ritual belongs on this little eastern deck. During a recent visit to Lowe’s, I spotted this charming outdoor furniture set and immediately thought it might be just the solution. Even better~it was ON SALE!

This is definitely the time of the year to start looking for outdoor furniture bargains as retailers begin clearing out their summer inventory. I just check Lowe’s website and it appears the loveseat and table are 50% off, but the two additional seats are still full price online. Wonder if the bargains are at the store level because I received the chairs on clearance too. However, there are great bargains at Home Depot too. The all-weather wicker set fits the configuration of our deck perfectly, and now we can comfortably seat four while making much better use of the available space.

Sometimes a little furniture rearranging~or in this case, a great sale~is all it takes to make a small outdoor space work so much better. And now there is room for friends to join us while we enjoy a little slice of the mountains.

What do you think?

Covering our Bases

Of course, new outdoor furniture means new protective covers. Normally, our outdoor furniture covers last for many years because we only use them for about two-thirds of the year. So imagine my surprise when I found how deteriorated two of my chair covers had become only after a few years! The mountain weather can certainly be tough on anything left outdoors, but this?

With the new furniture set, I needed to add more to our inventory. I purchased these covers ($41.99 for a 2-pack) and am keeping my fingers crossed that they can withstand another mountain winter. If anyone has a reliable source for outdoor furniture covers that actually hold up over time, please share in the comments.

Fall Wedding Attire

Scott and I have a black-tie-optional wedding to attend in October in Northern California. It is the wedding of my son’s dearest friend, so this is one of those occasions where I definitely want to look my best. Naturally, I think I need a new dress–but I don’t necessarily want to spend a fortune on it!

Our calendar these days isn’t exactly filled with fancy events, so investing in a formal dress that may spend most of its life hanging in the closet doesn’t make much sense to me.

For my son’s wedding in March, I took the chance and ordered my dress online from Fehaute. I know ordering a special-occasion dress online can be risky, but I was pleasantly surprised. The dress was attractive, affordable, not matronly, beautiful material, and most importantly, comfortable–a quality I have come to appreciate more and more!

I may head back to Fehaute and see what they have for fall, but in the meantime, I’m putting this question out to all of you fashionistas: Where should I be looking, and what styles are you loving for a fall black-tie-optional wedding? I believe Scott will be wearing his tux, but I’m thinking elegant, sophisticated and possibly something I can actually wear again.

If you have a favorite dress shop, website, designer, or secret source for beautiful dresses that don’t require a small fortune, please share! I’m all ears and apparently, in need of a dress.

Mystery Finally Solved?

Back in 2020, I wrote a Saturday Meanderings post about ghost stories and a mysterious, unexplained event that occurred at our home. At that time, I had no explanation for what happened-and all these years later, the mystery remained unsolved.

Recently, while recounting the story to someone, I decided to go back and reread that five year old post. And that’s when I discovered something I never knew was there! In late 2025, a local woman had left a response to the post, along with her contact information suggesting she might have some insight into our mystery.

How did I miss this for nearly a year? I have no idea-but I was certainly intrigued. I recently reached out to her, and we are hoping to get together toward the end of the summer. Perhaps she holds a missing piece of the puzzle that could finally shed some light on what happened all those years ago.

So..could this be the beginning of the end of our six-year mystery? I’m hoping so! And if our conversation reveals anything interesting, I’ll update the original post and let you know what we discover.

In the meantime, if you missed the original story-or would simply like a refresher before we potentially solve the mystery-you can read it here. I’m fascinated to see where this story goes!

Around the Internet

Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse is such a talented person. Even though I’ve covered lampshades before with fabric, I have never had the confidence to try pleated shades. Rachel has a step-by-step tutorial and this is something I am going to attempt. You can find it all here.

A Cottage by the Sea

Being born and raised in Connecticut, and having lived in Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area, being near the water is something I have always loved. Now that I’m landlocked in Arizona, I do find myself longing for the ocean and occasionally dreaming about having a little cottage by the sea. A girl can dream, right?

For now, I cherish any trip that involves a glimpse of the water. There’s just something about the ocean that immediately makes me feel relaxed and happy.

So when I opened the July issue of Cottages & Bungalows and came across an article titled “A Seaside Renovation with an Antique Touch”, I stopped right there. Oh, be still my heart!

Located on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California-a favorite place of mine-this authentic beach house renovation is absolutely right up my alley. The combination of the coastal setting, the character of an older home and the thoughtful use of antiques is exactly the kind of design that makes me want to move right in. Since a cottage by the sea may remain a dream for now, I’ll happily live vicariously through beautiful homes like this one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Well, that’s a wrap for this week! It certainly has been a busy one, but also filled with gardens, inspiration, beautiful places, good finds and a few mysteries along the way. I hope you enjoyed wandering through it with me.

I also want to say how much I appreciate your comments each week. Truly, I look forward to hearing your thoughts, ideas and recommendations. Your comments often send me down new paths, introduce me to products and resources, and often inspire me for future Saturday Meandering topics. So please keep them coming-I love hearing from you!

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend filled with laughter, love, good friends, a little time in nature and plenty of moments to simply slow down and savor the season we are in. Don’t let August slip away too quickly!

Until next Saturday, enjoy the little things as they really do make life sweeter!