grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Crossing the Arctic Circle (Grímsey Island)

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Crossing the Arctic Circle and Grimsey Island, Iceland
It isn’t every day a girl gets the opportunity to cross the Arctic Circle. But when I find myself in North Iceland, only 25 nautical miles from the Arctic Circle, I can’t pass up the chance. So I booked passage on the ferry out of Dalvik, and John and I made the three hour voyage to Grímsey Island.

(I know what you’re thinking. ?A three hour tour…?)

The Arctic Circle straddles teeny tiny Grímsey Island on the northernmost side. Teeny tiny as in land area of two square miles and a maximum elevation of 344 feet. Seriously, the ratio of real estate to spectacular scenery is off the charts magnificent.

Getting There

The ferry ride was stomach-plunging bumpy. This is a working ferry that transports loads of fish, so no, not luxurious, but comfortable enough with bathrooms and Tom & Jerry cartoons playing on the television. I’d hoped to spot a whale, but we left in dense fog and saw nothing of the gorgeous shoreline leaving mainland Iceland. The small harbor on the island appeared out of the fog the instant we arrived and not a heartbeat sooner.Continue Reading

Blowin’ in the wuthering wind

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Airmail snapdragons

Yesterday was breezy. But today? The wuthering wind is blowing and roaring almost as though it twists from the ground up, a reminder of how sturdy trees really are. And the flowers pictured in this post? They are the wind’s answer to spring.

I call them my airmail flowers. Airmail because these flowers were planted old school. As nature intended. Seeds were scattered by the wind, probably on a day declared TOO WINDY by moi on Facebook. Probably followed by a rainstorm that woke me during the night. Probably followed by a soggy day when Lucy and Annabelle refused to go outside.

Probably.

Mother Nature does a good job when left to her own devices.

Definitely.

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Exhausted from the Rain

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Exhausted from the rain.

This was supposed to be my “Savoring April” post. The one where I recap April. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted from the rain. And I’m happy to move on to May. I’m expecting TONS OF MAY FLOWERS. Aren’t you? April showers promise that much, you know.

We received around 15 inches of rain the past week which has resulted in flash flooding. The fierce storm is moving on across the country leaving death and destruction in its path. I’m always fascinated by the calm before the storm, not to mention the rainbow coloring the back end. Not that we’re done. If this morning’s wind and dismal skies are any indication, we seem to have more bad queued up.

Maybe T. S. Eliot got it right when he said April is the cruelest month.

For the most part, I can celebrate April. I savored the month with friends and family, book clubs and library events, and lots of time working in the garden in between rolling thunder. April brought a family reunion potluck and Easter ribs from the Rendezvous in Memphis. Like they say, you can’t beat that with a stick.

Here’s my recap in pictures.

Savoring April 2017
So a quick rundown for posterity.

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