Happy Solstice! Aren’t those Simpson-esque clouds just ridiculous? I hope you’re having a lovely day…I realize that the moment of “stillness” actually happened last night, but it is just as fun to celebrate during the day, smelling all the green, the onion-bite, cows and moisture from all the recent rain, flooding aside:

Fortunately, our new battalion of sump pumps kept any of this from creeping into the basement, but what a squishy day.

We had a busy morning, working in the yard, taking a quick trip into town for lunch, picked up our CSA, and then to the thriftstore where I found the perfect piece for our living room:

I love this bench! It has a nice, sturdy base and it looks like it would be easy to reupholster, but I’m fine with the leather/faux leather for now. The two cases flanking the bench are new Ikea cd storage lockers. I like them, but they almost fade into the wall. The only other option was silver, which I’m not into, but maybe some artwork above the bench will help define the space better. Our house is definitely Mish and Mash–I have a hard time buying new furniture, as much as I love to look at it. It takes a great deal of energy to manufacture furniture. I feel that if we have something that serves a purpose and isn’t horrible, it’s good enough. But I do like to imagine and dream quite a bit.