Happy Friday! I am excited to introduce a new series today: Casual Friday. Sometimes I have a jumble of things to share that are not long enough for a full newsletter but also too complicated for a single photo in the Postcards series. It’s a wide range today — let’s get into it.

On Sunday afternoon it was 52* and raining, and then it was 52* and hailing! We get hail but never in mid-April and it rarely sticks around. It looked like snow and the pieces were just like marbles. It was wild.

My garden faired…pretty well. The ranunculus, cosmos, calendula and anemones are cooler weather plants and took it in stride. The marigolds, celosia, pansies, sunflowers and zinnias are small enough that while the leaves got battered, they should bounce back fine. The cucumbers and peppers look more or less the same (but they didn’t look that great before the hail). As you can see above, the tomatoes took the biggest hit but tomatoes are resilient so I am (forever) hopeful.

I found a piece of vintage art at a local market this past weekend. (Sacramento folks, this pop-up in Lincoln is great if you’re in the area.) While secondhand shopping, my eyes are always roaming for “good art.” The number one thing I am looking for is a pleasing color story. Flowers and landscapes will always catch my eye. I am always more likely to purchase when a piece is well framed.

The poppy above fit all my requirements! Good color story! Pretty flowers! Gold frame in nice condition! The piece has some water damage but, for me, that’s not a deal breaker. It was $46, which felt appropriate for the size (14×19 inches). And when I looked closely it appeared to be an original.