a day in the life of a latvian mom

Some of the most beautiful things in a garden are the ones you never planned. My hollyhocks are a perfect example. I love them because they are completely free. I never bought them, never carefully planted them, and never designed this flower bed. They simply appeared, dropped their seeds, and decided to grow here.

Every year the patch gets bigger and bigger.

During summer I walk through the grass looking for new little hollyhock plants. When I find one, I put a stick next to it so Jānis won’t accidentally trim it away. It feels like protecting a tiny garden treasure.

Now they look like a soft cloud of light pink floating in the garden. The delicate flowers sway in the wind, and bees are constantly visiting them. There is something magical about watching this little corner of the garden come alive.

I especially love that they are not the big, impressive, perfectly shaped hollyhocks you can buy in shops or grow from purchased seeds. Mine are much simpler. They have a gentle, old-fashioned beauty — the kind of flowers you imagine growing next to an old country house, without anyone trying too hard.. the wild one, like me 🙂

They just belong. So I decided to sit under the apple tree and paint them.

Not because I wanted to create a perfect artwork. Actually, I wasn’t even sure I would like the final result. My goal was something else — to enjoy the process.

So I made myself a little slow afternoon.

I took out my computer, put on some beautiful music, made a cup of coffee, poured it into an old porcelain saucer, and brought out my watercolors.

Why not? Why not take some time just to sit, observe, and draw?

I think sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to create something impressive. But creativity can also be about simply enjoying the moment — feeling the brush in your hand, noticing the shape of a flower, listening to the bees, and being present.

And, of course, I wasn’t alone for long.

Linna (and Marley) joined me with her pencils and felt-tip pens and continued working on her comic. Soon we were both sitting under the apple tree, each creating our own little worlds.

One painting. One comic. One cup of coffee. A garden full of flowers and bees.

Maybe these are the moments I love most about summer — the simple ones that were never planned but become beautiful memories.

Ilze