Most Impressive...Breakfast On the Camp Fire

Chief cook -- whose #1 helper was her brother.

Meanwhile... There was a grandbaby to hold

and a fire to keep stoked (there's the sous chef!)

and children to entertain

until -- voila -- breakfast was served!

I was in the house brewing coffee in a modern day coffee maker. Tom was playing pool boy -- getting ready for the barrage of swimmers.

Cousins Reunion 2011

More pictures to come! Swimming, camping, breakfast around the campfire, rolling down the sloping front yard, visiting, and of course, the picnic.

The Sustaining Power of Hope and Prayer

I have nothing to complain about. Yet someone who does gives me reason -- by example -- to appreciate, enjoy, relish and embrace LIFE. And maybe take time to show a little gratitude (she says sheepishly).

Read Toddler Planet and please keep Susan in your prayers. Thank you so much.

July Zooms By

Kathy's 60th birthday on the 4th of July...

She's a Yankee Doodle Dandy

Birthday party, family reunion, spending over with friends, back home to prepare for guests, work in the tree fields, host cookouts and swim days, repair boat (see previous post), more mowing and shearing in the tree fields, gear up for Henning family reunion, clean up from Henning family reunion...and zip, that month is over!

Lots accomplished. Lots of fun had. Still more summer to enjoy!

Random photos: 

Visiting the old stomping grounds -- Stackhouse Park

bro and sis-in-law

Friends

 

Family

 

More Family and friends

 

 

The internet is slow...I've spent way too long trying to upload pix. Pictures of the Cousins Reunion to follow. Like maybe when we have a realio trulio high speed connection, which is rumored to be a possibility by next week. We'll see.

Testing, Just Testing

The old flat bottom boat was leaky. Tom fixed it. But who wants to make a trip all the way to the creek to see if it is now sea worthy...errr creek worthy? No one. So here's an idea. Let's put the boat in the pool...

Yup, that should do it. No leaks. No torn pool liner. Everybody is happy.

As long as we're all wet -- might as well swim...

I'm not sure what was going on here, but it looks like Adam and Alicia are practicing synchronized swimming...

And if you're just a little person, we have a pool for you too.                                                                          

Goggles, check. Water wings, check.  Life jacket, check.
                                                        Little lounge chair and six inches of water -- good to go!

Another Day in Paradise

That's my dad's sentiment about his life in Florida. And when we're there mid-winter, I couldn't agree more! But up north we have our paradise in the summertime. Yesterday we enjoyed sunshine and pleasantly warm temperatures -- absolutely perfect. Tom and I sat on the porch swing and watched a hummingbird sip from the feeder. A couple of deer were browsing in the yard.

Later in the evening we had dinner on the back porch and a mama doe brought her 2 fawns out to play -- just tiny little things.. No picture of that, I couldn't stop watching long enough to go get the camera.

This is a wonderful place to live. A little bit of paradise.

And a bonus,  little kids come over to play in the pool.

I Remember A Day When...

The grass was getting thick and green, buds were popping open turning into leaves, ferns were filling out beyond their frond stage, all of the plants and flowers were coming to life, greening up, and getting full and lush. It was all so beautiful and orderly.

 

nice tidy edges all around

I didn't notice the weeds so much. They were still little and insignificant, small enough to yank out when I was admiring the flower beds, pachysandra edge, hosta rows, or lines of lilies.

What happened?

A little sunshine and a lot of rain -- that's what happened. And boom. The weeds are big, full, and lush too. You should see the sumac trees sprouting where they ought not to be, and the dandelions, chickweed, and touch-me-nots. The virginia creeper and poison ivy are taking off like there's a race. And if we don't keep after them, they'll win.

Today there is no contest. I want to sit on the porch and enjoy the sights and sounds of a perfectly beautiful day. Let the weeds run rampant. I don't care.

weeds running rampant

Who am I kidding? I'm type A. Weeds -- and that overgrown look -- drive me crazy. I'm just going to have to get off my duff and go ask Tom to fix this for me.

Come On In... The Water's Fine

One of the best things about having a pool is that friends come over and enjoy it too. This little guy swims from the shallow end to the deep end and even jumps off the diving board -- with a little help from his floatation device. Don't worry, an adult is always nearby.

Here's another frequent visitor...

And you are ever so welcome too!

Summer: Getting Dirty, Keeping Cool, Retreating

Why is it I love summer? What do I do all summer long? It's all coming back to me. The tree fields need mowed, the lawn grows and grows and has to be cut and cut. The pool -- fun as it is -- requires effort to keep it sparkling clean. Flower beds, vegetable garden (such as it is), porches, swing set, barn, everything you have needs taken care of. That care requires time and energy I'd rather use for swimming or sipping iced tea with a friend. But that's okay, it's summer time. All the work surrounding us is worth it for the incredible beauty surrounding us. And to top it off we get surprise glimpses of wildlife: birds, rabbits, deer, coyotes, and bears. I haven't seen the bear or the coyote, but Tom has -- and you know what? -- that's fine with me. I don't need to see bears and coyotes. The moon has been breathtakingly gorgeous. And last night when I couldn't sleep at 12:45 a.m., lightning bugs were putting on such a spectacular show I was a bit spooked. They were giant lightning bugs flashing big, big lights. Or were they tiny little ufo's shining tiny little lights? Whatever they were it was surely an invasion. They were up high in the trees and down low in the grass and straight ahead convening on every edge and hedge of our property. Big bugs or small aliens, I don't know for sure. But I went back to bed and snuggled up to Tom and dreamed about other worlds.

Cleaning Frenzy

No time to post.
No time to write.
I'm cleaning house by day,
And late into the night.

That's my excuse for last week. But this is a new week and since my house is decluttered, organized, and the spring cleaning is pretty much done, I'll get back to writing faithfully. (Believe that and I'll tell you another story.)

We had company this weekend and couldn't have had more fun. We got to see two sons, one daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. There was all manner of playing, swimming, fishing, swinging, eating, and even a little work. Grant helped me spread mulch on my flower bed. I told him what a big help he was. He told me, "Working together is special time that makes good memories." How does a 4-year-old know that?

The entire weekend was full of special time that Nana and Papa sure hope means special memories for the grandkids. Another Grant exclamation: "Papa this was the most fun afternoon I ever had in my whole life!" (Of course the day before at the Pittsburgh zoo was also the most fun he ever had in his whole life.) Oh to be so enthusiastic about life!

A highlight of the weekend was dinner out to Chuck E. Cheese. One of my friends said, "That's the equivalent of Vegas for little kids." I don't know about that, but it was a blast. And here's a big surprise... the pizza was really good! Still the best part of all was watching the little boys having so much fun.

Knowing how these kids make us smile, I can just imagine how tickled God is with all of his children! I hope I make Him smile.