A weekend with everyone under one roof

1. How many people does it take to feed a baby? Apparently six. One to advise, one to spoon, one to observe for future, one to provide sips from cup, one to wipe clean and one to photograph.
2. Our little screen porch is encapsulated by the night. A lamp glows on the table and cicadas chirp from beyond the darkness. We have all mixed something cool to drink, Chelsea's has freshly crushed mint. It's good to have all of us together, chatting and laughing as a "whole".
3. The refrigerator is opened and closed a lot this weekend.

Daughter #2 Sews, Sitting with #2 and #3, #1 visits with #1a.

1. Chelsea spent the day here sewing the cutest little apron for her friend's bridal shower gift. I liked hearing the hum of the machine and her industriousness. It made me want to be industrious, too.
2. It was unbearably hot today, but we managed to get out of the air conditioning and enjoy the porch later in the evening.
3. Claire, Daniel and Marian drove in tonight for a weekend visit! Words fail in expressing the joy I feel when I hold Mari.

Produce far and near

1. I thought she was carrying a length of exhaust pipe, but it turned out to be a vegetable/fruit of some sort. It was an odd encounter for a post office setting, and I don't know why she was carrying it around, but it started my day off in a quirky way. Four feet long, light green in color, she says her Vietnamese friend sent her the seeds and called it a pear of some sort.
2. I have the bounty of summer in my shopping cart. Peaches, nectarines, plums and strawberries. Life will be spare of these come winter, so we'll enjoy every fresh bite while we can.
3. Here come the tomatoes!

* She offered me seeds but I think there are customs laws about importing that sort of thing, so I declined. I can see myself being responsible for some sort of natural disaster like the ladybug problem we have : )

CRAZY bird, Sun kissed, Fellow New Yorker

1. An aggressive mockingbird dives at me with a whoosh and screech every time I try to water the pots out front. Even when I anticipate the attack, I still duck and yelp with surprise. Tonight I figure out that if I face the bird, it won't dive at me. So I scold it, head-on, the entire time I'm watering. Ha! It's a game of chicken with a mockingbird.
2. A sun-warmed tomato fills the palm of my hand as I twist it off the vine.
3. My friend introduces me to the Fresh Air child who is staying with them. She is 500 miles away from home, spending summer in the Virginia countryside. When I tell her that I am from New York too, her shy demeanor falls away and a brief flicker of smile meets mine.
3a. This reminds me of being with my dad when he would run into old friends and they would shout to each other, "Ey! Paisan!"

The bane of my existence, Ahh, Taking care of business

1. Pulling up wire grass and the whole runner comes up, too.
2. I sit in the shade and remove my cap. When the breeze hits my sweaty brow, it has the effect of air conditioning.
3. I'm determined to wipe the slate clean and pay off my library fine of $1.20.

Triple Take, Chelsea came over, With tomatoes

1. On our way down the road this morning we saw a doe with triplets. They were sweet little things, still bearing their white spots and stripes. She must be a very busy mama.
2. A lovely, lazy afternoon, rocking, reading and visiting.
3. We walked across the field to say hello to the new neighbors in the rental house. He is a landscape designer and they plan to give the place a face lift. Yes!

Marathon in the kitchen, July?, Outside brought in, He thinks outside my box

1. I imagine the rewards we'll enjoy this winter when we open a jar of pickles or relish. I'll also remember how Steve chopped and Tess photographed.
2. The weather was overcast and cool, tricking me into imagining it was autumn.
3. Heads of lacy dill are spread over the kitchen table, mildly scenting the room with the garden.
4. Steve leaves his mark as evidenced by a lone string bean inside a jar of pickles, or slices cast into a jar of spears.