Little Guest, Happy Boy, Blessings Abound

1. There is a sweet and dear little girl sleeping in the guest room. She brought all of her special lovies and blankets to cuddle while she sleeps. It was my privilege to read her a stack of books at bedtime.
2. Her baby brother sleeps upstairs with his parents. I plan to cover his chubby arms and legs with kisses as soon as he wakes and is carried down. When he smiles at me it will melt my heart : )
3. It's been a perfectly gorgeous weekend with cool nights and comfortable, sunny days. June weekends typically contain so much activity and this was no exception. Once I have access to the guest room again (where my computer and camera cord are situated) I will post all the beautiful things from this particular June weekend.

A Big Wide World, Unwelcome Guests, The Gas Can Was Filled...in Case

1. I watched the young mockingbird make its first venture out of the nest. He sat on the back steps  looking excited and confused. His mother enticed him away with bugs. She flew up to him and showed him the bug but wouldn't give it to him until he came a little farther out. Brilliant mother! The downy feathers on his head make me smile.
2. The bad news: We haven't even finished our raised bed garden and the deer have found it.
The good news: Steve went into immediate action and rigged a motion sensor light and radio that blasts white noise and flashing lights upon detection of the slightest movement. Ha,ha! It's so engineer-minded. On a more practical note, he also put up some chicken wire caging. (This was more along my way of thinking.)
3. The wind was not as bad as was predicted and we got off with some severe thunder storms, but no straight line winds. Once the storms cleared, the air temperature was refreshingly cooler.

Summer Sipper, School's Out!, Thousand Hills

1. A refreshing drink for sipping on the porch. It will keep for a week stored in the fridge:

3 cups orange juice
3 cups pineapple juice
1 tablespoon finely grated, fresh ginger
2 cups vodka (optional)
Add 4 cups ginger ale at serving. Serve over ice with an orange slice for garnish.

1.a. B. introduced me to these plastic lids that she bought at Kroger. There will be no more need to use metal canning lids and rings to store opened jars.
1.b. I like the red striped twine she used to tie my two lids together. Oh, the little things...
2. So many hugs and "Thank you's" on this last day of school. Children display their exuberance, dancing, hugging, and jumping their way through the day.
2.a.  The school year has a pattern, a heartbeat, that paces the days. Weekends and holidays stand out and become more special somehow. It's easier for me to "feel" the calendar and the difference in the  months and seasons. I remember feeling this as a child and I like it.
3. An appointment with friends for coffee at the new coffee shop, Thousand Hills. It's a nice atmosphere. I keep thinking how weird it feels to be sitting in a brand-spanking-new building on what used to be an apple orchard. As nice as this is, I still miss the apple orchard.

New in the Nest, Needs Good Home, Replenishing the Well

1. Each time Mother Mockingbird returns to her nest in the trumpet vine, we hear her babies cry out to her.
2. Neighbor W. offered us some orphaned plants that needed a home. Steve drove us over in the truck and W. gave us the willow cotoneaster I had been planning to buy, Shasta daisies, grasses, and a corkscrew willow. I had to say no to the beautiful rhododendron because I couldn't think of a good place to plant it. I really don't know where to plant the willow either, but it was too pretty to turn down and we'll come up with a plan for it. Now I just hope I can do these plants justice by nurturing them properly.
3. Thunder rumbles off in the distance as I watch the horses greedily munch their grain. I grab the feed pans as soon as they finish and make it back inside just before the first big drops begin to fall. W. says it will rain all day tomorrow. I'm good with that.

Still Gray, A Sweet Ride, Extra Special on the Side

1. Another rainy day and I didn't mind one bit. It let up while I did my grocery shopping so I didn't have to carry the bags through the rain.
2. I've been hauling around a bag of sweet feed in my trunk for two days. The interior of my car now smells like molasses.
3. Neighbor W. brought fresh cauliflower and zucchini from Saunders Brothers. I had a yen for cauliflower, but not just plain old cauliflower. I made this wonderful Cauliflower Gratin to have alongside our hamburgers.

photo courtesy marthastewart.com

Cheery, Sweet, Downpour All Day

1. Red crepe paper poppies dot the median of the highway.
2. Honeysuckle vines run rampant this year. They grow up fence posts, along banks, and even tumble over road signs. Their honey-sweet scent drifts to my parked car. I glance around until I spot the vine a few yards away.
3. Heavy rains make it impossible to be out for more than a dash between car and door. Later, I happily stand on the porch where I can enjoy the rain without getting soaked.

The boy who "will not hit others with lunch bag" is throwing his orange, full throttle on the floor. By the time I get over to him, he's thrown it and retrieved it about three times. I ask him, "Why ever are you throwing your orange on the floor like that?!" He points to the skin and says, "The peel will protect it." "So you're doing an experiment to prove the peel protects the orange?" I ask. Smiling, he says, "Yes." "I'm going to peel it so you can eat it now.", I reply.

By the way, this is my backwards walker : )

Catching Up, My Heart is Full!

My journal entries feel like a friend I have neglected. I miss my time in solitude, pondering the blessings of the day. I do still ponder them, but it's as my tired head hits the pillow at night and sleep releases all the thoughts of the day.

What has blessed me or pricked my heart this week:

- When I first met this little boy in March, his father had just died. He spent lunch time with his head on the table or he sat gazing with a faraway look on his face. Today there is a sparkle in his eyes. He greets me with a smile and I even detect a little mischief there.
- Another little first grade boy has a hard time staying out of mischief. He walks up and hands me a paper. His teacher had him write this for me after I scolded him the week before. Ha, ha! I had forgotten that we used to be made to do this when we were kids. I'm saving it : )

I do not hit others with lunch bag.

- Daughter #4 had her end-of-the-year piano recital. I like the venue her teacher uses. It's Talmadge Recital Hall at Hollins University. She loves the Steinway grand piano there.

Practicing on our Boston piano. It's made by the Steinway company, but it's nowhere near the same sound as the one below.

Talmade Recital Hall

- Reading two of my daughter's blogs. Their lives are so very different, yet both so wonderfully exciting. Daughter #1's life is centered on a baby and a toddler, observing life through the comical, endearing ways of children. Daughter #2's life is one of high adventure and sharing new places with breathtaking photos. Both their lives are fulfilling and complete. I ponder this quite a bit.

Daughter #1

Daughter #2

- Sitting on the porch with Daughter #3 and catching up. This is a rare occurrence that is perhaps becoming less rare : )
- B. had us over, along with some other friends, for a casual summertime dinner on their porch. As evening passed and night closed in, we stayed out there and visited by candlelight.