Swinging lady

Swinging
Originally uploaded by Farmhouse Greetings

My Mom (over 4 score and ten) still enjoys some of the simplest pleasures in life like baby animals and swinging.

Savoring Summer

Today is July the last; Summer vacation is nearly half over. It's been filled with biking, baseball , sunflowers, baby chicks, swinging, more baseball (J even dislocated a pinkie diving for a catch) and touching base with Colorado cousins. Tuesday evening ten of us met and sat together overlooking third base at the Syracuse Chiefs game (vs. the Scranton Yankees).A perfect night weather wise and for the family, too. Even D's Mom joined in the fun and enjoyed watching people as much as the game (a favorite pastime of mine as well).





Yesterday, J and I spent a leisurely day at the local State park, walking around part of Chenango Lake, wading in the water, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, and catching a grasshopper and chasing after T's baby sister, who is exploring the world every moment. When we got home my cousins, E&K, surprised us with a quick but wonderful visit, long enough to reconnect and keep the family ties strong. They met J for the first time and we got their current Colorado addresses. So glad I saw them- it's always a treat. I have a photo somewhere of K holding R as a baby- 17 or 18 years ago,during one of their driveby visits between Albany and PA; now R is taller then all of us and leaving for college soon.









Today Mom and Dad stopped by for their weekly diner visit. The new baby chicks captured Mom's attention and she enjoyed swinging on the swing. I'm sure both activities triggered childhood memories. She commented that her father often sat for a long while, mesmerized by a new batch of baby chicks.

Maine memories

We spent the weekend in Wells, ME. Loved hearing the waves crash along the shore and breathing in the sea smells. Spent a lot of time walking along the waves'edges, looking down at the pebbles and shell fragments, had to remind myself to look around and savor the sights of families enjoying themselves. We read, ate seafood (lobster for me!), made a sand dragon,shopped a bit, and discovered a wonderful one and a half mile walkway along the ocean between Perkins Cove and Ogonquit Beach.

Hazy, Hot & Humid

Today is a 3H day- hazy, hot and humid! This is what Summer is like so the best thing to do is as little as possible and yield to the heat. Our first sunflower is in bloom, self sowed from last year's sunnies. Noticed some forget-me-nots down by the river.Ate a few black caps, and noticed several tiny toads hopping in the grass.

Bevier-Elting House, New Paltz, NY

French Huguenot, Louis Bevier. started building this stone house in 1694. We are descended from him on my Mom's maternal side of the family. Her grandmother was Rachel Ann Bevier. Someday, we'll take the actual tour to see the inside of the house.

Callas and others

These calla lilies are from my Mom and Dad who each year dig them out of their garden beds, let them dry on the garage floor, treat them with some sort of powder against bugs (maybe they do that in the Spring) store in the basement of their home and replant each spring.They originally got a few bulbs decades ago, probably from Mom's Aunt Daisy and they've nurtured them these many years and tenderly care for what seems like a bushel of them now as they multiply. Each year they give me a few; I forgot where I planted them until yesterday, when I spotted them adding a touch of grace to an overlooked garden patch.









We are vying with the birds for ripening blueberries. Sometimes they miss the bluest ones hidden beneath a cluster of leaves, mmmm....taste of summer!







The bee balm is in full bloom and the hummingbirds enjoying the Bergamot Diner! These blooms resemble critters from Dr. Seuss picture books, or at least their wild hairdos. I like to rub a leaf between my fingers- very pungent! Another name for this plant is Oswego Tea; I think Earl Grey tea has bergamot in it.







Daylilies are blooming. These double ones are another gift from my Mom's garden that made themselves at home in mine.



Sunflower buds are tightly furled, waiting to bloom after a few more days of sun and rains. Yesterday, I printed up a run of fifteen 2009 calendars, which includes, you guessed it, a page devoted to sunflowers.

So Many Black-eyed Susans!

Today is a high summer day. Took a stroll around the yard this morning, afer feeding chickens and rabbits. There are a lot of different kinds of black-eyed susans in bloom- standard single blooms, doubles, extremely full doubles, frilly centers, etc.