Brother and Sister

GEDC7878, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Cousins' gathering at Robin's Diner

GEDC7891, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Summer sunflowers

GEDC7907, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

some of the Cooks

some of the Cooks, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

This photo was taken at my Aunt Ruth's wedding in the early 1950s, of 7 of her 9 brothers who served as "servers" at her reception. The two not shown , Edward and Manville(Pee Wee), served as best man and an usher. L to R: Frances, Robert, Raymond(Sport), my Dad- Lawrence (Al), Carleton(Abe), Ralph (Marsh)and Harold (Jake). In a large family there are many nicknames! My Aunt Ruth's given name was Edna Ruth but I grew up knowing her as Aunt John.

Lily Lake in Summer

GEDC7706, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Lily Lake lily pads

GEDC7711, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

What is it about lily pads that are so appealing to the eye? No wonder Monet painted them over and over! Something about them look so exotic and not of this earth.

Independence Day Greetings!

We celebrated Independence Day with an old fashioned porch picnic...with my second cousin, Charles, who also happens to be the Afton Town Historian. I spent some morning time in the kitchen, making deviled eggs, cutting up watermelon, augmenting yesterday's spinach and pasta salad with olives and tomatoes, finding the fancy 3-way pickle dish, opening cans of baked beans, and trying my hand at making ambrosia salad with sour cream, mini marshmallows, mandarin oranges, pineapple and maraschino cherries (courtesy of Rachel). Charlie arrived with bottle of Merlot in hand and we sat beneath the living room fan, toasting summer days to come and catching up, both on present news , future events and appointments, and past historical tidbits of interest.

We had copies of old , old New York State Regents tests that my grandmother's brother, Frank, (who was also Charlie's grandfather as well as a schoolmaster) had pasted into an 1860 census book. We were amazed by the scope and difficulty of the questions and I photocopied some of the pages for Charlie's use (he writes a historical column for the regional TriTown news). We also shared some of the 1940 census data that's been recently made available for the public via Internet, and Charlie took some notes from local information showing former neighbor's names, occupation, number in household, etc.

Dan fired up the barbecue and grilled some tenderloin and spare ribs, and we sat at the picnic table and had a leisurely picnic. Mom and Dad were with us in spirit- we celebrated so many holidays over the years on the porch, that even though they have passed on, they still feel present...although we missed Dad's homemade rolls, and his little pigs-in-blankets he made and shared with us at every special event. Mom used to make such colorful fruit salads! However, we used their patriotic red and blue bandanna tablecloth and a couple of Mom's fancy dishes, so we honored their memory...After lunch Joe made Charlie a graham cracker s'more- Charlie's first in 88 years!

Our oldest kids are of on their own independent adventures. Rachel sent us some gorgeous photos from their western road trip; in less than a week, she and Shaun have already seen some amazing places, including the Badlands, Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore, Wall's Drugs, Little House sites, and wide open spaces. They've also dealt with car trouble, but seem resilient and ready to see more. Tonight, they may be seeing a rodeo in Jackson, WY. Jim left home after breakfast this morning and reported he had arrived in Oneonta safely. He is touring New York by bicycle. I'm learning to wish my traveling kids well and to trust in their abilities to weather whatever they encounter. I guess I'm growing up as a parent although I must admit I wish I could tag along on their tailwinds and experience anew the excitement traveling to new places brings.

Our youngest son is busy with a summer baseball league and participating in a Gus Macker basketball tournament this coming weekend. Dan and I have attended all his games (and I'm stockpiling baskets of fabric yo-yos that I make while watching the games. I may end up with enough yo-yos to stitch together and cover a good deal of Afton, or hopefully, at least enough for a good-sized quilt).

Oh, yes, and yesterday, my boys played a rousing, round of Fizzball (Hitting shaken soda cans) Orange pop everywhere!

Perfect day for baseball in Walton, NY

GEDC7638, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Last Friday we went to the first of many summer league baseball games. This one started at 6PM and ended at dusk. I was happy that we got to Walton early so I could check out a new fabric store. ( Yes, of course I added a few fat quarters to my stash)! The weather may be a factor in tonight's game...

Lake trail

GEDC7483, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Yesterday, I walked the Lily Lake trail counter clockwise. It felt like a whole new trail, like a bit of time traveling. It's good now and then to change your routine to jostle your expectations and see familiar things from a new perspective.

Lily, lovely lady of the lake

Lily, lovely lady of the lake, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Lilies galore

Lilies galore, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

The lilies fill the surface of Lily Lake and look like green static on a sixties' TV screen.

Lily in bloom on Lily Lake

Lily in bloom on Lily Lake, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Last week I walked around Lily Lake again. The seasonal changes are happening at warp speed now. The incremental changes noticed during Winter walks are eclipsed by gargantuan changes within a week's span. Last week's humid temperatures created junglelike growth. The path is narrowing with abundant foliage! The pinxter blooms have fallen away, the bullfrogs' sound is deafening (except when you pass by their particular spot), reeds are greening and growing out of last year's dried fronds and lily pads choke the lake's surface, dotted with occasional blooms, any one of which looks like a beautiful Japanese flower painting. Dragonflies flit along the path, chipmunks chur and dash about, and new ducklings are guided to safe havens by protective mother ducks.

Grand view

GEDC7372, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Magnificent clouds

GEDC7365, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

About a week ago, as we were watching a baseball game, I couldn't help but notice these gorgeous clouds!

Lily Lake scene, May 2012

Lily Lake scene, May 2012, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

This is the reference photo I will be using for my next Lily Lake drawing...

Indian-pipe

GEDC7209, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Cheap Admission to Yankees game!

GEDC7224, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

Does anyone know what year a grandstand ticket to see a Yankees game was only $1.30? I found this stub as I was clearing out my older brother's drawer in our family home; it must be from the late 50s or very early 60s...

RAD Grad and family

GEDC7243, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

This past Sunday, our family celebrated another milestone when our daughter/sister graduated with honors with an Art Education degree.

Walking down 434

Walking down 434, a photo by Farmhouse Greetings on Flickr.

My three

A Little Garden Talk

OK, so here's a little example of how a pebble thrown into a pond creates ongoing ripples.... over ten years ago, my friend, Becky, from an herb group I belonged to at the time, loaned me a few small  periodicals named GreenPrints, which featured a nice mix of gardening stories and illustrations. She said something to the effect of, "Linda, I think you could do drawings for this magazine."

Thanks to Becky's encouragement,  I submitted a story and some quick sketches about taking piano lessons, which were agonizing to me when I was very young because I didn't practice. Every week,  I sat on Mr. Hurlburt's piano bench, plodding through my lesson book, squirming, watching the hands on his cuckoo clock move ever so slowly. Even though I was an unpromising student, I perked up on the rare occasions he would offer to give me a tour of his lovely gardens, complete with stone arches, fifty varieties of lilies, double petunias started from tiny, tiny seeds...it was truly an enchanted kingdom or so it seemed to a very young girl who believed in the magic of gardens. Perhaps I failed to become a proficient pianist, but the seeds of garden appreciation were planted, and continued to flourish ever since! Anyway, the editor of GreenPrints accepted my story but rejected my hasty sketches. My revision was much better, and I've been lucky enough to be in every issue since then, and even in GreenPrints' eletters, too. Becky was right- GreenPrints and I were a great match.

Earlier this year, Katrina Nicke, president of Walt Nicke's Garden Talk, saw my illustrations in GreenPrints, and contacted me, through the help of Pat Stone, GreenPrint's editor. I'm so pleased to have had the chance to illustrate the cover of Garden Talk's Spring 2012 catalog. My daughter, Rachel, is shown on the cover, playing with one of our porch cats. (Rachel's grown up, now, about to graduate with a degree in Art Ed from New Paltz this coming Sunday). Katrina even liked my note card and calendar designs enough to feature them in the catalog as well. I've learned that Walt Nicke's Garden Talk catalog is one of the oldest garden supply catalog companies in America, started over 40 years ago in the Hudson Valley region of New York state. As I chatted with Marilyn, one of my quilting friends, she realized she taught art with Katrina's mother, many years ago. What a small world!  Somehow, it seems, we are all connected!






So, I guess I'm trying to say, "Thank you, Becky" for pointing me in the right direction. One never knows  the extent of a kind gesture, a chance remark, or a few words of encouragement...planted in fertile soil.

And speaking of plants, I highly recommend Becky and Ed's excellent gardening blog, titled "Plants and Stones"!  It's how I start my day.