What do you do when it's 103?

Get out the WT pool and some drinks with umbrellas of course!!!

Reunited!

We met Grandma and Grandpa in Indiana to get Maisie back.  It's great to have her home!

fruit arrangements

Sammy and some of her friends made edible arrangements today after being inspired by a class at the local library.  They had so much fun.  All we used were wooden shishkabob skewers, a few cookie cutters, and a melon baller.  The girls worked for almost two hours - which is quite a feat with seven 11 year old girls and Maisie!  The best part of all, the mess ups and left overs were delicious! 

Once again, I LOVE MY KIDS BEING ON VACATION AND US DOING WHAT WE WANT WITH OUR TIME!!!!

Camping in Wi

Took a weekend camping trip to Spring Green, WI.  We took a canoe trip down the river and spent the afternoon on the sandbars.  It was an awesome adventure and we hope to join the Ludwig Family's annual trip from now on.

 

On our way to summer camp

Old Route 66 on the way to summer camp

Sammy's last greasy meal for the week! 

Here we are on our way to dropping Ben and Sam off for five days of sleep away Summer Camp.  This is the first time for them both going to camp.  You'll notice Maisie is absent from the photos this time.  Well that is because she is at her own private sleep away camp.... GRANDMA AND GRANDPA'S house back in NY. 

This is a first time for John and I being all alone in the house for more than a night in almost 13 years.  It's pretty interesting.  We are working on completing some projects to surprise the kids.   Wait until they see what we have done!!

All of the household pets are moping around missing the kids especially the dog.  She got into trouble today for pawing the hose until it turned on and then digging a giant hole in the surrounding mud.  This is the first time she has ever been bored enough to do something bad. We need those kids back home to watch her.  In the meantime Pooh does what she does all the time now.... sleep!

Waiting for you for a picnic

onions, cucumbers, pickle cucumbers, tomatoes

peas, peppers, brussel sprouts, broccoli

First year Asparagus

 

Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts

Tomatoes - several varieties

State of the house and yard

 

Small Cozy Cottage for rent...

Well that's what a sign should say on the front of this little house.  A little bird took up residence in my decorative birdhouse next to the front door.  I think it is a house wren although I can not be sure.  She laid eggs that have hatched into a loud little family.  We are hoping they all move before the babies get too big to get out the hole (which is smaller than an inch) or the cats get them.  In the meantime we have had to stop using the front door.  It makes the mom so nervous she dive bombs and chatters at whom or whatever is there.    

 The front no longer has overgrown yews, we have added perennial beds instead.  I transplanted day lilies, lily of the valley, ferns, phlox, and joe pye weed.

 Here is one of the many beds of day lilies that I am working on transplanting around the yard.  Close to the house you can see the last of the overgrown hedges we haven't bothered to take out yet. 

 This is the back view of the glass living room now that the tree is removed.  There is an area about 12 by 12 feet that is completely bare.  I am transplanting the lilies, bishop weed, and ferns to fill it in for now.  Someday we will build a deck but I have a feeling it is pretty far off.

Here is the chicken coop and run.  See the woodpile behind it?  John split the tree we had taken down with an axe and maul and Ben stacked it.  It has taken about 9 months but it is mostly done.  There are a few really knotty logs that are going to require time to be split, but the project was pretty impressive!

The hens are full grown now and are all laying in summer cycle.  Most days we have 8 or 9 eggs which is pretty good, we have nine hens in all; 2 Leghorns, 2 Rhode Island Reds, 4 Barred Rocks, and 1 Wyandotte.