Campfire Food and Campfire Fun!

Foil Dinners for everyone!

Her first S'more!

Demon Dog by night!  Scarrrrrry!

What a beautiful morning!

Good morning kisses for the sleepy head!

Hot water on the fire for some hot chocolate and left over 'mallows from the night before.

Getting so big!!

Treasures from nature!

The Kayaks!!

Watching the action from the sidelines!

The girls hiking back up to the campsite to get ready for a weenie roast!



 Plum-tuckered!

Twenty Days of Rain in June

We've had a whole lot of rain this summer.  One thunderstorm comes through just as loud as it can be.  And as soon it waters everything it makes a quick exit, we find Mister Sunshine riding in its wake!

Of course when you combine the two - rain and summer sun - you can't help but get heat and humidity!

There is a little gas station in operation just a few miles east of us.  The guy that runs it is called Oz by the locals.  No swipe and pump at this gas station!  The pumps were alive and well clear back in the 70's!  Its a full service station.  You tell Oz how many gallons you want and he pumps it for you and washes your windows too.  Impressive - if you aren't in a hurry!  Because there isn't anything in a hurry about Oz either!  You will also get to chat a little about the weather, hear a few good wives' tales or take a walk down memory lane.  Back in June, the Apple Farmer stopped to fill up some jugs for the tractors and enjoyed such a visit.  During the exchange, they both talked about the weather being so wet when Oz said, "You know what they all say about twenty days of rain in June."  The Apple Farmer was very curious as he replied, "No, actually I don't.  What does it mean?"  Oz paused, and then continued all slow and drawn out, "Well, I don't know.  I guess you get wet." 

The mystery of this wives' tale was solved a few weeks ago.  Dan, one of our Amish neighbors mentioned the same tale and I pounced right on it!  Dan explained that if it rains on June 1st, you will have 20 days of rain in June.  He's kept track and only once has he ever known the tale to be incorrect.  It certainly wasn't this year!!!  We experienced 90 degrees after the sun went down with 85% humidity.  The heat index was 111.  Suffocating!!

Robin's Egg

Pretty little egg!

Dramatic little egg!

Its still  pretty though!

We Went Hunting!

The Lilacs are open!

The May Apples are poppin' up all over!

The toilet is dripping with condensation!

(No pictures of that one! I hate sweaty toilets - its a humidity thing!)

Yes! It is that time of the year again!

Time to go mushroom huntin'! And man was it ever a fun hunt this year! The Apple Farmer got to join us this time. Does that count as a date?

Welcome to our ditch!

Hunting isn't for the feeble hearted!
Shlop! Shlop! Shlop!
Its a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it!


One of the first sightings!
And after this, you could hear calls of sightings fairly consistently the rest of the time we hunted!

Time to dig up a new recipe that doesn't call for cracker crumbs!

And time to go home and clean up - lots of poison ivy in our happy little ditch!

Cash or Check Only!

No electricity, no problem! It doesn't stop the Amish and Mennonites in our area from building a great business! But, if you decide to visit two of my favorite places and forget to bring cash or check along because you are in the same habit that I am of using the debit card, you will find yourself up a creek, which is where I've found myself on more than one occassion! But happily, not today!

Today we were in need of asparagus crowns, peat moss and elemental sulpher (to plant my blueberries in so that they will live long and prosperous lives). Of course, it is nearly impossible to leave this place with other essentials, like a Fuscia, eight little brussel sprout starts (mmmmm!) and some rooting hormones... Yeah, I know, who buys rooting hormone? Well, I do when I want to propagate a bunch of concord grapes and red raspberries!

I LOVE greenhouses!

I really, REALLY LOVE greenhouses!!

So I tried to get out of the greenhouse within a reasonable amount of time....

We also went to H&M! Bulk foods and great prices! You can even buy a big bag of dehydrated marshmallows to mix in your healthy cereal so it isn't healthy anymore!

Our main purpose for coming here was to buy candy! I know! Even my kids had a hard time pulling their jaws up off the floor when I told them what was on the shopping list! But hey, there's a price to pay for being the favorite Aunt, and this favorite Aunt has only a couple more days to get ourselves ready to head to higher elevation to enjoy a bunch of nieces and nephews! Thirteen, to be precise! Note to siblings and parents: I can't wait to see you all either!!

The Nursery!

After my lettuce, broccoli and artichokes germinated and wore out their welcome in my bay window in the front room, I relocated these little babies into the cold frame outside the front door. But I probably relocated just a tad early, since we are expecting 26 degrees tonight... Now if they were still in my bay window we would be enjoying lovely evenings in the 50's, but not anymore! I ruined that luxury! So there they are under glass with a brooding lamp over the top of them all. They are incubating! Well, that is except for the artichokes. They were germinated and destined for a productive life while they are under my cruel control and they are in the process of being brainwashed so that they will think that they will be starting their second year of life this summer. We are slightly too cold for this amazing perennial plant. And it will never live a perennial life here, that's for darn sure! So while the above little plants bask in the warmth of the brooding lamp, the little artichokes are left in the dark to shiver and winterize. (insert evil laugh)

Looks Like Snow in the Near Future...

Earlier this afternoon, one of our young and newly wed Amish neighbors came over to ask if there was a chance that I could drive him and his wife to the midwife. He was quite concerned and wondered if we could leave as soon as possible. They are not very far along, but she has had a rough time of morning sickness (which I learned when she threw up while I was driving her to the midwife last time), and so I became pretty concerned as well. We had gotten the majority of what we wanted done today, and the Apple Farmer was home, so I told my neighbor I'd be down in 30 minutes to pick them up. Of course, this time I put his sweet wife in the front seat and kept the cabin temperature much cooler than last time... poor girl - she isn't used to riding in a car, and top that off with riding in the back seat on windy roads and the joy of morning sickness, she didn't have a chance last time!

All went well today as far as the trip went, and she was very relieved that her abdominal pain was related to a bladder infection and not a threat to miscarry. I was very relieved for her! I'm sure the sad tragedy is as fresh in her memory as it is mine. It was only a few months ago, almost at the end of apple season that I drove her sister-in-law and her new groom to a midwife up north of us because her pregnancy took an unexpected twist. What everyone had expected as twins crumbled as we learned from the ultrasound that, in fact, the baby had died due to birth defects. We all anticipated talking about the miracle on the way home, and of course I intended to tease her husband that they would need so many diapers that he would have to set up a treadle sewing machine for himself to help sew all of the diapers. I still remember feeling the joy melt away to grief. How full my heart was for these two newly weds, as I drove them home with their sweet little angel wrapped carefully in a blanket. They buried her the next morning in the family's cemetery.

After much relief of the simple diagnosis we picked up the needed items that the midwife recommended to remedy her infection and headed home. As we visited, my neighbor mentioned that it looked like more snow in the near future. Of course my ears perked up because I was really curious to know what he saw! He explained that there was a bright reflection through the clouds on each side of the sun as well as one right below it. I had a hard time seeing what he was describing on the sides, and everyone thought it was quite humerous as I described the polka-dots before my eyes that resulted from looking at the sun.... But I did defintely see what he was talking about below the sun. He further explained that it is not always a reliable predictor, but that it is accurate enough that it is worth mentioning. He explained also, that snow wasn't immediate either, but that it was probably a couple or few days out when you see this type of pattern. So there we have it! Sun predicted through the weekend by the professionals. A chance of snow predicted by my neighbor. It will be very interesting if the forcast changes!

Frosty!

This morning at around 7:15 AM, and exactly 0 degrees F outside. Everything is coated with 'winter dew'!

BOYS!

I Love all things

Cute:

Cuddly,

and nice! (this one even smells nice!)

I don't like things

Slimey

(the boy isn't slimey - just wet and muddy so I like him)

Creepy Crawlies,

(or dead things! ew, shivers!)

Or itchy things!
(leaves of three... I will conquer thee...)

So you can imagine the horror I experienced when I decided to fold the clothes in the President's drawer and found a Cicada molting next to his good work sticker!

Think about this one... Cicada's don't live indoors and they also don't molt (or shed their outer parts) indoors! The president found the molting and decided to SAVE it (for what? I don't know!!!) in his shirt drawer!

BOYS!

You might also imagine my disgust when the attorney picked this up and shoved it in my face saying, "Hey Mom! Check it out! Its a Cicada! He's sleeping!"

EWWW!! And how does he know if it is awake or asleep?

BOYS!