the field

These are flowers kids picked in the field.   The field is what's at the end of this trail.

The reason so much sunshine is on the trail is because this big tree snapped a few weeks ago.   When it fell, it took out a couple of other trees.

 Here's the field, freshly mowed.   Someone suggested we plant a vegetable garden back here.

How we'd keep the animals out of it, I do not know.

 When we bought the cabin, this land was not for sale.  But a couple years later it was, the forest and field.  We weren't all that ready to buy it, but we did because how often do you have the chance?

It was a way to control all the area behind our place and also a benefit to the others along the shore--no surprises.

Here is an adorable baby trying to wrench the cover off the septic.

While wearing his cousin's socks on his hands.

I do just sort of LOVE  HIM.

And these guys too. I sort of love them also.

That one in the blue shirt started his first grown-up job today and the whole family is excited for him.  I can't wait to hear about it.  He sent a picture of his cubicle and his sister in law teased him about the thrilling-ness of life in a cube.  (It's all good.)

Onward! We're halfway through June and the Little Pool is open as of Monday.   I have my eye on Thursday for a trip over there.

But I've also promised Tim and Julia that part of my real estate commission from this week is going to purchase a family pass at the big indoor/outdoor  pool with the water slide.  Then we can go in the morning, and Dad can take them at night.  (It's not some two foot wading pool.)

So anyway, good night.   love always, Val

more cabin

"Smile, Girls!"   They tried.  They hate it when I snap pictures of them while they're chewing, or squinting, or fixing a wedgie. 

I understand.

Everything was same as we left it, for better or worse.

We had the little girl p.j. for a sleepover for one night before her parents came.   She's easy company.

Michael's had art kids for $1 each, so I bought a bunch of those, and then I found these coloring books that are for older kids.  They're printed on heavier paper, and the drawings are very detailed.   I bought new markers and also new colored pencils and they enjoyed them very much.

 Oh, and Mr. Gloves arrived and I gave him the Garfield garden gloves.  When he saw them he grinned and crooned appreciatively.

I looked at little, downy beautiful him, so happy with those goofy gloves and tears prickled for a second.

 The morning was bright, gorgeous sun.

 More and more dead fish keep sweeping up along the shore.  This happens every spring.  They mucked out the edges, cleaned it up for swimming.

A nephew and an uncle.

 When the guys were cleaning up the beach, they also were raking and scooping up poop along the grass.   Smallish--raccoon?  (A herd of shih-tzus?)  Feasting on dead fish?  We weren't sure.

Anyway, I mentioned to her that they were cleaning up poop.  Animals had pooped all around.

She frowned and paused very seriously, "Zebras?"

Well, I doubt zebras.  But I didn't tell her that.  I said, "I don't know!  Maybe!  Or maybe raccoons?  We don't know."

This pool ladder belongs to our neighbors Dori and Marshall.   It's so useful and Jay likes it so much that this is what he wanted for Father's Day--a pool ladder.  It took a bit of searching, but we found one.

See Sam there in the water?  I have done cut that dog's hair OFF.  I have gone over her body with a scissors over and over until her hair is very short.

She has two layers to her coat--a fuzzy undercoat and a long, silky top coat.  It's too much, too hot, can't dry properly so then she gets rashes.

No. No, no, no.  It's all cut off now, the long, the short is very short.   All the long feathery parts on the belly and chest, and the legs, cut off.  She looks a little odd, but not that bad--better than I thought she would.

Anyway, it was a lovely weekend, pictures enough to last almost a week.

Tonight storms came through and the air is fresh and bright.   Our friend called this afternoon and left a message he was home alone and bored and could he come and sleep over?

Yes.  

When Jay got home from working, he picked him up.

I love that he called and told us, made the request. (We're not mind readers.)

So there are kids running around in the house laughing and even though it's almost tomorrow this is one fine summer night.

love always, Val

backing up--john turns 35

He did, he turned 35, and we had cake and gave him his present at the lake.

These are some pictures of the weekend that capture a bit of my distress.

See, this is NOT important on any logical level, spiritual level, nothing.

But the mess gets to me.  It's spread out wide and far, across the yard and every room.

This mess is mostly Heidi's problem, not even mine, and she dealt with it.

 These are my teenagers and kids leaving trash everywhere, also not a big deal.

Dog hair, shoes, an upside down, half-chewed alligator--why would I ever concern myself in the least?

In the name of some kind of order.

Which is important, for some reason, to someone.

Before we leave each time, we put all this mess away, trash, toy bins, run the vacuum, mop the floor.

Life goes on.

 Here's one of those Where's Waldo photos of the yard.

Cake time!   These cake pans that came with the cabin have a little extra boost to them, a little handle that the baker can run around the cake pan and separate the layer from the pan.

They're an amazing invention.

These two? Smiling, lest they run the risk of really terrible pictures where they are chewing food or farting or something regrettable.

 Candles lit--thirty five years of this guy:

Oh no!  And now the baby is mad.  He didn't get to blow out anything, plus he's bare-handed, has on no gloves.

Bad.

 But a do-over, just for him.

He's very much in love with ice cream, especially a Gustafson's pail of caramel swirl.  The ingredients include sweetened condensed milk.  Holy cow, no pun intended.

And then?

At some unfortunate point, this beautiful weekend had to end.

And so we are all back home again in the city.  The cabin is empty and dark.

For a few days.

love you all so, MOM, aka GRANDAMA, aka (whisper) val