Weekend Catch-Up

Incredibly beautiful morning here, crisp and clear, the humidity and rain finally leaving. The eastern side of our state has been having flooding and road collapses, a real mess. We were spared that in our area.

I am baking bread today, and will plant some coreopsis and spearmint later. Larry is working on the electric fence for the big garden which we have yet to plant. We are so far behind due to his knee replacement a month ago. But late veggies will be good too, and at least the little garden will keep us going til they come in.

In other news, the tanagers have hatched their young and are busy feeding and defending them. This morning four blue jays were apparently trying to get to the nestlings (they are known to eat the young of other birds) and the tanagers had a busy time running them off. It was something to see! The male tanager warned and warned, then when one jay approached the nest, BAM! The tanager knocked the big jay to the ground. He continued to run the others off, and after a bit the female came off the nest and also attacked the jays. The blue raiders left, apparently having had enough.

The weekend was a hectic swirl. We took furniture to our Ravenswood booth on Saturday, and when we got home our yard was full of people! We had told some neighbors to come pick mulberries anytime, so they were here with friends of theirs to do just that.

The one lady is from China, and was thrilled because she remembered a mulberry tree beside her home in China. The children were all over the place, hunting for ripe strawberries and playing as kids will do when they have good imaginations. It was so much fun to watch them.

Our Saturday was a busy, busy day. We went to Ripley to pick up a poor broken Victorian table from a friend--she gave it to us because she was sure Larry could fix it.

She was right. It's ready to paint now. We left there and drove to Wirt county to pick up some things I bought from a friend along with a few things she gave to me. She is moving and downsizing and it has been a stressful time for her and her husband. The drive to their home is so pretty, through lush green landscapes where there are neat homes with well-kept gardens.

The next stop was in Ohio, for a birthday party for a six-year-old boy. Held on the banks of the Ohio River, the party was just relaxed fun. I had a taco-in-the-bag for the first time. Good! The kids had a blast with water balloons and squirt guns. It wasn't long before almost everyone was wet. I managed to stay dry, but just barely.

After a stop in town to pick up some fresh fruit, we came home to firepit time with our pets, and the quiet and stillness of our hidden-away home.

Sunday found us both worn out and not good for much. I painted a table we'd picked up and did some housecleaning while Larry worked on the broken table and a few other projects. It threatened rain until mid-afternoon, when the skies opened up. So it was a day for puttering and recuperating. Perfect.

Today we are both back to our normal selves, raring to get into the gardens but knowing we have to wait for the ground to dry. The therapist came and was pleased with Larry's progress with his knee. He's been more vigilant with exercises and it shows.

Back to the kitchen now to check my bread.

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