My mom's garden: Part One

My mom has this beautiful garden here. Really, it is a bunch of different gardens, fruits and veggies on one side of the porch steps, flowers on the other side. Then up around the corner, outside the kitchen, a little kitchen garden with lettuce and herbs. They have salad almost every night for supper here.

Gardening is a place where I wonder how my mom and I can be related. She is really good at this. I think her garden is totally wonderful – I am not sure that she even knows that. Meanwhile, I have this terrible black thumb, absolutely cannot grow things, and finally, in the last few years, have pretty much accepted this and let go, and have now given myself permission to NOT try to grow things. Somehow, I always feel like there is this pressure out there to garden. Really, I am just too busy for that, and not interested, and have plenty of other things I like to do, like make cakes, and hang out with my kids...

I don’t think the pictures I have taken so far really adequately capture the garden, so, I’ll try to work on that in the next little while.

My Birthday

I had a really lovely (42nd) birthday.

It started with a present from Ray and Alden, beautifully wrapped.

You'll have to check back to see what the present actually was, since it turns out I haven't got a photo of it yet.

After work, a family boat ride.

Then, home for supper - homemade pizza, a nice bottle of wine, and a sweet cupcake with fresh Maine blueberries, made by Joanna and Laura (Joanna is my first cousin. At 42, I'm the oldest of the set of 9 first cousins from my grandparents, Henry and Henrietta; at 15, almost 16, Joanna is the youngest.)

more later, about the birthday (I think).

A perfect day

We get just one real full day off a week: Sunday. Ray off work, library closed all day. Total freedom.

The day began with a trip to Tunk Lake, for morning play and beach time.

It was pretty much Alden's idea. He got a new Playmobil toy, "Blue Marlin", and really needed to put it through its paces.

Tunk was great: Alden played with his boat, Milo played in the sand and gradually warmed up to the water. In the end, he was venturing a few feet out, and even managed to sort of fall in a few times (and we, of course, scooped him out).

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After we got back from Tunk, Milo napped, and we had some peaceful time at home. Ray had a typically epic phone conversation with his brother Matt.

Alden and I read, and we had tea and cookies (I made chocolate chip cookies). The children's room is a lovely place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon.

Milo woke up eventually, and we played around a bit more, then headed out for a little bike ride and abandoned house snooping. We also went and found Anne and invited her to supper.

All in all, a perfect day.

Intrepid Kayakers

They are all crazy for kayaking, down there at the Big House. Ray and I are still pretty much lurking around the edges of this cult. It's fun to watch them all set off, though.

And, as you can see, getting the boats down to the water is good fun, too.

Sleeping Bag Story Hour

As part of my librarian's duties, I hold story hour on Thursday mornings. Sometimes just a few kids show up, sometimes lots. Sometimes it is all just my family members, sometimes there are lots of non-family members.

This week, just a few turned out - on a very rainy morning - and it was all family. James, Nora, and Alden snuggled in the sleeping bag, and I read a story about a loon family.

Next generation of Dave Mirra

Turns out there is an extremely exciting skatepark in Sullivan (next town over). Alden has been spending a lot of time there of late (even in spite of pretty inclement weather).

Alden says:

"first I roll in on the far end of the skatepark, then I go off the box in the middle, get air, then I come down getting just as much speed back, then I go off the quarter pipe, as you can see!

The talking has begun

Finally, words are beginning to form. Not that we have been impatient, but, it really is fun to see (hear...) it actually happening.

so far:

cookie

kitty

juice (often said when there is beer around. Poor kid, reaching and yelling for the beer, and us without any apple juice to fend him off with)

Ray! (said so sweetly and lovingly)

truck

boat

ball

I know there are a few more, but those are the ones I can think of for now.