Family – Page 2 – This Old House 2

Too Soon

Earlier this week I got a phone call from my cousin. His brother, my cousin Ralph, had recently been dealing with some health issues but was not at all on his way out. And yet he was. Suddenly, after complications from a lung condition, he found himself at the end of his journey. His family gathered and my mom and I drove to Pennsylvania to visit with him one last time, hard to believe. Hard to believe.

Ralph with granchildren

Ralph, I always knew you were a mountain of a man, but the magnitude of what fortified that mountain was never more clear to me than just the other day. Since I was a very small girl and on occasion when my life’s path was rocky and I needed to sort things out and to bounce my decisions off someone who would tell it to me straight, it was your number I called. You understood the Amoia (your mother? my father? ) in me like no one else. Because we moved to different states to raise our families, we didn’t see each other as much as we would have liked, but the love and laughs and commiseration were always there, just a phone call away. When we’d gather again, it was as if no time had passed. Sadly it was more often for sad times than not. Jeez, we sure pick the wrong places for family reunions, huh?

We came to see you the other day because almost unbelievably, something was bringing down the mountain. I have never been more in awe of a human being than as I witnessed you… comforting others (supposed to be the other way around!) … saying words of caring and comfort and love, still joking, still that hilarious and sarcastic sense of humor – still you in all the ways that matter. How tender you were with your young grandchildren, so much love in the room. Because of you.

Gone way too soon – You will remain in all of us, near and far, as we carry on without the mountain in the backdrop. My heart breaks for your wife, Your brother and his family, your children , their spouses, your beautiful grandchildren and selfishly for myself. I hope you’re not just resting in peace – I hope there was a big party thrown in your honor and you’re raising hell again with those who have gone before us – with that big laugh and some wicked stories.

Love you forever –

💔 Until we meet again –

Breathe

The humidity finally broke after a good rain storm and we have absolutely perfect weather right now. The weekend was full of the bluest skies, sun and surf at the cottage as we all took a deep breath and exhaled into the loveliness. Our lives are busy – the youngsters just beginning the building of their adult lives with budding careers and relationships, the prospect of their own homes in the near future, families, etc… and the Mr. and I continue with the care of our farm, the cottage, the family business, my editorial job and all the responsibilities that go along with. Taking time to smell the roses is so necessary and often overlooked.

Don’t miss out – take the time. No one ever lies on their death bed saying “I sure wish I hadn’t taken that trip to Bermuda, I sure wish I had spent more time fretting, Jeez, had I only dusted and vacuumed just a few hours more, I sure wish I hadn’t spent so much time with my children, my grands, my passion.

Whatever inspires you, whatever brings you happiness – do more of THAT.

I managed to get the big guy out on the water yesterday and he actually sat down and relaxed in the shade for a few hours, too. Must have been a blue moon last night, I forgot to look.

Our cove has two very different sides. Our side is a colony of small seasonal cottages that were established in and around 1930-ish. In the picture below you see what it looks like from the water.

Then there’s the end of the cove that nestles into a nature refuge just after the stone jetty – with a few reasonable year round houses on the end. (seen below).

Across the cove on the other side are some much larger homes, one of which has been in the construction phase for the last five or so years. My husband jokes that they pay the high taxes but we have the best view. They look over at us, we look over at…. well.. this….

Can you imagine rambling around in that house? And it’s quite possibly just a summer retreat for whomever is building it. Remarkable construction – note the stone tier at the bottom with wood shutter windows, just amazing.

The Giant Pink Flamingo still sits out in the cove, occasionally needing an air refill once it appears he’s taking a drink. Some people are annoyed by his appearance, I think he ads character. I’m not bold enough to bring one to the cove myself, our float is standard issue. My daisies are so happy, must be the salt air and sun.

Here in New England, Tiger lilies line the roads in early July – it’s truly a beautiful sight. These are my husband’s favorite flower, so I’ve planted daylilies on the farm and at Stella by the Sea, seen here.

Today I plan to catch up on laundry and dusting and vacuuming here at the house, and I’ll pick fresh basil from the garden to make pesto for dinner. I might even make the cake I’m going to share with you below , click on the title for the recipe – although we’re both trying to get serious about our weight loss goals so I really.. really shouldn’t. (I hear you, Hilary, from all the way over here). 🙂

CARROT CAKE

ps.. I hate when that term is used “To Die for”…

no cake is worth dying for.. just sayin.

I hope you’re having a good day, wherever you are – Don’t forget to smell the roses, eat the cake, stick your toes in the water at the beach, jump in the pool, run under the sprinkler, pick the flowers and set them in a vase just for you. Next time you wash the sheets for your bedding, hang them outside in the sunshine to dry . Put your quilt out there too – the fresh outdoor scent is intoxicating, lulls one to sleep.

Till soon, friends – Thank you for stopping by.

Hot

It’s been unGodly hot over here in New England for the past four or five days. My poor guys have been haying in the miserable heat and humidity – you’ve probably heard the old saying – Make hay while the sun shines. What that means is – you need a series of at least three or four dry sunny days strung together to make hay – it needs to be fairly dry when you cut it.. then it needs to lay down in rows and dry a bit – then you fluff it to air it out and dry some more… then it’s baled and picked up off the field and stored in the big barns. All that dryness is important, as you don’t want a wet bale of hay, which will mold up (not feedable) and possibly cause a fire in your loft if you’re not careful how you stack it. So… we had the string of dry days and the hay needed cutting. It had already been held off due to rains, etc. You can’t stop the process just because it’s too darn hot.

When the guys were not haying, they sure as hell didn’t want to sit out in the heat, so we decided not to have a big fourth celebration with extended family at the shore. Stella (our little seaside cottage) does not have A/C and some are squeamish about taking a dip in the cove to cool off. My husband has learned there are indeed eels out there somewhere – and that was pretty much it for him.

I did go down there in the late afternoon to water flowers, vacuum, and we eventually had dinner when mom and my daughter and husband showed up (he was there for all of about an hour before the humidity got to him). My son and his posse showed up later on before the fireworks display that is put on for islanders out on the point – and they say it was spectacular. In lieu of fireworks, I headed back home to tend horses , chickens and dogs here on the farm, all of whom where not thrilled with the bangs and booms happening out yonder.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… my gardens are happy – weedy, but happy. My first harvest are these dragon tongue beans. You can pick them at this stage and treat them like you would a string bean, or let them plump up and shell the beans that grow in the pod, use them in recipes like succotash.

Tomatoes just starting to appear – we had a slow start with the wishy washy spring.

I try to keep my vegetable garden organic – over the winter I put some rabbit manure in the soil and blended it in well. I also use this product placed around the drip line of the plant a few times during the growing season.

I’m not much of a drinker but there are a few drinks when served at the right time, well they hit the spot. My sister-in-law served this in a punch bowl and plastic glasses at her son’s graduation pool party last weekend. It’s easy to throw together and guests love it. Put a slice of orange floating in each glass when serving.

Wine Spritzer –

1 large bottle of pino grigio (which I usually don’t like)
1 large bottle of polar orange dry soda
orange wedges

Equal parts of each.

*not my image

Till soon, friends –

Invasion of the Giant Pink Flamingo

We’ve been spending a significant amount of time down at the shore – cottage life has been a welcome reprieve from our hectic work life and farm chores. Heading down there at the end of the day to cool off in the water or on the deck for a meal with the gathering family, or to hop in the kayaks on a quiet morning… truly feels like we are AWAY from it all, on a little vacation. Making the decision to buy a small place not far from our home as opposed to several hours or more “away” turned out to be an excellent decision for our clan. We’re getting far more use out of it so close by than we would have if there were a long drive or flight involved. And – the bonus is friends and family are nearby and can join us easily as well.

The dogs are with us more often than not –

and while Frazier swims and has accompanied me on the kayak…

Sally is still unsure. However, she now ventures to water’s edge –

Yesterday she stretched her little stubby legs in the surf

(all of two inched deep) to reach for

a piece of snow cone my son offered up.

Progress.

The blue steps maybe stand out a bit, but their gritty texture works perfectly

to eliminate slippery stairs.

*Boat Bottom Paint Plus Sand mixed in*

And.. I’ve described this before but it always amazes me –

most of the pictures in this post are taken at low tide.

At high tide, just a few hours later, the water is up over the blue steps

– a difference of about six feet.

This succulent-like type plant grows prolifically on our seawall – anyone know what it is? It now has white flowers and is just beautiful.

The boys have been clamming – A little info – Did you know you should never clam right after a rain storm? The storm kicks up all the muck and pollution and the clams are busy filtering it out right after the storm. So they’re “full of it”… and you don’t want to eat a mucky clam.

Our new float (bottom right in picture) is holding up well so far, even with a make-shift patch to the hole we put in it trying to heave it over the cedar fence sea wall.

Do you see that little pink thing off in the distance?

It’s actually HUGE! Remember the Stay Puff Marshmallow man in Ghostbusters?

That’s what it reminds me of.

Our neighbor a few cottages down the way installed it for his kids.

Here it is in an ad – to give you an idea of the size. Apparently they are all the rage this year in lakes, ponds, rivers and coves like ours. Sams Club, among other places, sells them for around $150. Probably real fun for a party, but I doubt they last long. I’ll let you know how long Pinky lasts in our cove.

And if a giant flamingo doesn’t float your boat, perhaps a rainbow pegasus Unicorn will!

Have a safe and happy fourth of July celebration – We’ve got a heat and humidity wave going here in New England – Perfect time to have a float in the ocean.

Vitamin Sea

If your head isn’t spinning yet from all the vitriol and ridiculousness and continuing bullshittery that is our current situation in these Un-United States (how did we get to this – I’ll say it one more time, We Are Better Than This… oh please let us find our way to a better place, and soon, all of us)….. then you come from some sturdy stock. My fibromyalgia has been in flare in recent weeks and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m getting far too worked up over things I cannot change. Truly I need to just set it down and walk away from it – we’ve all heard the serenity prayer, right?…

This version even better –

Fat chance unknotting knickers, but.. baby steps. So this weekend we made a concerted effort to stay the hell away from the headlines and just enjoy what’s around us – here on the farm, down at the cottage and a little lunch date excursion to the seaside town of Stonington, CT – Staying off topic is no easy feat, as the Mr. and I are polar opposites on the political spectrum. Not in all things, but Tr*mp and his rhetoric make the differences seem as wide as the Grand Canyon’s divides.

Anyway!… The Dog Watch Cafe – I’ve written about it before – if you’re in CT or driving through – it’s a lovely waterfront cafe run and staffed by friendly people with a delicious menu. Best fish & chips we’ve ever had, but there’s so much more to their fare. Have you ever heard of short rib and onion stuffed ravioli? Me either – and it was delish! And just look at all those flowers….

New to me – these paint splattered petunias. Not sure what their real name is but they’re beautiful –

The town itself is lovely – all sea captains homes, lovely cottages, row houses, and some old huge homes and buildings made into condo complexes that are just gorgeous…

The peach roses and purple clematis at this cottage were stunning – the picture doesn’t do them justice.

Note the Little Free Library on the bottom right of this photo… there were several around town, a concept I absolutely love. Reinforces what is good in people. Encourages reading, knowledge, kindness.

This brick building with slate roof is much larger than it looks in this picture, stretching down to the water behind it, converted into beautiful condos (OMG the prices though) . Click HERE for a listing available right now…

Below is the Cavalry Church, built in the 1800’s. I’m not religious – but in doing a little research on the impressive stone building, I came across their message – This is the type of message I think all religions and worshippers should embody. Unfortunately it’s not always the case.

Welcome to Calvary Church, Stonington–we hope you will come visit us in our “Church by the Sea.” We are a caring community of faith seeking to share the love of God in our life together with one another, and in our support and care for those in need in the world around us. All are welcome here. Calvary is made up of members young and old, with many new to this community of faith–“whoever you are, from wherever you have come, you are welcome here.”

We found a little seaside park that is also a preserve with walking paths and benches. They’ve installed some beautiful native flowers, bird and butterfly habitats – this split rail fence adorned with some beautiful vine art by a neighbor of the preserve – the vine pattern goes for at least 10 lengths of fence.

Mom had a visit from three of her long time friends – I call them The Golden Girls. Their long standing friendship of many years and their kindnesses to each other and our family is inspirational. Here they are, visiting Stella by the Sea – and I’m so grateful they got to “sea” her. Her doors are always open should they decide to stay for a spell.

It’s a glorious morning here on the farm – this photo taken an hour ago as the sun rose. The three amigos, all getting on in years, living a good retirement life. I wish the same for all of us.

Miss Sally, one of my two southern rescue Georgia peaches, is learning to like our rides in the Jeep when we go to the cottage. As long as I let her stand on the arm rest where she can lean in and drool all over my shoulder, she’s learned that every little thing is gonna be OK. Sometimes if we’re paying attention, we can learn a thing or two from our animals, don’t ya know. This isn’t lost on me…

Have a good day, all – and thank you for stopping by.

The One Without A Post Title…

.. because sometimes it just doesn’t come to you. And this one’s a real rambler – Got coffee?

We had a wonderful Father’s Day down at the cottage. My guy hardly ever takes a day off. His work ethic is why we have the nice things we have, but as I say often and more frequently lately…. what good is all that hard work/effort if you don’t get to enjoy it? I’m happy to report the Mr. spent most of the day relaxing at the shore, a much needed reprieve and reward for the most dedicated and loving father I could have ever asked for for my children.

When we pull around that corner onto our cottage road, it’s like taking a deep cleansing breath.

Last week I painted the steps that go down into the water. Throughout the summer they get coated with algae, etc. and become very slippery. I scrubbed them with baking soda and that helped, but it had to be done regularly and it was just one more thing to do. A neighbor a few cottages down used boat bottom paint with sand mixed in to paint his steps. The result is a sandpapery surface, non-slip. So, I bought a gallon of the stuff – ($150!!??) and painted the steps – the blue is a bit outlandish – but there aren’t many choices in boat bottom paint colors. It works like a charm.

Then.. on Sunday my son blew up the inflatable four person raft and I am proud to report I dropped my first anchor – yes I did. I waded out there with anchor, chain, float thing and ropes, sunk it good in the muck… kicked another anchor in the process… ick…. (the cove is an anchor graveyard) … and we proceeded to pop the float as we pulled it over the cedar railing. *sigh. Stuck some tape on it…. and tested it out…

The tape held and I went back out there yesterday with a pool patch kit – hopefully that will be that. I’ll keep you posted.

As for my own father on Father’s Day – my sister came to visit and took him out to lunch, so I was relieved of duty and yes, that sounds as awful to me as it probably does to you. I’ll stop by today with his gift, and bring him anything he needs. It will always feel like a chore in some ways, and that’s not an easy truth for me to admit, but it is what it is. He is not an evil person in any way – he’s just devoid of the type of normal emotions or actions or whatever it is I’m searching for that one would want to have with a parent. If you look up the term narcissist, that’ him in a nutshell. Being a devoted daughter to a narcissist father is something I don’t describe well and it doesn’t come naturally, in fact I’m still coming to terms with the feelings that accompany it but at least there is far less anger now. That’s good for my own health, never mind his.

So, on Father’s Day I reveled in time spent with my guy and our children and my mom – whom has in some ways been both parents for my sister and I and grandparent to my children.

Let me just put some high praise here for her mean, clean, refreshing, rejuvenating summer elixir of a gin and tonic…

On the better health front… I continue the light weight training, walking, kayaking, and attempts at better food choices. I say “attempts” because I still cheat with pizza or a cupcake but I’m getting better at it, dropping some weight and toning up. Don’t ever give in just because you’re not perfect. No one is perfect, no one gets it’s right 100 percent of the time. FUCK PERFECT – am I clear? I’m going to share with you a photo of my 61 year old friend, a personal trainer who is brutally honest in her own trials and tribulations and I think she gets it absolutely right on aging well and being kind to yourself – and NEVER GIVING UP.

Yep – this is Joey at 61, pretty amazing – not claiming perfection, not a care free life – she’s had her share of woes and tended agining and ill parents , raised three kids and mended a sick child and husband and worries about finances and health and suffers injuries and and and… …

Her words on a recent FB post – “Coming up on the end of my 61st year (for those not in the know, your birthday makes the end of a year not the beginning) meaning I’ll be 61 but in my 62nd year of life. I continue to persist in the fight against aging with the biggest tool in the box – strength training. Add a few short cardio bursts and a restorative class like stretch or yoga each week and you’ve done your best. Never give up!” Another Joey gem – “I think people get unhappy with progress and give up, but it’s a disservice to their future health and mobility, hence deterioration. KEEP MOVING.

So yeah.. we can all find excuses. And sometimes – especially with fibromyalgia pain! … it just doesn’t feel awesome to keep moving – but we must. Life and the effort we have to put into it is worth every extra step taken – Just do it.

Have a good week, all – sharing a NOT GOOD FOR YOU pie recipe, because hey I already told you I ain’t shooting for perfection and what says Summer is Coming 💦🍈 better than a Lemonade Pie, I ask you….

*not my picture or recipe – recipe link below…

Lemonade Pie

Have a good week, all –

Little Gems with big impact

With summer just around the corner, gardening on the farm and that little bit I do at the cottage by the sea is in full swing.

Mowing happens weekly, weeding happens almost daily – and here’s what I discovered about that… It’s much easier to take a four prong rake and simply claw through the soil in a garden regularly than bend over and hand pick out weeds now and then. I suck at the hand picking, because I get lazy about it and it gets, well.. out of hand. The frequent raking is so much easier. And the plants love the “aired out” soil.

As I do that little chore I remember how I learned this simple technique – wise words of an old farmer friend, Louie. He was a master gardener, and he kept his secrets close to the vest. Now and then he’d toss us a gem. One of those was… “you like to breathe, don’t you? Well… so do the plants.” 79 year old Louie passed years ago, suddenly, out in his garden. A sad day. A post on the old gardener, HERE.

Living on a farm, but not having grown up on one… takes work, mistakes happen, and a readjustment of the sails is needed, frequently. We’ve had a small horse farm for 30 years – but only for the last 8 have we lived here at This Old House among fields of hay. It had pretty much gone to the weeds when we acquired the property – How many of you knew that growing hay isn’t as simple as letting the grass get really really long and then cutting it? (we didn’t). Indeed.. there is a whole science to growing good feed hay and even mulch hay or cow feed hay (which has different requirements than horse hay) – from the type of seed you plant, to the ridding of unwanted and even toxic weeds, to the amount of sun and rain available that season, to the number of DRY days strung together so you can cut it at the right time, toss it, let it dry, toss it again, and get it baled up and off the fields before the rain comes. Then there’s the baling or rolling.

We’ve just started our first cutting – a little late due to the number of rainy and cold days we’ve had. What we notice this year is we added in too much clover in a few sections of some of the fields… Clover molds up easily in hay bales – and mold in a hay bale means you throw it out instead of feeding it. Cows and their multiple stomachs have more tolerance for crap hay than horses do, but with horses you don’t want colic (bad stomach ache that can turn deadly) … so you throw out any bales that are iffy. That costs money.

You learn as you grow.

Speaking of learning – on the better health front, I’ve discovered having lived with fibromyalgia for a while now, two things are very important to anyone living with chronic pain.

First – despite the pain you feel daily, KEEP MOVING. Unless of course you’re actually injuring yourself more. (your doctor can direct you) It really does help you feel better and keeps you mobile. My cousin has a severe form of arthritis, has since he was very young. He gets regular IV infusions of a strong drug that helps him keep going. And keep going he does – having just completed a 70 mile mountain bike ride. He is my hero. As for me, I’ve been light weight training out in the gym, hiking with the dogs, kayaking occasionally and walking/running on the tread mill when the hiking is hindered by weather or heat.

Secondly – what you put in your mouth matters. Besides the increased exercise I’ve also been trying to eat better – I know after several attempts over the years to conform to certain diets, I’m just not gonna stick to it. What I can do is be more conscientious about what I put in my mouth. It really and truly is all about what you put in your mouth. The icing is the exercise but it all starts with consumption.

Something else I feel very strongly about – A good way to bring more joy to your own life, to feel a sense of accomplishment, for better mental health and a connection to your community, a connection to people in general, and a way to focus on the positive aspects of life instead of being dragged down into the swamp muck that also exists – is to be a part of the good works going on out there. Volunteer in whatever capacity you are able – don’t ever doubt that even the smallest outreaches have value. Every drop in the ocean contributes to that ocean.

I was recently the recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellow Award given by the Lions Club International in our community for my humanitarian contributions in our little town. What an inspirational evening it was, with my family in attendance. To be among like minded people who are so giving of themselves, so caring and motivated to make change for the better in our community and in society itself is uplifting. It makes the other not so pleasant “stuff” of life seem not so imposing, looming, dooming. This doesn’t mean you have to commit to joining a club, either – I am not a Lion.

Some easy ideas – Got grain bags? Collect the discarded ones and give them to someone who recycles them into tote bags. Recycling is an awesome thing to do for our environment. Got stuff you don’t need or wear anymore? Give to the local Salvation Army or Good Will. Volunteer at the local dog shelter once a week – walk a dog, get in your exercise- win win. Love books? Got a volunteer local library? Take a shift. Donate Blood. Like to knit? Make hats for the homeless, make lap blankets for those who live in a local nursing home. Bake for the church events, the fire house events. Join the walks at the Relay for Life events held around the nation. It’s awesome if you’re financially well off enough that you can give monetary donations to causes you believe in, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Your time, your caring contributions are just as valuable.

When I saw this picture after the event I said – Jeez, Karen – go get a haircut. And so I did.

Side note: The sharing of these pics is not intended to imply that I believe I’m – all that- in any way. But I have learned to appreciate all that is good about me, instead of the laser focus I used to have on all that is not perfect. What a perfect waste of time. If you’re doing that to you, stop the nonsense. Take stock of your strengths and nourish them. Encourage the art of looking for the good, in you and in others. The ripple effect, ya know – that drop in the ocean? yeah.

So about that hair cut – Another tip that was passed along to me and I’ll share with you. I’m not one to fuss a heck of a lot with the aging experience or make up and hair. I’m hoping like everyone else that I stick around for along while and age gracefully and naturally. I love LOOONG hair, but for most of us it’s not particularly flattering to just let it grow out and hang there, drab and without decent shape. That ages us. I’m lazy about going to the hairdresser, admittedly. There’s no doubt, though, when I get in there and tell them to lift me up, indeed they do. So take care of yourself in the little ways that help us appreciate who we are and what we have. It matters.

A shout out to my niece, who graduated from Uconn… and landed a job in their finance department! Yesterday the family gathered at The Mansion at Bald Hill in Woodstock, CT to celebrate her accomplishment and future success –

Thanks for stopping by –

Goose Rocks and Cottage Gardens

My son walked into the kitchen a few afternoons ago and asked if I’d like to go kayaking at the cove. Are ya kidding? Let’s go! …. I think if your grown children enjoy spending time with you now and again, you’ve done something right in life, just sayin.

Inside Joshua Cove…

It was a gloriously warm spring evening and we paddled out to a small island of rocks that sits about a 15 minute paddle beyond the mouth of our cove in Long Island Sound. The water was like glass as we made our way – the sun shining down, warming our shoulders – gulls overhead chattering away and the soft clank of a distant buoy joined the birds conversation. I only know this last part because the boy described it to his hearing impaired mother – he is a kind one. 💕

Heading out to Goose Rocks … or Goose Island as it’s officially called…

As we approached the cluster of rocks I wondered how we’d climb aboard but my son assured me there is a very convenient landing consisting of millions of shells that have washed ashore. Indeed there was…

For such a beautiful night, there were very few boaters out in the water. It was if we had the Sound to ourselves for a brief while. M had an eagle eye, collecting a large assortment of sea glass and shards of pottery. They say when you find pottery pieces, it’s possible they are from cottages lost to storms along the coast.

Mermaid scale?

The beginning of the Thimble Islands out in the distance…

After sea glass hunting and some deep breathing and admiration for the beauty around us, we paddled back to shore, worn yet rejuvenated. Kayaking in the salt air and water does that to you – tires you out and refreshes you at the same time.

Added to the beauty of the sea are the cottage gardens and wildflowers along the little roads – The island is full of spring blooms …..

Because we of the 140 or so cottages share this 300 acre “island” with a herd of cows, they occasionally escape their pasture and come calling… perhaps the grass is greener on the salty side?

*thank you to those who acknowledged their view on the previous post. Politics (and religion!) are not easy topics to discuss and it doesn’t always feel safe to express opinions. While I’ve been trying to avoid the subject for the most part, it doesn’t always feel right to just say or do nothing. There is great power in communication. And.. there’s great power in the vote. Get out and vote at every opportunity – just that.

Have a good weekend, all –

Spring on the farm and a Happy Mother’s Day to all –

This is truly the most glorious time of the year for farms, even a small one like ours. Fresh green grass in the hay fields, blooms on the fruit trees and ornamentals, the garden plants beginning to grow, perennials have made their reappearance and even multiplied, even the animals demeanor is uplifted. This particular Spring season took it’s sweet time arriving, but here she is in all her glory –

The beginnings of a Kale crop, below…

Dragon Tongue Bean plants in abundance, hooray!

These beans are a very tasty string bean, and

very attractive too, yellow and purple striped.

My son’s patch out in one of the fields –

Pumpkins and melons

These zinnia seeds were planted in a long double row

on the edge of my vegetable garden this morning after horse and chicken feeding –

we’ve got rain on the horizon.

A gift from Hilary 💓

The only tulip that bloomed this year, out of at least 50 originals.

Damned voles and grubs.

This is the look I get from the girls if I take too long

opening their coopyard door…

So they can do this…. Bug hunting

My glorious, most treasured ancient pear tree…

half hollow, with lost limbs in the recent

ice storm – Still Standing.

The behind-the-porch-lantern Purple finch babies…

Two days later –

Now – an empty nest.

Speaking of Empty Nests….

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there –

Being a mother is truly my most treasured role in life.

I feel blessed every single day to have

my two children, both of whom I am so very proud of

for so many reasons.

AND…

for my mom, who is truly my best friend in life.

Who Woulda Thunk it… back in the days of

my mouthy teen aged self.

AND… for my aunt, who gave me a huge opportunity

to move to and reside in this part of the world

where I was eventually able to make my dreams come true.

And.. for my sister, who not only raised her own daughter

to be a smart and fearless young woman –

New Uconn Graduate! Hooray S!

… but raised someone else’s three children as well.

And.. for my mother in law –

a genuine, generous person to all.

AND.. for my children’s significant others, also a blessing,

a second set of children. I’m grateful to feel that too.

And.. how could I leave these guys out?

They complete my world, for sure.

Mom says it best

Lately I’ve tried to stay out of the political fray because I am so very tired of the bickering amongst we the people, let alone our governing forces. Who would have ever thought we’d see such a polarizing POTUS….or that he could get away with so much utter crap. (how about that forged doctors letter! – that is just bizarre). One small comfort I take is – our government needed a shake up. It needed a reality check – we the people were not being represented in our best interests for a variety of reasons and in several big arenas. TR*MP isn’t wrong in calling out some of the very big issues we have faced for years and have not fixed. The following came up and I want to share it, even though I’ve been enjoying the hiatus – which I’m returning to after this post, lol. I welcome opposing views as long as comments are respectful.

I’ve spoken here before about living in a house politically divided. I’m not affiliated with a particular party because I’m one of those who walks the middle ground in my views on a lot of issues, so that helps just a smidge. Until the election of DT – because TR*MP. So, in order to avoid World War 3 on a small scale up here in this house, we don’t talk politics often. The other day, the Mr. thought Dr. Charles Kra*thammer shared an opinion that should please us all and he sent it to my mother and I. Turns out the piece is falsely credited, the author was actually another political columnist. If you’re interested in that piece.. you can find it HERE. with the snopes correction.

Since he threw down the gauntlet and started the conversation, we both replied politely (really!) on what we thought of the piece. My mom said it best – and I’ll share it here with you. In it’s simplest form, the piece calls TR*MP a pragmatist, not a republican or democrat, who is just what this country needed. It was clearly written by a conservative republican, because while it lays blame on both parties for the ills of our society today (I agree!!) it labels Cl*nton and Sanders as Crazies trying to out crazy each other and speaks of being liberal as if it’s a disease. While I didn’t agree with Cl*nton and Sanders on all points, nor do I think Cl*nton was a stellar choice for President, they certainly aren’t lunatics in any sense of the word and being liberal is no more a disease than being a conservative republican. There’s another little blurb about those of us who haven’t achieved greatness or -done anything ! – we apparently can’t understand or appreciate true greatness and the confidence 45 displays because we haven’t achieved anything – (wow, dude).

Anyway – my mother’s response to the piece in the link above……

I agree that Trump is not a Conservative. He is a pragmatist in the
sense that what is good for him is what he wants. He is also a
pragmatist in the sense that he will keep on the issues that he feels
will keep his base loving him. There is no question in my mind that
both established parties have left the mass of the people behind,
sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes out of arrogance,often just to
ensure they got rich.

We need a new paradigm for the new age we are
facing. Globalism is not going away unless there is a planet wide
catastrophe. I see that as being a viral or bacterial pandemic, nuclear
war, or the more gradual effects of unaddressed global warming.
Pragmatism and straight talking is helpful, but that is not what we are
getting and I think the author of the piece knows that. What we’ve got is a bull in
a china shop thrashing around. He may break some things that need to be
broken but he is not discriminating. Breaking the Justice Department and
the FBI will have consequences. Encouraging the dog whistles of racism
will have consequences. Hyper-divisiveness will have consequences.

We are hopefully in for a sea change in our political life over the
next decade and if it is more pragmatic, transparent, and genuinely
aimed at strengthening the economic position of the middle and working
class, then we will all be better off. The other possible changes of
which there are signs around the world are less democracy and more
fascism. We are at a tipping point and could go either way. Trump by his
very nature leans fascist.

Well said, mom. Thank you –