Short Story Long

For anyone wondering, my sister had a baby girl this week!!!  I had to wait until she had a chance to tell a few people before I could post it on my blog.  Baby A came in weighing eight pounds, nine ounces.  From what I hear, she had more hair than her mother did at birth, which isn't saying much :)

Last week my three boys and I went to visit my in-laws down south.  My mother-in-law has been telling me about this farm she likes to visit and while we were nearby, we got a chance to see it for ourselves.  A Wren's Nest Farm is a cute place with lots of flowers, veggies and animals.  And very helpful proprietors!  They have chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, at least one duck, and a couple of rabbits.  We had fun seeing all the animals, and petting a few.  Paul and Tammy offer apprenticeships for people interested in learning about their trade.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only do they raise goats and sheep for fiber, but Tammy also spins, dyes and knits!  She showed us the fiber soaking in her big sink.  There is also a little store on the premises with lots of interesting handmade, vintage, and organic items, including roving, fresh eggs, and handmade soap.  $2 per dozen for farm fresh, organic eggs!...

Today, the boys and I went garage saleing: $ 4     black stool - never enough chairs here.  .50 tin measuring cup 2    pair of license plates and a vintage childrens' book with great illustrations 2    vintage camera, book for #1 boy, and a present - secret, of course! 0    old stereo cabinet 2    three costumes, a pair of shoes, and they threw in a pair of license plates 4    blue jar We started out with everyone wanting to buy everything at every stop but we worked on being savvy junkers and just looking for specific things we collect, we need, we'd really use.  It was fun to see them getting the hang of it:  a book in a series we were already reading, for example.  Pretty good troopers.  We also got strawberry lemonade from a classmate sitting on the corner.  It is our policy to buy lemonade from kids on corners whenever possible.  ...

are we wasting all our precious time chasing dollars, chasing dimes?

I recently met someone that BFJ has known since high school.  After exploring his strange and wonderful house, which includes two different pairs of pet pheasants, handcrafted knives, and a treehouse above the roof, I left with a little handful of treasures.  One day they'll adorn some handmade hats:    On a completely different note, the sage is doing wonderfully...  We visited my parents last week, and I had a fun little walk with Zoom and the camera... In the garden at our house, I neglected to harvest this onion from Candace last year; now it's about ready to bloom!   

Don Juan Distant Drums I love the smell of flowers in my garden; especially roses and lilacs.  They remind me of happy childhood moments.

Don't you just love the culinary bounty of summer?  My sister introduced us to Snickers Surprise Fruit Salad awhile back; it's always a hit at potlucks!  Here's what you need to make it. 1 tub of Cool Whip 1 package of instant vanilla pudding 1 Snickers bar* 1 big bowl of seasonal fruit such as berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), grapes, stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, cherries) apples and pears, kiwi.  Melons and citrus fruits are not ideal.  Rinse fruit and drain thoroughly .  Cut fruit into bite-size pieces and combine in large bowl.  Open pudding mix, discard instructions; stir dry pudding into tub of Cool Whip.  (You may want to do this in a bigger bowl.)  Combine thoroughly.  Stir Cool Whip mixture into fruit, stir well.  Cut Snickers into several small bite-size pieces and stir into salad.  Garnish with additional fruit if desired.  Cover and chill.  Ser...