Happy Summer Solstice 2012

Extending Happy Summer Solstice wishes to you one and all!!  Here in New England, Mother Nature decided that today was the perfect day to take the temperature dial and crank it round to the other side!
I know;.... if you don't like the weather in New England just wait a minute ~ it's bound to change.... but while I'm waiting can I have a bucket of cool water for my feet and a nice cold glass of iced tea?  As I type the thermometer is hovering around 85 degrees... down about 10 from earlier today.  There are two St. Bernards here who are thinking that's still not exactly cool.  They've been hosed down, and are sprawled inches from the fan, like big wet bear rugs..... When I'm done typing I may join them. 
Usually I like to hang out in the garden on the longest day of the year....just in case those fairies decide to pay me a visit finally.  I suspect they are probably going be going for a dip in the gold fish pond as soon as the sun finally sets.  Fish don't eat fairies do they?  Hmmmmm.

So that's it for now.... just a quick hello and happy wishes ~
I hope your summer is full of laughs....

and a little rain for the garden... but not too much.

and a little bit of magic.

Sneaking up on the middle of June already....

My, my.... where does time go? June is a month steeped in Birthdays, graduations, recitals, Father's Day...

So here's an update on the goings on.



Mum's one rose from her rose bush... smells good too!



Cricket the Wonder Pony turned 3 on the 5th!





Got Cake?



A "Carrot Cake" ~ made with fresh grass, carrots and molasses; and dusted in crumbled peppermints.
The horse must be special... he doesn't make me a "cake" ???



A juvenile "newt"... we later read that the red is a warning to predators to not eat them, marking them as poisonous. Apparently they emit toxix excretions from their skin?  How's your hand  feel honey?



Some sort of moth? Butterfly? Looks like a fuzzy jet fighter plane???





Mum's birthday card.... before color.



A peak of some new art work in progress...



and another little peak...



Mum's Birthday picnic.



Cricket having some watermelon.



Yes, of course the chickens came to the party/picnic!  



Bad watermelon?



                                       

                    No, just needed a little nap.  Put your ear up to the screen, do you hear the snores?







I even made a cake! (fresh strawberries from the garden on top)



A mini Jubilee.
 Queen for a day!



Card with color!

So there you have it for now ~ a glimpse of what's going on over here! 
I'll try to have it not be July before I reappear in Blog Land!



Memorial Day 2012

In case you haven't noticed.... Spring is not my most crafty time, unless you count the art of digging in dirt.  I can't seem to sit down/still long enough to create anything.  I tried briefly to sketch yesterday, but the mosquitos had their way with my ankles... very unpleasant; so I gave up and went to sit with the rabbit instead.  We also went to the beach with the dogs, though i didn't bring the camera.  There was  a little dog party going on there, so they got to run and play with other dogs even!  Marley spent most of his time trying to intimadate a little terrier mix name Zulu... but Ava and Kippy were very well behaved.  Ava is the swimmer in the family, takes after Scott I guess.  Marley must be my dog, he wades and goes bug eyed if his feet stop touching the bottom.  Kippy runs back and forth along the edge of the water up to his belly, and whines if any body goes out to deep and leave him.  We must be quite a sight. 

Today we went to the cemetary with Scott's Mum to visit some graves (It's Memorial Day today). It was nice to "meet" that side of the family.  I have always found cemeteries very peaceful.... I rather like them. It all intigues me, the old names, and wondering who they were, and what they did, and where they lived... Some of the stones have lovely carvings... the modern ones with lazer etchings of the dearly departed do rather get me a bit.  I guess I prefer the mystery of who they were, I don't want them looking back at me.

This afternoon we washed the front of the house.  It had turned green from mildew, or whatever grows on houses, and it's meant to be the color of the flower below (more or less)... So that was interesting, me on a wobbly ladder... but the result is beautiful, looks like we repainted the house!!

Scott took Cricket out for a test drive (he's learning to pull a cart, and at the moment is pulling two poles that drag on the ground behind him ~ picture an old scene of a Native American with his paint pony towing the teepee parts.... you start to get the idea.) So while he was out, I decided on a cup of tea, a bucket of warm water for my feet, and a good book... just for a moment.

All in all a sort of productive weekend.... even if it wasn't crafty.
I'll get back to that, I just need a rainy weekend to keep me indoors.

For now, scroll down and enjoy the scenery.

My new Begonia

My New bird/chipmunk waterer, and there's that begonia again.

I caught a little fairy pondering life...

Ladies Mantle

My monk, he makes me smile.  He doesn't make jam, nor does he help with the St Bernards...

But look at that little face.  Did you see his little toes in the photo above?

Cheery little pansies...

Pete Purrington and Zeke the Mail Cat.

Mr. Levi

My delightful book.

My happy little bluebird, and surrounding windowsill scape.

Ah yes; and so the Merry Month of May continues. 

 Actually, around here, it's getting mixed reviews.  We been living thru a series of unfortunate events with the animals recently.  We lost a rabbit two weeks ago to sad circumstances... and on Monday our little Lily Goat died.  She'd been under the weather the last month or so, and seemed to have finally turned a corner, perked up a bit, and was acting a little more like her self, so we were quite shocked when left us.  We've had the two goat girls since they were impish little sprouts, they were both bottle fed and for the first six months of their little goat lives ~ they lived in dog crates in our living room, we couldn't bring ourselves to put them outside in their pen! I still have the letter of apology Lily wrote to me (and left a faux Lily frond with of course) over the night she peed on the couch! (this is why people don't have goats in the living room I suppose... seemed like a good idea at the time.)

On a brighter note, it was our 18th anniversary on Sunday.

This little slab of cement stands beside the farmhouse door.

It's also apple blossom season.

If it's possible to be completely enamoured with a tree... well this would be my pick. It's big and it's old... it's apple are lumpy, and they don't even really taste that good ~ but I am so impressed that this tree carries on each year.  I can't quite reach my arms around.... though I try.  Imagine all it has seen?

If you asked me my favorite season... I'd always say fall or winter. I think I forget how much spring has to offer.  New growth, apple blossoms, lush grass.... and things unfurling from their long winter's nap.  The sweet smells of spring hang heavy in the air on damp days like this....

Even the mushrooms are leaping around joyfully!

The alpacas have been sheared.... so it must be spring right? I think they look a little embarrased actually.

No, they aren't ours... we aren't that crazy.

This is how you know when you've had enough cat nip, you roll right out of the box.

There have been a few quiet crafty moments.....

A wee peek at a few works in process...

Huh, what's that?  You'll just have to wait and see I guess. 

What will the rest of the month bring?

Fingers crossed only happy things.

Scenes from the first Sunday in May

Cricket

Ellie Mae

Off the front lawn....

For Rent.

Bleeding Hearts

Miss Fran

Belle

Lily

Cricket

Kippy Do !

Lotsa  Luck

Popcorn

Frosty