I’m sitting on the porch watching a butterfly sip from a big pink zinnia.  It’s hard to type because the middle finger on my left hand has a bulky fingertip bandaid on it after I cut through the fingernail with a kitchen knife.  I was slicing cucumbers to make pickles.

There is no fresh air.  The smell of smoke is everywhere because David and his friend Emily K are melting soda cans over a bonfire.  I regret putting the fire pit so close to the house because every time they make a fire, the smell of smoke permeates everything.  Some children go for walks and collect cans in order to cash in on the five cent refund…other children play “melt the medal” with them.

I see a hummingbird enjoying the zinnias.  I wish I had my camera…hold on….

Okay, I’m back.

Today I am writing about the next day of our weekend back home.  Saturday was the family reunion at Colleen and Roger’s house.  Afterwards, Grace and Sarah went to spend the night at my parent’s house and Caleb went to spend the night at my brother and sister in law’s house.  Rich and I felt so strange with only three boys with us.  (Jacob had stayed home in CT because he had to work).  We went to our favorite pizza place and then to the hotel to sleep.

Around lunchtime the next day we went to Dave’s to pick up Caleb.  He had had a wonderful time with his Uncle and was full from a big breakfast at the Crackerbarrel.

Dave and Maria don’t have kids so Dave didn’t sleep well in worrying about Caleb.  Isn’t that the sweetest thing?

After we reunited with Caleb we drove on to my parent’s house “up on the hill”.  It was raining outside so Mom made the burgers inside on the stovetop, with her grill pans.  She and Grace fried two pans of sliced onions in the drippings to eat with the burgers.  We had homemade potato salad, homemade pickles, and chips.

a corner of mom’s kitchen….I love her decorating style so much.

garden tomatoes, cut paper on the window.  two mixers for cookies, cakes, and breads.

Well, we only had one afternoon together so despite the rain Mom and I went out to the garden so she could show me everything.  My son Jacob made the “Mr. Gregory’s Garden” sign.  My dad’s name is Gregory, and it’s a pun on the wonderful Beatrix Potter story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

‘Now my dears,’ said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, ‘you may go into
the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden:
your Father had an accident there;
he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.’

Mom and Dad keep the garden all fenced in rustically so as to keep out the critters.

Dave and Maria work in the garden whenever possible, too.  Maria planted these really fascinating watermelons; “Moon and Stars”….see the little yellow stars on the leaves and the melon?

Mom wore boots, I went barefoot.  First we went in the shed where I took some of her onions, garlic, and a potato.  She showed me her gourds which are almost ready to turn into birdhouses.

She offered me boots several times but I needed to feel the mud and grass and dirt under my bare feet.

Heirloom tomato ready to pick.

Her sister is growing potatoes in old tires, and she is growing tomatoes in them.  I have decided that my garden totally needs some old tires.  🙂

Reflected in a silver bulb

Perseverance corn…..

“I planted corn three times and the chipmunks ate the seed.  I bought fresh seed at agway and planted it the end of June, way late in the season.  I call it perseverance because Dad kept telling me it would never grow and I told him I was not going to give up.”  ~Mom

That’s the kind of mom I have.

Grandpa’s old barns in the distance.

Mom set to work finding cucumbers.

She also had me get inside the bean teepee which was pretty fun because I felt just like a kid again.  She looked in at me though the drippy green vines and said, “Isn’t it neat?”

I ate a crunchy green bean.

I was standing in front of the bean teepee.

Mom and I got completely soaked and it was very refreshing.  And cold.

I was given all kinds of cucumbers and had quality time with my mama.

(Today I cut my finger making pickles with them.)

“I’ve never seen you get hurt before!” ~Sarah
“Grandma has cuts on her fingers, too.” ~Grace

Back inside the house, Rich took a photo of us and mom gave me a dry shirt to wear.

Sarah felt like such a big girl after spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  She’s still bragging about it to people.  She loved the puppy, too, except when he gets too close to her.  (he loves children and chews on them).

She feels important when Grandpa lets her hold the leash.

Dad and Ethan played music together.  It was wonderful.

From the other end of the house, Caleb joined in, too.

We had to leave their house around 4:00 so that we could get home at a reasonable hour.

It was still raining when we left and I enjoyed that old drive down the hill.

Soaked it in, so to speak.

Aunt Betty’s house.

Mom when she was a baby.