End of Summer at the Farm

The grass is still a beautiful emerald green, but the trees are starting to turn red and gold.

The rockers on the porch are waiting for visitors.

The garden is fading. I am only getting a few roses a day now, and even fewer tomatoes. 

The pond is quiet. The turtles are not sunbathing anymore. 

The potted plants are blooming less.

The dragonflies are disappearing. 

The barn is quiet. 

The coke planter is getting ready for bulbs so we can have blooms in spring. 

The screen porch is vacant. 

The front door is getting decorated for Fall. 

The summer flowers will be replaced with mums.  

The entry will be full of pumpkins, orange wreaths and autumn flowers.  

No one is swimming in the pond. 

No one is climbing on the fort. 

All the kids are back in school and the farm is quiet at the end of summer. We turn our energies toward preparing for the cool days that are coming.
Nothing is as beautiful and cozy as Fall.

Eccles 1:3
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Summer So Far

Can you see the baby turtle floating on the turtle raft in our pond? This is where they go to get their tans. 

The pond is low. We are 8" short on rain for this time of year. Still there is enough water to sustain the turtles, crawdads, bass, frogs, and dragonfly nymphs that live in the water. 

A mama turtle came ashore and dropped her egg in a hole she dug in the ground. It's about the size of a small chicken egg. They have these little nest holes all over the farm. 

That one is next to my garden above. The greenhouse is full of asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and peppers. In the past week I have planted the larger bed with roses, surrounded by chives, mint, strawberries and watermelons. Sounds like it might make a nice refreshing summer drink minus the chives. 

Another herb box, located outside the kitchen. Can't get enough of these. 

Or these...flower pots cheer me up.  

Along with Mr. Piggy sniffing the ferns and impatiens. 

Mr. Box Turtle is gorgeous but not terribly social. 

He peeks out only when necessary. 

He has such a customized home to live in. It seals shut and really makes hiding easy. 

This is where most of my pennies are going these days. 

Can't get enough of these...

Or these...

Or these. 

I seem to fill the back of my car with these buckets of sunshine everytime I go out. Strange that a flower could bring so much comfort and peace. I suppose it's the symmetry, the artistry, the obvious craftsmanship... lovely signatures of God's presence.

The Last Sweet Days of Summer

Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, and the lazy days of summer are really, truly over. Today everyone went back to school. We only have one grandchild left in elementary school which makes Joe and I a bit melancholy. We find ourselves (and maybe their mamas, too) trying to soak it all in before it's gone. We are fondly remembering those days when they were young and innocent and liked nothing better than to visit their Nana and Papa.

Of course, this new season has its own magic, and we watch with wonder as the four older ones grow and change, and become teens and young adults. But the other night, our tween-age granddaughters poured out some of the final drops of childhood and regaled us with a bike show while we sat in the front yard and laughed at all their antics. I haven't laughed like that in a very long time and it felt great.

Round and round they went, showing us their "tricks".

Feet on the handle bars...

No hands...

A shining smile for the audience...enough,

cuz he's still little, and we aren't going to allow him to grow up!

And ta-da-- standing on the frame.

I know, pretty impressive stuff.

We loved every minute of it, and they did too.

Don't grow up, please.

Not yet.

Friends on the Beach

This was our first trip in a long time. We visited our long-time friends who live by the sea in tropical Florida. Joe and Glenn were best friends through childhood. They have a hundred and one hilarious stories about growing up in So Cal suburbia in the 50's.

Here they are. These wonderful, generous people are one of our biggest blessings in moving to the East Coast. We get to be a short flight away from them.

A pretty spectacular place to ride bikes, don't you think? We beached it every day and it was really good for our souls to get the change of scenery.

Cooling down with gelato after our ride.

It was a really great time with compassionate, caring friends who understand about grief. We're not as much fun as we used to be and these are the kind of people who understand and love us anyway.

Col 3:12-13

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, Florida

This guy is trying to sneak up on us...

but we're not THAT stupid...we stay behind the fence.


Snakes are slightly more manageable than alligators...even pythons. This one has a black head, so he can hide in holes for a sneak attack. Joe looks as happy as can be holding that thing. Some kind of childhood dream fulfilled, I guess.

A feeding frenzy. Toss a little dog kibble and this is what you get.

Meet Mr. Cuddly. This guy is the only safe alligator at the farm--he's stuffed! All 16 feet of him.

Alive and breathing...jumping for a furry rat snack on a stick.

My personal favorite...Mr. Albino. Looks plastic, but he's real and I bet he'd make a fine pair of cowboy boots.

Space Shuttle Launch

Lift Off

We were sitting at water's edge, as close as allowed, across a river, looking at Cape Canaveral, FL, at midnight last night. Despite nearby lightning, we knew it was a "GO" because the man sitting next to us was getting tweeted by his aeronautics professor inside the Kennedy Space Center.

Blinding Light...as the engines propel the shuttle upward...

and an awesome silence because it is moving faster than sound.

Notice the cell phones capturing the sight.

Now as light as day, and we begin to hear the deep rumbling sound of the powerful jets that thunder in the space in front of us and fill it up. We all stand amazed.

High in the sky, with 7 brave people on board and millions of dollars worth of technology--on their way to a space station...

in a galaxy far, far away.

Maybe this is what it looks like from Heaven when anyone of us departs earth on our final journey.

Gen 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.