under the fan

on the porch

I was up early this morning, vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms, trying to catch the coolest part of the day. I have never been a summer person. July is my least favorite month of the year. So right now, I am coping. That's about the best I can do. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I will pack up Henry, my sewing machine and other stuff and head to our "bit of earth" for an extended stay. More serious attention will be given to actual sewing and sowing. It's about time.

May and June were filled with comings and goings. Now it seems, we are all in fun places. Here's where we've landed.

Stew and Dawn bought their first house, with a sweet deck and yard where they can garden. The crazy rental market in Portland inspired them to get serious about making this big change.They moved in the day after they arrived back from our family reunion and were delighted to find ripening strawberries in the front garden.


Lindsey discovered my old circa early '80's steel framed bike in our shed in Vermont. She whisked it off to Boston, put some money into rehabbing it and is now training for an upcoming bike tour. The guys at the local bike shop had fun working on a "vintage" bike. I used to take Gretta to preschool on the back of that bike and I'm delighted that it's enjoying a second life! We'll be sure to post photos soon.

Hannah and her kitty, Javier, have moved back East and are staying with us for a month or so. After playing footsies under the bedroom door where Javier was staying, Henry and Javier are now having so much fun sharing the house and screened porch. Hannah invited me along to look at apartments and she'll be signing a lease on one this Saturday, she'll get the keys on August 1st. 


Gretta is busy with her campers for the fourth summer, getting up to our "bit of earth" on weekends to do her laundry, nap, catch up on the internet and relax with whoever is around.  It's hard to believe she'll be a senior when she returns to campus at the end of the summer.


Batman enjoyed a significant birthday-- turning 55 in his corner of the corporate world means we can all exhale some of the pent up worry that haunted us in these "tight times". He's up to his eyeballs in projects at work and will enjoy his weekends unwinding in VT.


Starting tomorrow, I look forward to cooler temperatures, gardening, sewing, reading, strolling, exploring, cooking with really local food and b-r-e-a-t-h-i-n-g. I'll be a bit more present here, and I'll share what I find along my way. 


Shall I honk the horn when I cross the line into Vermont tomorrow?