Tuesday's Treasures

(Stone Cherubs)

Last week's visit from my son and his family included a late Wednesday morning trip to Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY. My photo album of the day includes a decent balance of people, plants, pillars, and pedestals. There appears to be no end of effigies, icons, and statuary... It's always a fascinating trip.

Perhaps someone out there knows a bit of history when it comes to cherubs and (I suppose) Greek mythology. (I somehow missed that subject in high school... ) I can't help thinking of Carmen Miranda when I look at these two fruit basket bearing babes, but I doubt she had any influence over them. Perhaps they influenced her instead.

My little Minnesota grandson found this fountain  in the Sub Rose Garden rather curious and stood staring at it for quite some time. Down in the grass were chairs from a recent wedding, so being a good grandma, I sat down to watch and take pictures.

When his cousin came along (to dip his hands in the water...), I heard Austin say to Jake, "Wadder is comin' out uff der mouf."

And then they stared at it for a while longer before Austin decided to dip his sandal in the water. Grandma called out "Hey!..." and Mommy told him it was time to come down.

Down he came on the other side, past one of two beautiful stone cherubs. Wouldn't it be fun to have those babies in your garden?

One is a wonderful as the other...

And finally (for today), another little cherub who looks as if she's about to take a dive into the pool. And who could blame her? It was probably ninety degrees in the shade that day!

They're old, some have rust spots, and they're certainly treasures!
Tuesday's Treasures links up here.

The Gnome is at Home

It's been slow going, but the Happy Gnome has finally moved in. It's the first in my "Fairy/Gnome Home" collection and I like it. The door needs a window of some kind, but it's a good start and it makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile too.

 I believe the Happy Gnome was inside taking a nap, but since I am not always watching, it could be that he has packed a bag and gone off to visit a friend. It is July, after all, and that is the time of travel and vacations. Perhaps I'll know he is home if the party lights come on at night... (I know, you're all fairly certain by now that I have gone completely over the edge, but I'm still hanging on.)

Do you "Believe"?


Here's my original post and a photo of the "empty" Gnome Home back in the winter.

The Barn Collective

Just a few photos of local barns. Old pictures because I haven't been out traipsing around.

Just down the street and around the corner. This poor thing is gone now, but while she stood she made a great photo study. She's been overcome, overwhelmed, and overtaken. 

 Another "down the road and around the corner" kind of shot, but a little farther and in a different direction.

And this one is about an hour away. Down the road from where my youngest daughter learned to ride and fell in love with a horse.

Come visit The Barn Collective and share what you have found.

See You Later, Minnesota

So, I didn't get the job. Instead I got a letter that said, "We do not have a position to offer you at this time." I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved. Mostly I'm thinking I have very poor interviewing skills. I'm also thinking a certain someone best not ask me what I am going to do now... Maybe I'll just eat ice cream sandwiches and sleep all day.

This morning Jim and Michele packed Austin into their vehicle and headed back home to the very sad city of Saint Paul. The time flew by all too fast, and for several reasons I find myself weepy today. That migraine that occasionally catches up to me is not helping much. I'm feeding it ibuprofen and hoping it gives up and goes away.

We got a little bit of rain this afternoon. Not a lot, but a little. I keep hoping for one of those crazy thunder and lightening storms in the dead of night. They are the best for sleeping through. Maybe I need one of those sound machines like they put into babies' rooms during nap time.

*sigh* I have done absolutely nothing all day.
:0(

 Oh, wait. I did empty the dishwasher, feed the chickens, and do some laundry. That has to count for something. And, I made a grand attempt at a nap. That counts too.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Yesterday we went on an adventure to Sonnenberg Gardens. Jim and Michele with Austin, Beth and her three children, Hannah, and me. It was a hot, muggy afternoon. I took a ton of pictures which will likely show up here and there for the next several days.

Minnesota has been here since Saturday. It's been a busy week. They say time flies when you're having fun, and we've had a lot of that. Austin is at an especially cute age, old enough to understand a little bit better who we are, and little enough to be terribly cute and funny. I found myself smiling this morning when he looked down the stairs, saw Lucas, Simon, and Aubrey, and called out "Hi, cousins!"

Today was a stay at home day, but not necessarily more laid back. The three grands were here all day like usual. That always makes for some wild activity... I made a double batch of stuffed shells and meatballs this afternoon, and the entire gang returned for dinner, ice cream sundaes in honor of a little girl who turns five tomorrow, and a grand fireworks display when it got dark.

Lots of hugs, kisses, and goodbyes were said as family members left a few at a time. I felt myself get a little emotional when Austin hugged Aunt Bethany and Jilly-a-Baby, but my time to shed tears is not tonight. I can cry tomorrow when the car pulls away and heads off down the road, and then remember to be grateful for the time together and love we share.

Tomorrow I'll be pulling the house back together, putting things away, and feeling the silence settle in. I'll await a call from the agency I interviewed with on Monday, probably take a nap, and miss the hustle and bustle of the past few days. And I'll settle into whatever comes next. Maybe I'll even take a walk.

I have some great photos from our days together and plan to print up one of the "grandchildren" pictures from the 4th of July. I love those group photos and I'm glad there are cousins of all ages. It makes a great little group.

A Minnesota grandpa saw this picture yesterday and said, "I miss that little guy." I have to admit, there is a little piece of me that is jealous. I want more than a week with this small grandson, and then I recall that he is the only grandchild the other grandma and grandpa have (No wonder he is so special.) and I am happy all over again that he has Minnesota grandparents too.

"How Did You Hear About Us?"

This morning brought an interview for a new job. I think it went well. I'll know more about it by Friday. Life definitely takes some interesting twists and turns. I'd never have imagined myself traveling this road just a few years ago, but I'm actually looking forward to it... with just a drop of "healthy" trepidation.

Today I went to lunch with my sister Priscilla, who was kind enough to give me a ride to my interview as my vehicle had been commandeered by its second owner and taken to the southern tier. Priscilla suggested going to Leo's  since it was right around the corner from where I'd interviewed. We had the whole afternoon to spend doing whatever we chose, but our choice was to come back to the house where we both settled onto a couch and fell fast asleep to the sounds of birds and tractors. Soothing country sounds.

The house was strangely silent after yesterday's continual action. Our visitors were off doing some more visiting (and a little bit of sight seeing as well). 

On Thursday maybe we'll have another party. One small girl will be having a birthday on Friday and an early celebration is in order. What a great way to wrap up the week!

Photos courtesy of yesterday, and my sister Rachel who was wise enough to bring her camera along to the party.

:0)

"You Gotta have Pie on the 4th of July!"

It was a great party! For the first time since September we had all our offspring (and their second halves) in one place. The cousins had a wonderful time, the grown ups had a wonderful time, even the chickens had a wonderful time!

Looking for the cousins...

Fruit pies by Michele. Strawberry rhubarb, peach, and blueberry.

 Pie sampler, because, why not?

Something Naughty going on. (Photo courtesy of Priscilla, Michele, and Bethany. It was a group effort. See cat, figure out camera, take picture.)

Uncle Joe takes a nap in a spot of shady lawn.

Little flower. Austin calls her "Jilly-a-Baby."

Spencer still loves the chickens. He found it totally amusing that they were out of the cage.

All in one photo, Numbers Seven, One, Eight, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six!

I thought Numbers Ten and Nine should get in on the fun too so we added Sabrina and Hannah.

Our own seven and their others. Ben and Joe decided they could be a couple too...

One with Mom and Dad

Sweet rewards. They were bribed with Freeze Pops to sit for a photo. I'd offered them bubble gum, but was told by a small girl that it had "dye and modified corn starch and that's like poison"... That's okay because I like bubble gum too.

My nephew Allen brought a slack line to walk on. I had to try. I got three steps in before falling off.

I heard Sergio did pretty good, even tried running across, but I must have been down by the chickens with Spencer.

Jake and Aubrey are best buddies. Kissin' cousins even.

So much fun watching everyone together. I just don't want it to be over. Maybe we can gather them up one more time before Minnesota packs up and heads home.

Brave Chicken (How's that for an oxymoron?)

After talking with an acquaintance at the farmer's market in Webster this morning, I decided to be brave this evening and leave the door to my chicken coop open for a little bit. One hen was braver than the rest. After looking out the door and checking things out for a few minutes, she decided to venture out. The rooster was not the bravest bird in the bunch, but since he is supposed to be the leader, he came out too.  I sat back in the grass with my camera and watched.

I've been told that once the flock is used to their enclosure, they will automatically "go home" at night. They didn't wander very far from the door this time, they weren't out very long, and not everyone ventured out. One silly chicken got confused and forgot where the door was. She kept looking at her friends inside and then proceeded with an attempt to fly through the chicken wire. In her confusion she ended up on the backside of the cage where I followed her back around to the door and she hopped safely inside.

More exciting than chickens was the arrival this afternoon of our Minnesota people. Jim, Michele, and Austin arrived at about 1:30 pm. Austin looked a little shy and unsure at first, but the apprehension quickly melted away. When he saw the toys, the chickens, and the cats, he decided it was an alright place. And he hasn't even caught up with the cousins yet. Wait until that happens!


We're going to have a fabulous week.
:0)

Another Day in the Life

I had a bit of a shock when I woke up and looked at the clock this morning. "9:20 am" I never sleep that late. I hopped out of bed, jumped into the shower, and when I came downstairs found that my lovely daughter in law had left a gift on my kitchen table. There wasn't a note or a card, just three items left for me to discover. It had "My favorite Leta" written all over it.

Although the day started off slow and I feared I'd get little to nothing accomplished, at the end of the day I feel alright about it. I ran the dishwasher, made a visit to my son and grandkids in town, took a short nap before the other three grandkids came for a couple hours, folded the laundry (a day late), and cleaned the kitchen. Not too shabby.

Yesterday I took my camera down to the chicken coop. A few of the hens were doing acrobatics, but of course, they were camera shy and didn't pose for me when I brought it out. I did, however, catch a few nice shots of that crazy rooster.

My Minnesota son will be here in just another couple of days. I am looking very much forward to wrapping my arms around him for a long hug. They haven't been home since Hannah and Sergio's wedding last September and my little grandson is growing up without me there to watch. I'm pretty sure that shouldn't be allowed.