Family

gathering at my mum's in the city today, another hearty dose of family.

heavy air, still.

sweaty sitting babes lurching over their crossed legs, playing at crawling. filled the little pool to cool them, little feet splashing, disrupting the afternoon with bubbles, kicks. their 6-month-old glee showering us all in drops of water.

Visiting

missed yesterday.

took a train with the boy today, visiting dear family not seen for many years, and some seen recently.

boy watched the world go by through the train window: trees, waterways, small town centers, clouds.

waiting on a babe to come. he's starting and pausing on his passage here, determining his own time.

Camping

camping ended early, lots of rain falling and forecast.

husband and i continued our vacation at home, to the exclusion of computers. so much time freed up by not checking on emails, weather, etc. we've been more present with each other, as well, since neither of us was on the computer. back on today, but i'm considering taking routine email/computer hiatuses in the future.

beautiful camping site, right on the lake as always. site was more beautiful, bright, and expansive than the photos look, but they give a fair idea.







young cardinal visited today, begging off its father. a bland-looking little one, yet to wear the distinction of black at the base of an orange bill.

Fire & Fly

much excitement at the neighbors' house today, band of boys testing their limits and having their first encounter with police and firefighters.

during the drama, a fly sat on the tip of a rhododendron leaf out our window. green grass and dark shadows beyond, it was occupied with cleaning its legs, cleaning under it wings, utterly undisturbed by the human fiasco.

like any other creature in the world, taking the time to care for itself.

camping until next wednesday, will write when i return.

Seedlings!

Pickling cucumbers!

Cabbages! (Left is one we planted from seed, middle and right are from the market, to replace the groundhog's share.)

Pole beans! Garlic! Tomatoes! Kale!


Cut flower bed: Statice! Strawflowers (invisible)! Dahlias! Two rows of Bachelor's Buttons! (Rocks from out back.)

Thunder, Light, and Rocks

thunder and lightning, rain throughout today.

excavator roared all day out back, breaking ledge under the earth. we've begun collecting the rocks for garden edges and paths. beautiful patterns, shapes, weighty stories of the past they carry - of the formation of the earth, the history of this land here.

rainbow this evening after the storms. called husband outside with son and we looked together, even the boy gazing at it against the slate sky.

Fog

more rain, straight from sky to ground. green grass speckled with purple clover, frogs chirring and peeping, wren singing all the day. lightning bugs taking over at dusk, slowly appearing in the dark. fog slowly filling the night air now.