Birdhouses

Birdhouses before the partyDuring
After

Trickery afoot

I made a scarecrow for my garden out of a thrift store dress and hat. We have a neighbor that is a very enthusiastic bird feeder, and the birds congregate heavily near my beans. I thought that this might help. What I noticed was a lot of whispering and giggling among the men folk in the family. Later on I discovered what they were up to. A strategically placed Halloween mask. -Polly

Bad News

Well, the weekend away happened. As I hoped, there was some reading and a little knitting. But, something terrible also happened. We lost our little pup. The country vet tried to help. The city vet tried to help. In the end, he just could not stay with us. I can't believe it. I can't stand it. But, that is what happened. -Polly

Weekend Plans

I am hoping that these things will receive some of my attention this weekend. I know in my heart that I will be mostly doling out snacks, rummaging through laundry, and refereeing dogs and boys, but this is still my hope.  I hope you have a great weekend. -Polly

Puppy Love

So, the puppy is still here, and he is getting bigger. We still think he is charming. I took some pictures of him when he first arrived. I particularly liked this one of him exploring the garden. That was just the beginning. He has since proven himself to be a truly expert and tireless plant demolisher.

Picture this coming at you if you are a tender lily.

Here he is doing what he is meant to do. That interesting object is a packet of grouse feathers. When it is dangled and swung from a fishing pole, he points at it steadily. Good Dog! -Polly

Grandmas and Grandpas and The Fourth of July

Today is the fourth of July! This morning the sun finally came out and lit up my glass bear. I live in the house that my Grandmother grew up in. Though much has changed, this bear is still in the same window where it was when I visited Grandma here. Remembering her on the Fourth of July reminds me of my favorite part of one of my favorite books.

A final memory.

Fire Balloons.

You rarely see them these days, though in some countries, I hear they are still made and filled with warm breath from a small straw fire hung beneath. But in 1925 Illinois, we still had them, and one of the last memories I have of my grandfather is the last hour of a Forth of July night forth-eight years ago when Grandpa and I walked out on the lawn and lit a small fire and filled the pear-shaped red-white-and-blue-striped paper balloon with hot air, and held the flickering bright-angel presence in our hands a final moment in front of a porch lined with uncles and aunts and cousins and mothers and fathers, and then, very softly, let the thing that was life and light and mystery go out of our fingers up on the summer air and away over the beginning-to-sleep houses, among the stars, as fragile, as wondrous, as vulnerable, as lovely as life itself.

Ray Bradbury - Dandelion Wine 1975 All last week my boys practiced their parade form. As they hoped, the real parade today was very loud with fire trucks and small town wonderfulness. After lunch, their Grandmother sent them searching in the yard for a treasure box she had hidden. It is a big job to fill their heads with sweet memories, but someone has to do it. Happy Fourth, -Polly