Firsts

I'm released to return to my normal activities and am so glad to be able to walk again.  The days are beautiful and summer has remained cool and spring-like.  I am starting with a figure eight pattern around our neighborhood so that I'd never be too far from home in case I needed to cut my walk short.  That takes me by Clover's house twice.  She keeps water out for the deer and they love her.

She sent me this picture the other day.  It's the mama deer who has been hanging around our immediate area.  She stashes her twins away and then forages in the mornings while it's still cool.  Clover was watering her hanging plants and mama came right up to her, scared Clover half to death.  The deer bucket was dry and she was asking Clover to fill it.  That was a first!

I ordered this play mat for Delaney and guess who thought it was for her!  Silly kitty.

Delaney likes it too and has already figured out how to grab the rings on one of the hanging toys.  We've learned that as tempting as it is to let her fall asleep on the mat, it's not a good idea.

She was miserable one morning last week.  Her tummy hurt and her exploding diapers used up all her clothes so that I had to run a quick load of laundry.  I think every nursing mother learns the hard way that what they eat is what their baby eats.  Matt assured me that there would be "no more enchiladas."  I told him I had done it to him with corned beef and cabbage.

The cool weather has kept a lot of my flower garden from flowering but not this double peony.  It's my first one and next year I'll have a peony cage to support the heavy heads.  Both of these plants are firsts for me.  The one on the right is Husker Penstamon (red strain).  I love the delicate flowers and I love the red foliage.  Plus it's attracting pollinators.

Sunday morning we drove down to Klammath Falls which is roughly halfway between Reno and Bend to pick up our granddaughter Alexia.  She's been comfortable staying with us since she was four-years-old and is now 14, soon to be 15 in August.  She'll be with us for a month this summer.

Mondays are the days I spend at the High Desert Museum as a living history interpreter and this is Alexia's third year to do it with me.  Miss Emily and she went out to the garden to collect rhubarb.

It was pie day and this one was made by Hazel with Miss Emily assisting.  It was an unusually cool day and the heat from the wood stove was most welcome.  The aroma of baking pie drew in visitors like a magnet.

Alexia pronounced it delicious, and I would have to agree!

The day after tomorrow I'll have both of my granddaughters here, another first.