What a month. After the festivities of last weekend we rolled right into the busyness of the week with activities at the club for Edie. John and I went down to Jenny Lane for a night to attend a bar-b-que to welcome our summer intern at St. Andrew’s Church. We thought we might stay for a couple of days but the dogs were very badly behaved and kept everyone awake during the night so we headed back to Canada. We are ending the month with a windy day on the lake with some intermittent storms coming through with brilliant sunshine in between. Lots of boat rides during the week. Camp has started at the club and Edie gets to ride in the bow of the boat to get to the club for her lessons most days.

Strawberry Jam

If it is the end of June then it is strawberry jam time. My mother always chose the hottest day of the year to make jam, we were quite lucky it was actually a rainy cool day. It has been a couple of years since we made jam and we had essentially run out. Katie and I went on a hunt for strawberries, discovered the red truck which sells them picked from the local farm and we came home with a flat of the biggest most lucious strawberries ever. We also found the fine sugar that is recommended for jam. John had all the jars and tops sterilized and ready for us. We made it in two batches, cooked it just right and all but four jars sealed perfectly.

And now it is July

We started the week with a bit of a scare as Orin had an allergic reaction to eggs. Lucky for us his mom had something she could give him but it was enough of a scare that we called 911 and the paramedics came and checked him out. By the time they got there (20 minutes) he was more like himself again. We are now being very careful with what we give Orin until he can be tested to find out if there are other allergies or sensitivities. In the meantime his moms have an epipen in their first aid kit just in case. It really was quite scary.

Lots and Lots of Walking

Needless to say I did not walk on Monday but the rest of the week was a really good, if hot, week of walking. A couple of days with my brother and one of my own and then with Katie. The dogs just love the walk we take and they get to swim twice. I find the peace in the woods very regenerative. Recently I told my brother that I thought I was getting my woods brain back. It has been a few years since I walked this much in the woods and I certainly am loving it. Our walks are not long but there is quite an elevation from the stream level to the pond level and back again. We average about 3.2 miles in about an hour and half, usually with a break at the stream and what we call Buck’s Corner which is where our former golden learned to swim years ago. We drink lovely cold water and listen to the birds and say our thanks for all the gifts in our lives. I wrote a short poem that can be found at the end of this letter, that expresses what I felt the day I sat there, alone and just listened. A little bit like Percy sitting on the dock just watching the water. Wonder what he is thinking?

The Chefs in the Kitchen

It was also Margot’s birthday on July 4th and they celebrated with an afternoon at the new spa at Manoir Hovey while Katie and I took care of the children. We had a lovely time and so did they. One really nice benefit of having Margot and Hadley with us is they love to cook so they have taken over the kitchen. We have had some marvelous meals and delicious desserts. Yesterday they made cookies for everyone and gave us some to take to church for coffee hour. To say they were gone in a heartbeat isn’t exagerating. They were very popular as was the fresh pressed apple juice that I brought with me. Everyone was very impressed with the French label. Meanwhile Katie is perfecting her baby skills with Orin, teaching him how to eat from a spoon.

Back at Jenny Lane

We have just completed the first week of July and we are ending it on a heat wave. Once again John and I headed to Jenny Lane, this time to go to the Barn Playhouse where we saw Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream coat. It was a truly wonderful presentation with just wonderful music and a terrific cast, constumes and dance routines. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, at this time, our summer intern has ended her time at Jenny Lane and has moved on to two weeks at another home. It appears that things went well and she has settled into a routine. We didn’t get to see much of her but what we did see was very pleasant. She seemed to really enjoy the independence she had being on her own her for some of the days while sharing with Katie or with us at other times.

Update on Tomato Plants – We have Tomato Trees

We are now looking forward to harvesting our own tomatoes maybe by the time we come back again for another visit. There are little tomatoes on both tomato plants some will be full size and some will be cherry size. The vegetable garden is now a bee garden and just beginning to produce some flowers. Have a wonderful week.