Early to Bed...

Its 9:28pm on a warm, breezy evening, and the house is as quiet as a mouse. Everyone has gone to bed. The dogs are sleeping out on the cool patio, my husband went up to bed about half an hour ago (he has one of those lousy, summer head colds) and my daughter and two granddaughters who have been here for 5 days now all go to bed about 8 o'clock. The two little ones wouldn't last much longer, both of them still wake up several times during the night, or in the early morning hours. And its just easier for my daughter to go to bed with them, although she lays up there and reads until she falls asleep. So, its either the computer, or the tv.

It has been a great week, although tiring! The two little girls are 2 1/2 and 7 months old, so it is quite a challenge keeping track of both of them, keeping both fed, cleaned, and satisfied, and entertaining them, especially the 2 year old. She plays wonderfully, but, typically, has the whiney times when she fights for some independence. We have kept fairly busy with breakfasts out, walks, playing with toys and a tent, eating, going swimming at the neighbors' pool, going to the playground, today we went to them mall. The days seem like they will be long, but then before we know it, its time for dinner, baths and books and bed. Their last full day is tomorrow, then we'll drive them back to the airport in Manchester, NH so they can
catch their Southwest flight non-stop back to Baltimore. Two best things so far: having my granddaughter run to me with a big hug and kiss at the airport (yes, there were tears in my eyes), and two days later saying "I love Mimi's house, Mommy!" Today, while we were walking the dogs, I thought she said "You're my best friend", but no, she was saying the dogs were her best friends! The weather has been just about a little bit of everything, but yesterday was a perfect 82 degrees, and today has been breezy, but nice outside. I will post a picture as soon as I get them downloaded to my computer.

Babbling Brook Mystery Solved (and repaired!)

It has been a long week, meaning last week that ended yesterday. On Wednesday we woke up to no water, and when my husband went down into the basement to check things out, he found our water booster pumps overheating and smoking. These pumps add pressure so we can actually have force in the water upstairs to enable us to take showers.  He shut the pumps down, and with just a bare trickle in the upstairs bathrooms, we opted to use the lower level shower until we could have things checked out. The next day our water guy shows up, and within minutes he realized the problem was with that little spring of water which had been flowing for nearly two months. His conclusion: the water was actually coming from a break in the pipe going from our well to the house, which means our well was supplying all of that water that has been running constantly down the driveway! The prognosis did not look good. We could have to dig up half of the yard, including the area where we thought the pipe might go under the driveway, to find the source of the leak. We called two neighbors to ask for advice on who they would recommend, left a message for one, then spoke to the second, who suggested his cousin who was an excavator. Within an hour we had set up a meeting for the next morning, the second neighbor stopped by to check things out and offer assistance, and the other neighbor followed shortly behind to see what he could do. Its amazing what these people do to help one another, and how grateful we are for knowing them. They are an unending source of information and support. We are so very lucky. The next day the crew arrives, the hole is found rather easily and repaired quickly, the dirt is replaced, and we have our water back and running. The booster pumps still need some kind of tweaking, but the pressure is strong enough to enable showers upstairs, and things looked solved. I had been up Friday morning at 3:30am to get to work by 5:15am for our semi-annual store inventory, I was tired and exhausted by the time I got home that afternoon, but we picked up a bottle of wine to take to the neighbors' to thank them for their help. That turned into hanging over there for 3 hours, eating crackers and cheese, then steaks on the grill, and having the best time, and a most special end to a rather challenging week. Okay, the week didn't really completely end on such a high note. Last night, Saturday, still this same week, I went to do the dishes after supper, and SURPRISE! NO HOT WATER! I guess this will be chapter 2-to be continued this week...

Long, long days of June

It is after 9pm, and the sky is still light behind the silhouette of the trees. In another 3 weeks we will have the longest day of the year. Up here, if it is clear that week, it won't get completely dark until nearly 10pm. And then the days will start getting shorter. My son-in-law, who is from Honduras, couldn't comprehend this concept at all because down there, a day in December is just as hot and has just as many hours of daylight as a day in June. I like the long days, even if it means that the sky begins to get light shortly after 4 am. I really like the short days when I can come home at 5pm and put my pajamas on because it feels like it is almost time for bed right after dinner.

The rains have let up, for now. We have had the snowiest winter on record, with 128.4 inches. And the rainiest spring with 24.78 inches so far for the year. And that is compared to 12.63 inches normal for the whole year. Talk about green EVERYWHERE! Our little babbling brook still continues to flow several gallons per hour, and everyone who sees it says they have never seen anything like it.

Yesterday was nice. After 3 days of very warm, humid weather, it cooled off dramatically, with lows into the 40's and the high of only about 68. It was perfect for heading up to the local nursery and buying some flowers to plant in our large barrels. And while looking for the best flowers to plant, I came across some called "Elfin Mix Impatiens" and just had to buy them to plant near my Elf door that my brother-in-law made a few years ago. Here is what is now looks like:

There are 6 impatiens plants in the mulch. I love this area because I can see it from the kitchen window when I am doing the dishes or cooking. Hopefully the little garden takes, and the flowers spread. Maybe the elves will help with the weeding!

My youngest daughter and her two little girls will be here in just over 2 weeks. We are looking forward to some special time with our granddaughters who are almost 7 months and almost 2 1/2 years old. It should be fun having them all here for a few days. I hope the weather is fairly good, and the bugs aren't too bad. I have a multitude of tiny no-see-um bites that are very itchy right now. The little buggers should hopefully have died off for the year before they get here. Of course, about the time they are gone, the pesty deer flies start dive bombing us as we walk the dogs, and right behind them will be the swarms of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Ahhhh, summer life in the country!