What? It's December? Well, ok then. I'm READY!

Union Square in San Francisco. We are having a blast as we prepare for "life changes". It's all good.

Only a few days of "vacation" left.....

....to eat, explore, and shop our way through Provence! (And, yes, starting to miss home.)

Ten days of wonderful craziness!

What fun it has been to have all of our kids and grands here for Balloon Fiesta and more; lots of story reading, badminton, stomp rockets, fairy houses, nature fairies, dancing, dress-up, walks, snuggling and hugging, cousin time, and eating! (Thanks Uncle Aaron for the awesome donuts at the Balloon Fiesta!) Ben spent a lot of time with his garbage truck, his bulldozer...and rocks! Oh, and we did lots of balloon watching! We went to see balloons....and balloons came to see us! I know that as the grandkids get older, it gets more and more difficult for their families to get away. So we thank them for coming for this very special week together. It is such a JOY to be with them, to watch the children grow and change and become such funny, smart, interesting people! We love it! Thanks also, to our wonderful extended family for hanging out with us for fun, help with projects, and memory-making! It was all so terrific!!!

A visit to the Captain's hometown

We have enjoyed four days of Fall in Tim's hometown of Bemidji in northern Minnesota, and are now on our way back home. It is a world away from what we are accustomed to. We have eaten pounds of wild rice - bringing some home with us in fact. It has been over a decade since we have been here, and it felt nice to experience it together again - except for the mosquitos, oh yes. Mosquitos!! They are so terrible! Boating on a lake, looking for loons is a wonderful experience! And we also saw bald eagles. A highlight: walking the Mississippi River headwaters in Itasca State Park, then overnighting at the historic Itasca State Park Douglas Lodge. Beautiful!!

School Days!

Our sweet Texas kindergartner and 1st time preschooler began their School Days! (Our Carolina sweetheart goes year-round, so she doesn't have to contend with "back to school".) I spent part of Abby's 1st week of school in Ft Worth, seeing her "conquer her new world"! Then, just this week, little Ben was off to preschool - so proud of his "pack pack" (Auntie Amber always knows just which backpack each of our kids will love; Ben's - a Hedgehog!), and his lunch box, that he forgot to make any fuss at all. In North Texas, the start of school is not associated with Fall really; summer heat still rages and the pools are still open. But still, the kids pack up fresh, lovely boxes of newly sharpened pencils, perfect crayons, school glue, scissors, and cubes of tissues, carting them off for new adventures! Abby's teacher calls the children "Scholars". I love that! She truly meets the definition! In North Carolina, Piper is an "Otter", having graduated last spring from being a "Grasshopper". I know that she too is a scholar! Seeing these children heading off to school causes me to feel confidant about our future! We are in good hands! As soon as I landed back here at Little Bird Farm, it was out into the garden and then to the kitchen stove for me! What is it about the approach of Fall that makes the colors of the garden so intense and fabulous? The nights have turned cool, slowing down the cucumbers. But the okra and tomatoes are wildly productive! Pickled okra and tomato sauce!! And huge zinnia and dahlia bouquets! Captain filled each room with vases of flowers for my return home - how sweet he is!! Hello September! Happy to see ya!

Ben is...TWO!

It is unbelievable! No more babies among our grand babes....because our littlest, Ben has turned 2 years old! How quickly they are ALL growing up! (I must be getting old to be spouting such euphemisms!) Wasn't it just yesterday that Nate phoned with the exciting news that our new little one had arrived...and he was Benjamin Lee??!!! Now he is Mr Personality and Mr Silly! How we LOVE him! Have so much fun being two, precious BEN!! We are so happy you are in our lives in a BIG, wonderful way!

Weekend respite...and back home to garden bounty!

We had such a beautiful weekend, enjoying some of our favorite things; the generous hospitality of lovely friends, time on the water, a little boating and fishing, nature walks, birdwatching, plenty of wild life, and yummy food and drink. Vallecito, Colorado is at about 8000 feet, so the air is crisp and cool. There are bears, white tailed deer, wild turkeys, and so many gorgeous birds! Fred especially loved the chipmunks. And the mud at the edge of Vallecito Lake. We wondered if he would go out into the water and swim. He did not. (To our surprise!) The "super moon" was spectacular! Our drive home Sunday took us through the amazing scenery of northern New Mexico; we stopped at Ghost Ranch just to say "hello" to that splendid landscape! We had felt reluctant to leave Little Bird Farm at this very busy time, but guess what. The work was still here when we got home last evening! So - off to it I go now - to peaches, cukes, okra, and green beans! Oh, and dead heading. Fun to go! Wonderful to be back home!

We honor our country! Independence Day - 2014!

Up early to enjoy the fragrance of last night's big rain! It was quite something; I love the smell of damp dirt - dirt that's so dry that when the rain drops first hit it, the dust floats up and fills your nose with that unmistakable fragrance of high desert! In spite of the grasshoppers, most crops are doing well. This week we will have our first tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and maybe even zucchini. Daisies abound! Hollyhocks are so tall they are beginning to fall over. I have never seen so many honeybees as are on all the mermaid roses, blue mist, and cat mint right now! The gardens are a true celebration of freedom and independence! Happy July 4th!

A Mighty Fine Father's Day WEEK!

It was a wild and busy week! Nate's little Ft Worth crew was here and the whole (local) fam headed up to the Jemez cabin for some Father's Day celebrating. Some big fun was had here at Little Bird Farm too, that's for sure. Thanks for coming, kids! We loved it. And Ichiban, we all missed you, P & little p. We are so grateful for our fathers!!!