Last Days of August

BUBBLE TIME!!! One of her favorite activities when we are gathered on the front porch. After dinner in the evenings we'll hang out on the porch, me on the swing with George, watching the children run up and down the lane. It allows them to get rid of the energy they have left and allows the grown-ups to wind down and talk about the day.

We went back to Busch Gardens last Thursday and it will probably be the last visit of the summer since our passes run out the 6th of Sept. We certainly enjoyed our trips over the spring and summer and can't wait to do it again! We'll be back for Christmas Town in December, guarantee it!

Our hummingbirds will be leaving in a month or so. They have added such beauty to the farm. This year we had more hummingbirds than ever and I have photographed more of them than ever, too. My interaction with the one I found on the floor in the shack a few months ago has me wondering which one it was I helped. But one in particular always flies up to the kitchen window and hovers to look inside at us before eating.

Getting Miss Priss to pose for a picture is a chore in itself. She doesn't like the camera and runs when I take it out. But I will NOT give up and am determined to get her used to it.

This morning I made a batch of pear preserves. George got these cute little 4 oz jars at the local store. They are the perfect size for gift giving. I have a fig tree in the front of the chicken coop and the figs are ready for picking so I think I'll make some fig preserves this week.

Head West Young Man

Last week's rain had us pulling out the crafts during the day. I am so grateful for the rain because we are desperately in need of the wet stuff. The butterbeans are hanging but haven't filled out yet. When they do there will be plenty to pick. So rest up kiddies, you're gonna need it!

We attended the 103rd Parsons Family reunion in WV over the weekend. We stayed at the Canaan Valley Resort and Lodge and even though it was a short trip we had a great time.

It was nice to meet and greet relatives from Iowa, Wyoming, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Va and WV. I was elected family historian, again and hope I can do as good a job as Kathy. She did ALL of the hard work and research producing 3 volumes of genealogy from the Potomac region. Now I just have to add births, deaths and marriages and try to answer the ton of questions asked by relatives. We are so fortunate to be able to trace our ancestry all the way back to when the Parsons's first came to America in the 1600's.

Every year we go I find a piece of me not wanting to leave. The rugged beauty of the West Virginia mountains is so inviting. We crossed 3 mountain chains to arrive in Tucker Co. and after twisting and turning on mountain roads for a couple of hours the land opens up into a beautiful valley of green lush. This 9 hole golf course is located at the fairgrounds where we hold the reunion. We're thinking of going back in February to snowboard and ski, I think the kids will love it!

Hot August Daze

My sister, Mary bought the kiddies the CUTEST costumes from the Disney Store. Toy Story's Woody and Jesse. They have dressed up several times since receiving them last week. Nathan had a Woody suit that was from the first movie and it was VERY small, but he wore it anyway not caring if the sleeves rode up to his elbows. When he put the new suit on his face broke out into a huge smile. SEE?

School shopping for Nathan's first year is DONE! I couldn't believe the items I had to purchase; coffee filters, Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, tissues and paper towels, (2) boxes of baby wipes liquid soap (2) bottles of hand sanitizer, ziplock bags (gallon and quart)....have we gotten to the actual school supplies yet? Oh ok, here we go...(12) glue sticks, 3 boxes of crayons, a box of pencils, (2) packages of index cards, (2) spiral bound notebooks, pencil erasers, dry erase markers, a book bag, a napping mat and blanket......he and the school should be WELL prepared.

The recipe for making watermelon rind pickle. I made another batch yesterday and got the thumbs up from the boys.

This is what the rind looks like after the final boil in clear water. After I rinsed them off I put them into the syrup concoction on a low boil for almost 2 hours. Watermelon rind is an old southern delicacy and something you usually see out on the table during the holidays. I had never tried it until I met George almost 20 years ago. It has a wonderful sweet taste with a touch of vinegar and combined with pork or a chicken dish it almost cleanses the palate. We have plenty and if you're interested in purchasing a pint-sized jar, I'll be selling them for $8.00/plus shipping and handling. Just notify me by email, FB or blogger.

In 3 weeks your whole world will change my little man. Oh the places you will go!

Thanking God for the Rain

I put up 12 pints of watermelon rind last week. I used one of our jubilee watermelons from the garden. Nathan tried it and came back for seconds. I think I am going to make one more batch.

We received 3 inches of rain over a 2 day period last week. Yes, yes thank you God. Our butterbeans are eternally grateful. Nathan picked me these beautiful flowers from one of our daily trips down to the garden. He always surprises me with flowers from around the farm.

I met an old friend and her son at the Aquarium one day last week. It was good to see her again and she has a beautiful boy the same age as AnnaBelle and he was so well behaved. Nathan took advantage of every assistant he could find to explain the attractions. I love that about him. He's not bashful to speak up and absorbs everything he learns.

And I made the big mistake of leaving her stroller so she had full reign of the place and believe me she took advantage of it! In a mere split second she would be gone and then I would hear, "Mommy where are you?" and immediately she would take off again. Yes she kept me on my toes and I have a feeling she will always keep me on them! I was worn out at the end of the day and they slept the entire trip home.

I absolutely love this age because her personality is starting to emerge and I have noticed she is particular about certain things. She doesn't like her food to touch and her fork has to be cleaned with a napkin before she will eat yet she will smear a chocolate quaker oats bar in her hand and lick it off. Go figure.

Monday Morning

I participated in my high school reunion basketball game over the weekend and I am still feeling it this morning! I thought it was going to be my back that would give me trouble after throwing it out the first of the week opening the hot tub cover for Nathan. I couldn't walk straight for 3 days and was thinking of not going. By Thursday I could stand straight up and there was just a dull pain at the base of my tailbone so I muddled through and played 3 quarters on Saturday and nearly kissed the wall on one bad pass. It was alot of fun though, and I enjoyed playing competively again.

Nathan went with me and made some new friends. When we came home he wanted me to push him on the swing before the sun went down. He could do this all day.

School will be starting in a few weeks and he is very excited to meet his new teacher and classmates. I'm excited for him, too because I can still recall my first year of kindergarten at the Mennonite Church in Newport News in 1971. Mrs. Buckwalters was my teacher and she made it so much fun!

My little watermelon princess. She loves the stuff. We spent last weekend down on the river digging for sharks teeth and found some nice ones. A perfect one for me to make a necklace with and some whalebone.

The hummingbirds are still going crazy around the farm. Gosh they're so beautiful!