Fruits of our Labor: Blueberries

The little blueberry bush i bought in the early Spring to train into a bonsai has recovered and become a very healthy plant

I decided to let it bare fruit before trimming the branches

And it has...The fruit is delicious!

Bead For Life

I just found this amazing organization called Bead For Life. I ordered a few bags of loose beads from them and they arrived today. i LOVE them. Check out their website and let me know if you've heard of them or have ordered from them. The stories of the women who make these beads are incredible... It's amazing how much beauty can be created with so little...

Pics from the Picnic!

Our 4th of July picnic took place on the 5th this year. It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was so great to get together with our Loved Ones!

Lola went swimming in her baby pool in her diaper, which caused some problems for her. That darn diaper weighed so much she got her butt stuck in the chair! HELP!!!

Soon after that episode, we just did away with the clothes all together! Here she is exploring the cooler and tasting the ice. Yeow! That's cold !

Here i am hugging my grandson Seth. Last year at the very same celebration i could rest my chin on top of his head!

He's grown so much in 1 year! Time passes so quickly now. I see it in the children and how they grow so fast.

What a great time we had....

A Walk thru The Garden

The front garden.

Rosa rugusa, tiger lilies, wild geranium


Geraniums on the front porch

Spirea by the steps

Astilbe in the shade garden

Beauty all Around...

What's Bloomin: Wild Honeysuckle

This is the wild honeysuckle i wrote about here that i collected from the cottage at Cape Cod

It smells like Heaven...a similar scent to jasmine or lilies

I love this vine....

Bees, butterflies and hummers love it too!

Amma

In a few weeks i will be taking some of my Family members to see Amma again. She is in New York on 7/7-7/9, and we will be seeing her in Boston on July 15th(15-18th). I have come to see this as a yearly pilgrimage to be in the presence a Holy woman who helps me reconnect and rejuvenate my tired and worn physical self with my strong and loving spiritual self. This video below is an interview done during Darshan in New York City. You can see how busy and noisy it can be. But once Amma takes you in her arms and rocks you and whispers her prayers in your ears, all the noise and the troubles stop, just for that moment. It may be hard to hear the interview, which is very good. But i thought you might like to see what it is like to be with Amma during darshan.

What's Bloomin: Clematis

While my old friend Jackamani is just about finished blooming for the season... the new clematis i bought at the Farmer's Market and planted last year are blooming for the first time!

This is Purpurea Plena Elegans

close up

Just opening....

and this is "Little Nell"

closeup (after a rain storm)

Both vines are so different

and so pretty!

I'm glad they are happy enough to bloom in my garden!

Gold Found in Cohoes, NY!!!

Goldfinches that is....But just as valuable to me! It's just another busy morning at the feeders under the pine trees...Here we have a young male goldfinch, a sparrow and a mourning dove enjoying the peace and quiet....

These pictures were shot from a distance, thru a glass window and screen, so please forgive the grainy look.... This is a female goldfinch. She is a yellow, olive green color

female goldfinch

Here is her partner, a gorgeous bright lemon yellow male. I love their little black caps too...

the male's back

a closer look at the male's profile....

Love Story meets Viva La Vida

Wanna feel good and totally enjoy something beautiful? Pull up a chair and put your feet up and listen to this...It's just lovely...



LOVE STORY (Taylor Swift) Meets VIVA LA VIDA (Coldplay) - Piano/Cello - by Jon Schmidt - video powered by Metacafe

A Blurr and a Smile

These days the only way i can get a good clear picture of Lola is if somebody holds her still! Here she is with part of her entourage...(They are hoping she will share that cookie...)

Her new favorite character is Elmo, who she calls "Meeno"

But she is much more like Cookie Monster, climbing up to get her own cookie at Gumma's house.

Hmmm...this sitting still is boring!

Let's see what else we can do up here....

Let's sit side saddle....

Nah.....

(That black blurr in the bottom of these photos is Lola's ever present sidekick, Zinnia)

Ok, that's enough of that sitting stuff, let go see what else we can do...

A funny face before she runs...

and she's on her way!

(Where did our baby go?)

Eggs by Shirley's Girls

Shirley is a friend and ex-co worker of my daughter's who has this wonderful flock of free range chickens. And whenever she has eggs available, i tell my daughter i'll take everything she's got! I
LOVE brown eggs, but Shirley's girls also lay soft green and light blue colored egg(shells) too. Pure sensory overload....If you've never tasted a fresh egg from a happy, healthy free range chicken, you don't know what you are missing! ummmmm.....