Graduation

Lola's nursery school had a little graduation ceremony in the church where her class meets. The kids learned several songs and performed them very well!

And one of the highlights for me was, Lola got up all by herself in front of the church and stood on the altar and recited the Pledge of Allegiance

They were an active bunch! But they all managed to stay up on the little platform stage well enough...

my girl....

growing up...

Amma in Boston

It is with great disappointment that i tell you i missed Amma's visit to Boston once again this year. She came during my severe bought with poison ivy and an allergic reaction to medication... Seeing this little clip just makes me miss her more. Hopefully i will be able to see her next year. Until then i hold her in my Heart...

Rest time...

A little nap on a hot Summer day....

The Power of a Sausage stick

Our friend Faustin came to visit today and he brought his sweet dog Jake along too. Rubie LOVES Jake and all the dogs are good friends.
(Jake is the big black dog on the left)

So i gave Faustin a stick of special sausage made by my local butcher that is made especially for dogs. Henry's Market makes this sausage using ground beef, pork and veggies, packed in a natural casing and dried like a pepperoni stick. The dogs
(all 7 of them)...and the cat, and the parrot LOVE this sausage.

Can you see my elderly cat Bella in the middle of that pack of dogs?

If only we could have this power without bribes....

Back in the saddle again.

Well my friends, after 18 days of dealing with a severe case of poison ivy, and then an allergic reaction to an antibiotic that was prescribed for a possible infection(which caused a secondary rash that covered most of my upper body and was just as itchy as the poison ivy) i am just about finished with the mind bending itch and am out of quarantine! WooHoo! Actually, i decided last week that if i didn't get out of the house and away from myself i thought i would go mad. So Mom and i visited a few greenhouses(a post on the gardens to come) and it did me a world of good. So, i'm back in the saddle again and feeling so much better! Thank you all for your prayers, concerns and good wishes. The one thing i know for sure after all this is i have so many wonderful and caring friends out there.

Anyway, this morning we got up early, picked up my sister and Mom and off we went to the Farmer's Market in Waterford, NY. It's a small market, smaller than my usual Farmer's Market in Troy, NY. But it has everything anyone could want and more. The market is set up along the Erie Canal, and there is always a cool breeze blowing in off the river. And that was welcome today as it was so hot and dry. I love looking at the boats and colorful tugs.

They had a tent set up under a big shade tree for massage, both chair massage and table massage. It looked wonderful....

Here's Mom looking out over the farm offerings....
They have little cafe tables set up here and there along the water's edge so you can sit and rest and eat some of the goodies they have for sale there. We bought our fill of fresh fruit and veggies. I also scored some luscious fudge and my sister had a chocolate covered frozen banana we bought from the Sticky Fingers Booth. Sticky Fingers is a company run by my friend and owner, Donna Harris, right here in Cohoes, NY! Check out her website.

And here are a few of the goodies i brought home. Ford's Honey Farm fresh raw honey and some creamed honey spun with cinnamon for spreading on toast. And a really nice bean soup mix, and some lovely brown free range, hormone free eggs that i just hard boiled... There is nothing like shopping at the Farmer's Market and buying directly from the farmers...

Don't do this at home...

While clearing an overgrown area near my compost barrels for the holiday party here, i discovered (the Hard Way) that we have poison ivy growing under the wild roses. Both arms are blistered to the shoulders, and i have some on one hand, a few blisters on my neck and face. It is amazing how much suffering is involved. I took this picture last night after the holiday party. I did a whole lot less hugging than i usually would and let others cook the meat on the grill (Thanks Jesse and Sandy) but still managed to have a great time with friends and family. The worst part is i can't pick up my Lola until this clears a bit. This too shall pass....

Everybody into the pool!

It's been warm and a bit muggy here these last few days. Time to break out the puppy pool! Rubie Dubie and Little Honey are the first ones in!

As Pollyanna jumps in, Little Honey jumps out

Even Gipetto is contemplating joining his sweetie for a dip in the cool water...

but opts for the shade under the tiger lilies

Ahhh...The simple joys of Summer...

Enjoy your Holiday weekend!