55 Years Ago -- And Today

55 years ago, my mother became a mother for the first time.  She and my father welcomed into this world my sister Jeanne, whom they called Jeannie, after the song, "I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair." Jeannie was destined to enjoy her "only child" status for only fourteen months before I made my way into the family, but she will forever retain the distinction of being the FIRST.  Happy Birthday, Jeannie.

The Fletcher Kids -1964 ..

As I was working in the gardens today, I was thinking about how my mother must have felt on that day. I remember how amazing it was when I became a mother -- how incredible it was to at last look upon the face of the child that had been growing inside me for all those months.  I remember that crazy love that seemed to come from nowhere and bond mother to child forever.  Five months ago I was fortunate enough to be able to witness my daughter becoming a mother for the first time and I discovered again that feeling of immediate love.

Jenn and Eloise came to visit us a week early for our "Mother's Day."  It was a lovely day and we spent time walking the paths through the woods, eating lunch with church choir friends, and just hanging out.

My Sweet Daughter and Her Sweet Daughter

Last week I visited my daughter and son-in-law and of course, the beautiful Eloise.  I was able to see Eloise practicing her "laugh" which I could evoke pretty easily with silly faces, and the occasional, "boo!" This was the first time I was able to see her enjoying her, "jumpy seat" as I call it.  This thing is an interesting contraption that allows the child to "jump" when her feet push off the floor, and this action results in mechanical noises, short tunes, and spinning toys on the attached frame.  Eloise got going so excitedly at one point that I believe she was overwhelmed.  She wanted to stop and the more she wanted to stop, the more she jumped and the more the noisemakers went off! Gotta love those inventors of baby gadgets! I look forward to the next time I get to see my sweet granddaughter.

Cute Socks!

Hey! Let Me OFF This Crazy Ride!

Meanwhile, back on the farm, the inchworm continues toward its goal.  Most of the drywall upstairs has been completed. The drywall in the kitchen had been hung. The floor in the kitchen should be buttoned up tomorrow...then it will be on to drywall in the living room.  The progress seems to go so slowly, but the transformation is quite amazing.

Master Bedroom

Upstairs Hall

Kitchen

New Door and Fire Escape in Progress

The gardens are beginning to look like gardens.  I am experimenting with four small raised bed gardens in addition to the regular gardens this year.  We are not planting the huge variety we did last year, but are sticking to those vegetables that did well.  Of course, this year I have an added challenge of trying to protect the freshly seeded/planted gardens from the free-ranging chickens, so we are fencing, fencing, fencing...which we, of course, alternate with our other regular choruses of trenching, trenching, trenching, and road building, road building, road building!

Fenced Raised Beds

Tiller

Tilling

Repairing Tiller

Building Roads

Compaction Soil

Crush-n-Run

Finished Road

Trenching

Considering Trench

For almost two weeks now.I have been picking enough strawberries each day to eat some fresh and freeze between two and three cups.   We have been enjoying almost daily servings of asparagus, though they seem to be nearing the end of their production this year.  I did not get enough to put up for the winter, but I'm pretty happy with this first year of eating from the twenty plants I put in the ground last year.

Strawberries

We are watching the peaches, grapes, plums, blackberries, cherries, raspberries and grapes as they grow.  Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy some of the fruit, but we have stiff competition with the bugs, birds and squirrels.... we shall see who gets what!

Fencing

Transplanting Raspberries and Blackberries

Tomorrow we hope to get a few more plants in the ground, finish another of the trenches, finish the kitchen floor and start on the living room ceiling...and, if I am VERY lucky, I might get to visit with my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, as they plan to come over to the farm, weather permitting.  All in all, I'd have to say, life is good.

Judy Walking with Goats

Eloise Holds Gami's Hand

Clouds over Trees