Wonderful and Wacky

Today is my dear son, Jason's birthday. He is my one and only son, and the object of much love and admiration! He is a loving, hardworking and devoted father to Teddy, husband, son and friend. Wishing him much happiness for the coming year.

Several weeks ago I shared a fun evening with Teddy and his parents.....we had dinner (that's Nana Morse's zucchini casserole), we played ball, Teddy showed me how well he is doing using the "potty" and we read stories and did a lot of laughing.
Nana reading a story as Teddy is about to begin the evening sillies....lot's of running around and performing ensued.

From the wacky department....the evening we came back from our Vermont trip, LM and I went to his favorite fishing spot because a number of his fun fishing buddies "could be taking all the fish." Well we found them all on a little bridge over a salt water creek, trying madly to catch some striped bass as the tide flowed out.
This is his fun friend, Bob, who managed NOT to catch a fish, but did find a young skunk near the edge of the creek....he carried it around by the tail and showing off his belief that a skunk will not spray if held this way.....pretty rowdy time at the old creek! Lot's of laughter, and the skunk was let go to return to his siblings. (notice the miners light so they can see what they are doing when night fishing. You would not believe the gear they carry!)We are doing well here, having survived a pretty nasty heat wave last weekend.
John is working and seems to be on the straight and narrow, and LM and I are really enjoying finding ourselves again.
This weekend there is a party at Teddy's house to celebrate his Daddy's birthday and a certain Nana has a birthday, too. It will be extra special as my brother and his wife will be joining us. Alas, they cannot bring our dear Bob (cat).....he'll be home reclining on his outdoor chaise and doing his best to keep the chipmunk population under control.

Cape Cod is so beautiful and busy right now. The hydrangeas are in all their glory and many visitors are filling our towns.

Love and happiness to everyone! I'll be back with party pictures.

Dog Days

Tiger is settling in, although, he still does not understand the cats' need for personal space.
Although, we, here on Cape Cod, can feel the heat wave, we have our welcome friend, the southwest wind, blowing through and cooling our days and nights. I have still not needed the AC. We shall see what today and tomorrow bring, as the warnings are dire. Tiger is wise to stay in the AC at his house in Baltimore, as they are deep into a very hot summer.

Nice week here....LM and I had a sweet date last night to see the movie, "Midnight in Paris".....charming and beautiful twist on the 1920's literary and art scene in Paris, and a new member of my all time favorite list. A very fun concept, and timely in that I recently read "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain.
Hope you are all staying cool.....sending you love and cooling breezes from Cape Cod.

Old News - Catch-Up, Vermont Trip

This week I am on triple duty at work, what with vacations, and a promotion, time is flying by and I am loving the pace.
In bits and pieces of news....LM and I had a great trip to VT with Kristi last Saturday. It was a long day but lovely, and I enjoyed seeing places I'd visited so many years ago. We brought KIA Soul back....fun little car to drive.
Kristi and Dad outside the Wayside restaurant in Montpelier....lovely place with reasonable prices for very local and homemade food.Coming back in to Boston over the Zakim Bridge. Such a pretty sight.
John was released from house arrest on Friday and has not come back to his Dad's to sleep since then. We are not sure where he is staying but he checks in and seems OK. Comes a time when you have to let go....I wish I knew the answer to finding peace with it. He is 22, what else can we do? Anyway, LM and I enjoyed a lovely Saturday evening and Sunday and the quiet was almost deafening.
Ms G appeared to have a leg/foot ailment on the weekend. She kept looking at us while holding her left foot suspended. We were beside ourselves with worry that she had an injury but she seems fine now. Her LM reports that she is now back to jumping and leaping without hesitation. WHEW.

Meanwhile, I am trying to get as much rest as I can and looking forward to a beautiful weekend with LM. There is talk of a special date. We shall see.

Next week I will be helping a dear friend with the preparation for an engagement party she is hosting for her son and fiancee.

Daughter, Anne and husband are at their home in the Bahamas and I am picturing them relaxing on a pristine isolated pink sand beach.
Sara and Samantha joined me for a band concert and little picnic on Tuesday evening.
We each brought our own picnic...Samantha enjoying hers.Midway through the concert, the bandmaster invites the children and anyone else to join in a hat parade around the bandstand. Ms Samantha was a unicorn.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!

I'm sharing a perfect and quiet weekend with my dear LM. We have the house to ourselves, Ms G is so, so happy. Summer at its peak is giving us clear sunny days with cooling sea breezes at night. The difference in "us" is so nice....the lighthearted fun has returned and we feel free to just be our loving selves again.
John sounds like he is doing well. He has 3 part-time jobs and will be moving in to a shared house next week. He and Vanessa are enjoying their new-found freedom, too.
Tonight we had a delicious supper of steamed clams and shrimp cocktail....and have just returned from a trip to the beach for sunset and some chatting with fisherman friends.
Tomorrow will be spent having leisurely breakfast, then a walk - I plan to photograph a very interesting garden nearby. We have a little garden clean up to do and may go to the movies late afternoon.
Nice.............
Wishing you all the same.
PS....Note at the top of the last post that the flower mystery has been solved. hanks everyone!

Mystery to Solve

Mystery solved: It is tigridia pavonia.....comes in yellow, too.

This lovely flower is in the garden where our furry friend, Bob lives, and his Mom, Trish, would like to know if anyone knows what it is.....about the size of a siberian iris......any help is welcome.

Deep Breath

Oh, I'm taking a deep breath of relief and hope.....John was released from home confinement today and the monitoring bracelet has been removed. We move on to another set of worries as our re-habilitated "chick" is let free to fly on his own. We've striven to imbue him with maturity and wisdom to make the right decisions. May our work and a lot of sacrifice not be in vain. This is John's LAST chance. His wonderful father called me with the news a few minutes ago and we feel like we're free for the first time in 6+ months, a VERY long 6 months. We are hoping John will stay put for a few months more while he finds a job and build a little reserve. We shall see how he accepts that plan. More waiting for us to be able to resume our lives but it may be insurance for the future.
Nothing has ever tested my strength and patience like these last months.
I'm still not ready to take the deep breath of relief and the first steps toward the recovery of our life, but I'm at the precipice.

Tomorrow, LM, Krisit and I are headed to Vermont to do a car swap for a local dealer. I have a feeling we will all go forth with lighter hearts.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Bobalicious, the Sultan of Fur, aka my brother and sister-in-law's cat, Bob!! He really knows how to live and has his owners trained well to purchase him nothing but the finest of outdoor furniture.
Not to forget, this blogs namesake, the divine Ms G.....she caught a mouse last night and carefully delivered it to John. Our hero!
A happy fun summer weekend to you all.

Sheep & Flowers: The Rest of the Balti Trip.

Due to Blogger and my own issues, I am two months late with the rest of the photos from my trip to Balti in May. I read yesterday that Google is taking over Blogger. Will there be changes?? One would hope so. Anyway, on to the photos and wishes for everyone to have a lovely summer day. Life is still not so happy here but we try on a daily basis to make the best of it.

My "nephew" Mike, enjoying a stolen hank of corriedale fiber....his favorite treat....better than catnip to Mike.
Beautiful begonias at Baltimore City Market
My sister-in-law always has multiple pots with a great variety of flowers, on her front steps.
Coleus
Very unusual petunias
Alium in their garden
Tree peonies and poppies
Mock Orange
Siberian iris
Tree peony
Begonia
Yellow tree peony
Spotted this bird's nest in a utility pole as I was walking in to the Sheep & Wool Festival.
Lovely hooked rugs in the winners circle display


A bleating, not-happy sheep being primped prior to being shown
Several more entrants
He gave me the evil eye but was certainly beautiful
The crowds were amazing, and traffic a true challenge
More cuties.
It really was a lovely time with wonderful sunny days and fun with my brother and family. I have a few more photos of a wild adventure with my nephew, Martin. Stay tuned.
Love to everyone!

Wordless Wednesday Ms G Celebrates July 4th

Hello!

Hello Everyone....
Happy Independence Day weekend. May you have rest, fun, yummy foods, fun and fireworks.
We are coasting, coping and living in the moment here. Not sure I like the feeling but there is happiness, calm and acceptance. There have been long talks, honesty and gardening and over the weekend I will try to post photos of the garden John and I created for LM to enjoy as he turns the corner into his street. We are making the best of a bad situation.
My need for rotator cuff surgery is pressing and painful, but I am not in an emotional state to have it done, not to mention that I cannot take the necessary time off from work without the abject fear of being replaced (this concern is most likely only alive in my head, nonetheless, my intuition is crystal clear in most matters). Meanwhile, I manage the pain and get little sleep as it is much worse when I lay down.
LM is coping by spending more and more time fishing the beaches and the canal. He's had a great time this year testing the merits of his newly invented floating plugs to catch striped bass. He's relishing in the success of his design and some great press in the local paper. His classes have been very well-attended this summer, as well. He's found his way to cope. I'm still lost a lot in a vacuum. Not accomplishing much except a deep purge of possessions and a thorough cleaning out of cupboards in my house and recycling items no longer used. I've also been reading more, and have spent considerable time revamping my eating patterns with a focus on whole foods, as well as getting in more protein. That is a struggle for me but the efforts make a difference.
Vanessa has made a nearly complete recovery from her near-fatal accident. Her jaw has healed very well and fairly soon she will be able to drive again. WHEW. I am certain that the thoughts and prayers of many were part of her miracle.
Teddy and Samantha are having a great summer so far with lots of outdoor fun. We will see Teddy next weekend.
As I head off to one more day of work before the 3-day weekend, I just wanted to say hello, and let everyone know you are in my thoughts always and that I wish you a great 4th!
To my dear sister, El.....we are all thinking about you and awaiting good news post surgery today.