July 7, 2008  

     The Souhegan Valley Chorus had a booth at the Amherst 4th of July celebration again this year.  Tim Hageman and I decorated the booth. A dozen chorus members turned out to practice a couple patriotic songs and perform them (pictures 1 and 2) on the reviewing platform after the parade.  Lynn got a shot of a cute girl with her puppy near our booth.  Don Alusic got a shot of Uncle Sam on stilts.
     On June 7th we had our summer picnic for friends—mostly from church.  Sarah was here with the kids.  Although the temperature was about 90°, a breeze and the shade kept it surprisingly comfortable.  Here's a collection of photos, some taken by Don Alusic.
     On June 15th we co-celebrated Addy's third birthday and Fathers' Day in Thetford.  We spent a lot of time down by their pond, and Sarah worked with her horses in the paddock nearby.  Here's a collection of pictures from the day.
     Two turtles tried to lay their eggs in our lawn.  The larger one came first, and the smaller one came four days later.  Each worked at digging for about 40 minutes, but finally decided the ground was too hard to make an acceptable hole for the eggs. 
     There are three families of birds lodging in our "structures."  Some kingbirds have built a nest above the bathroom vent.  One of the babies flies down and sits on the clothesline just 10 feet away.  Some barn swallows have built a nest above a light fixture in the barn.  The two babies filled the nest after about ten days.  Some tree swallows have built a nest in a bird house hanging from the catalpa tree.  Marty (Steve's father) made the birdhouse and gave it to us for Christmas.  It has a face with one big nostril under the nose, and the birds fly in and out of the nose.
     My home project has been adjusting the basement stairs.  Previously, the top step had three levels in the top four inches you encountered.  Now, each step has been increased in height so the top step is at just one level.
     Lynn has wallpapered two of the bathrooms at church—the powder room off the foyer and the Sunday School bathroom upstairs, where she also painted clouds.  I installed a new sink in the powder room.
     Lynn puts down drops of sugar water laced with borax for the ants.  They make a very pretty pattern while they feast.
     Most of the white wildflowers bloom early in the spring.  But the partridgeberry gets a tiny white blossom in mid-June.  This is the third year for Lynn's front garden, and it's looking beautiful with monarda (bee balm), Carolina lupines, Maltese cross, foxglove, California poppies, pink poppies, and clematis.  A lone turkey walks by now and then.  The rhododendron by the front door attracts hummingbirds moths.  The front lawn has fields of orange hawkweed (often called "Indian paintbrush").  Tiger swallowtail butterflies enjoy the hawkweed.  The catalpa tree was covered in blooms this year.

Feature - Driftwood horses

Quote for the Day - "I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes—and six months later you have to start all over again." — Joan Rivers       

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