The Goodness of the Garden

For moments like this,

it is all so worth the work.

~Joan

I'll Be on the Porch

Happy Friday!

Sharing with Fiber Arts Friday

It's not every day that a little guy gets some quality attention from two great grandmas.

Their big boy common first born grandson grabbed a little time too.

A wonderful weekend full of generations all having fun. The older ones moving from porch to porch, enjoying watching the children play and us adults do our chores, chatting endlessly and reinventing  the 1940's and 50's...

....or perhaps not a reinvention at all. 

Their histories after all, are not the ones we learned in text books or have seen recently in TV documentaries.

One grew up in a small farming village the midst of war torn Germany,

Oma enjoying blog post from our cousin in her home town

the other in an apartment building in New York City learning as a little girl the grief of loosing her mother.

 Yet the tales were somehow connected by all that is important:

  by their own experiences of

family, food and laughter.

I sure do hope these guys will remember their childhood in much the same way.

Happy and full of fun.

Hope you had a lovely weekend.

~Joan

Roses

I took my self on a brief little field trip last Saturday morning to

 Tufton, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.

My main goal was to hear (and meet) Connie of Hartwood Rose present a talk on easy (!) antique roses to grow in the Virginia garden.

I have had the desire to sent some lovely pink roses up the side of my little stone well house since day one, but my lone attempt failed right at the start. 

Walking around the garden of the center was a treat ...

{not exactly fences really, but sharing with GOOD FENCES and hoping for a little leeway}

...and Connie's delightful and informative talk was well worth the trip.

Sadly for me, the crowd around her never died down enough for me to do the meet and greet before I had to hastily leave to get back to my grands.

 No worries, another opportunity to do so is in the making.

I should really stop and smell the roses more often.
~Joan

When we made this major lifestyle change to the city/farm from the suburbs, I had visions of the farm side being an idealistic place where I would just feel good about life. People would come, I would cook from the garden and barn (getting there), visitors and grandchildren would help with chores and learn all of life's good as well as hard lessons while doing so.

 We would all work together, play together and give thanks together around the table after a full day.

Kind of amazing that it is working out that way.

Our Kate and the boys were here for several days and will be lots over the summer.
She to pass the time and relish in child care help,
and the little ones to live as normally as possible.

Her husband is away for an extended period of time, deployed to harms way,
and we can do nothing to ease her fear and loneliness except to love her and her sons with all our might.

That we will do.
And Pray every moment for Kevin's safety.

Twentysomethings

Our boy Andy brought nine of is closest out to the farm over the weekend. They all hail from various parts of the country, but call the District of Columbia, better know as Washington, D.C. home for their post grad years.

 A great group of young people following dreams, building resumes, working for legislators, going to law school, soaking up politics, media, lobbying and big city life and all the excitement it has to offer.

So for relaxation and a little get away they enjoyed the scenery, the pool, splitting wood for the oh so popular evening (read: lasting until 3 AM, but I heard there was a meteor shower involved) bon fire,

 and playing with the toys.

guess what my husband's favorite color is?!

A tractor, a chair and a cooler. I am sure I do not want to know what came next.

I, on the other hand, had my table surrounded by hungry appreciative people.

We all know how I love to have that big farm table open wide and filled with good food and lots of laughter.

Several of the gang tried to make a NO PHONES IN THE KITCHEN rule, but it was sort lived. We all laughed at stories about Fritz and my courting days whereby I would reserve the dorm pay phone at the end of the hallway on Wednesday nights from 8- 8:10 for our weekly phone date, roll of quarters in hand for the operator's signal to deposit another $1.25 for 3 additional minutes...

It really, really, really wasn't all that long ago!

I wish nothing but the best for this group of fine people.
Our future, and theirs, is very bright.

Hope your weekend was wonderful too,

~Joan

A very happy Thursday morning to you from the far back corner of my little place of love. 

Today I'm trekking on life's straight and narrow way.

Hope you enjoy a nice walk on what ever path you take.

~Joan