Author: Joyce

Grandma and Dash

GrandmaGrandma snuggling My parents and grandma came to visit this afternoon.  While they were here, the neighbor came and yelled, “We have a baby!” Of course, the kids all took off running to see the newest alpaca.

My grandma, who will be 95 on Monday, asked what was going on. Then she said she wanted to see and took off down the driveway too!  She was half way down our LONG drive when we finally caught up with her.  We told her it was a long walk to the neighbors and she rode the rest of the way.

Grandma’s smile was huge as she hugged on the newborn alpaca.  When we asked if she wanted to hold him, she smiled even more.  Even though the alpaca did not snuggle very well, he let Grandma enjoy him for a few minutes before returning to his Momma.

We are very thankful for the newest alpaca.  We have been praying for him a lot.  Mark has been watching for the last month, heading over 4 or 5 times a day to see if he arrived. He was named Dash and weighed 18.6 pounds. He appears to be healthy and is eating very nicely.

Releasing Butterfly

AudreybutterflyI am not sure how many butterflies that Audrey has raised this year.  I know that each one that she releases is hard.  She would love to keep each of them as long as possible.

butterflyIt was time to release her last emerged butterfly and we decided to wait till evening so we could get a good picture of the release.  Somehow, the butterfly tore his wing as we waited but we were not concerned until, after Audrey released him, he  fluttered to the ground and stayed there.

Audrey picked him up and tried again, disappointed that her butterfly was hurt.  He fluttered to the ground again.  Thinking he might never be able to fly properly, we decided to try one more time.  This time, as Audrey released him,  the tip of his wing fell off and he quickly flew away.

Puppy Love

Puppy loveThis weekend we enjoyed having Josh and Angie stop by.  Allan and I double dated with them on Friday night and the kids got to babysit their dog, Enya.  On Saturday, we enjoyed breakfast and just relaxing together and talking.  The kids dog sat Enya again while Josh and Angie attended a wedding.

All of the children enjoyed Enya, but I think that Enya thought Megan was the most fun.

 

Baseball

BaseballAcross from our house is a meadow. The neighbors let us roam in it whenever we want.  The other day, they mowed the whole field.  While we miss the butterfly food, we have been enjoying the paths the tractor left behind.

Have you Ever…

…watched a butterfly emerge?

Audrey has been raising butterflies again this year and we were able to video tape a butterfly emerging.  This year she has raised 15 butterflies and has three more to go.

holdingAfter the butterflies emerge, she releases them in a field where they will find food and milkweed.  She hopes that they stay nearby. We have seen one or two Monarchs after releasing them.

She is hoping to raise more Monarchs this year, but it is already better than her worst year of only being able to find three all summer.  Her best year was raising around 100 butterflies! Audrey has not been able to find any eggs or caterpillars for the last few weeks, so we think it may be another slow year.

Fireworks

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We were able to see fireworks twice this year.  At least three people around us were shooting them off on the fourth.  Then we enjoyed a much better display of them at Black Squirrel Golf Course.  This was the first year that I remember going without meeting any family there.

A few friends joined us in our customary spot and we invited some other friends to join us.  The kids had fun with bubbles, catching fireflies and playing with many children who they met at the park before the firework show. Allan and I enjoyed the chance to talk with friends and had a relaxing evening watching the children have fun.

The Walk

Walk

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

Sang by Bilbo as he leaves home in Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 1 by J.R.R. Tolkien.