astounding..

this amazes me!  not only is my 11 year old grandboy taller than i am,

but in his new suit and tie, he looks closer to 16 than 11.  they were here getting ready to go to portland for an event, and he was mighty like a peacock strutting around the place looking fine.  that smile stayed on his sweet face as he posed for photos... here with his sister (she's almost 9),

and below, with Papa.  (can you tell that Jim isn't getting ready to go anywhere except back outside to his labors in the dirt and among the grape vines.

i was sitting on the sofa when i took the photos, so the angle is kind of weird.

what time is it???

it's that much anticipated time for BLT with fresh from my garden red, ripe, warm, juicy real tomatoes!  makes me oh-so happily filled up with goodness... sigh.  this really nicely tops off what's turned out to be a good summer.  Jim and James' BIG garden is producing over-abundance of vegetables, much of which goes to the local food bank.  we got the message from friends and neighbors that they'd received enough already of cucs and zucs, but not answering their phones or doorbells was going a bit too far.

(what time is it???  did you think i was going to say "it's howdy doody time, boys and girls")

spinnin' sistahs

it doesn't get much better than this!  some like-minded women, spinning wheels, an abundance of fiber, food, show-and-tells, lots of stories and laughing and the bonus..... a 3 1/2 week old baby boy!  that's the kind of day i had and all is good in my queendom and i'm feelin' happy.  (and suddenly the old old song "Feeling Groovy" has come into my head)

Carole - happy about the sweater she's knitting with her own hands-spun yarn, and Crystal - happy about the yarn she's spinning.

Lynne called from TN so she could be part of the gathering of sisters and Laurie is having her turn on the phone with her.  we all miss Lynne SO much and wish she'd find her way back to the PNW!!

we all agree that Lynn is a wicked-fast spinner... the fastest and most prolific we know!
Jane loves her new Majacraft wheel!

i'm knitting the Justify wrap for the second time.  it is a Lynne Vogel

pattern and can be found on Knitty.  it's a mobius and is impossible
to get a good photo of it at this stage... so will get one when it's finished.

i got in some serious baby lovin' time.  Rachael got to spin and i got to snuggle Donovan!
oh, the sacrifices i make!

friday

aren't they just too cute??  10-day old goat kids... bottle babies because their mom rejected them.  there were 4 of them...... one died and mom kept one.  anyway, my friend Lisa was at the farmer's market in beautiful downtown Banks at the same time i was and asked if i wanted to see some babies.  of course i did!  and i didn't even ask if i could bring one home with me!

however... even the goatlets couldn't ease the bitchy reaction i was having to the damn airshow going on at the hillsboro airport.  unfortunately, i had to go shopping very close to the airport and right under where major antics were going on.  and i didn't know what i was getting into!  i'm aware that there are people who find entertainment and amusement by watching the airshow.  i think it's an evil waste of my taxpayer $$, causes considerable air pollution and waste of gas to run the damn things,  causes snarled traffic on the freeway with idiots who park their cars on the shoulders, pull out their picnic lunches and watch the show.  nincompoops!   and the repeated extreme noise is beyond annoying and not healthy for sentient beings.  i hate the fucking airshow and want it to go away.  and that's the end of my rant.  unless i think of something else i don't like about it.

sailboat followed by baby love!!

that was a really fine enjoyable day.... whichever day it was this past week.  well, hey, i remembered which week it was!

Pam and Larry are living on their sailboat on Hayden island since they returned from Turkey (and other places) and they invited us to have lunch with them.  i was hoping Larry would meet us at the gate with a life jacket for me... he didn't... so i mustered up my courage, convinced myself that the walkway to get to their boat,  over the water in the marina really was not as narrow as it seemed (looked about 18 inches wide to me).  i like boats, especially sailboats, but can't enjoy being out on the water in them unless i'm pretty well wasted.  this one was tied up in the marina, so that was doable.   anyway, lovely salads lunch, merlot wine, cookies and turkish apple tea.  yum!  and so good to see them again.  we were neighbors in Vamos, Crete for a couple of weeks in april (or may??).  good times!

------->>  Larry standing beside the boat and Jim on top of it.

pretty boat, huh??

and Pam inside the boat lookin' fine and feisty

and then, following Rachael's most excellent directions, we found Rachael, Matt and Donovan's home (somewhere close to St.Johns)  and we got to meet Donovan!  what a cutie and cuddly too.  i got to snuggle him for awhile (ahh, babylove!)  and i'm sure he loves me, too!  when he woke up he shared with me some of his surplus meal.  poor little guy got more on himself than on me.  so... the bonding is complete and i'm in love!  he will be here tomorrow with him mommy, so i'm counting on more snuggling.  i might have to fight off his gramma and some twisted sisters, but i'm up to it and i'm fully capable of pulling rank!

isn't he adorable?  and his mom is looking beautiful and happy!

summer!! bounty!! garden!!

ha!  i beat the birds and the deer to blueberry harvest.  i wonder if it has anything to do with the rotten egg/garlic solution that i've been spraying around lavishly....  gotta say it smells pretty awful for an hour or so after applying, and then is just faintly there.  if that's what is keeping them away from berries and fuchsias it's worth the time and effort.







and what would summer happiness be without zucchinis and beans?  (also, yellow crookneck squash
 and peas)  some of this harvest is from the gigantic garden that Jim and James planted.

s

a baby olive tree that Jim planted and if you look really close you can see the teeny tiny baby olives in the pic on the right.  bravo... someday we just might have our own olive crop!

see that almost ripe tomato?  i can hardly believe my eyes and now my taste buds are getting anxious for BLTs.  must go get some bacon so i can be prepared.  hope that's not the only ripe tomato this year....... (it's an Early Girl... tho mid-august isn't the usual "early")


and in the garden of Jim and James, there are all kinds of wonderful stuffs ... here's ------> a pumpkin and it's vine is trying to take over the place, with many more pumpkins and squashes coming along.

resident deer

and one of her twin spotted fawns.