hollyhocks and sisters

My sis came and stayed with us for a week. Twas lovely for both the kids and for yours truly. We went out to Reimer's Ranch and waded/swam in the Pedernales, and generally just hung out and did boring family stuff most of the week. My folks came up for the weekend and we drove about looking at properties for my parents.

I also planted some hollyhock seeds which were acquired at the Point Ellice house on Vancouver Island, in Victoria. They have sprouted! I will include a shot of their sweet little seedlings as well as a shot of the original plants in Victoria. They have been collected and grown in that garden for almost two centuries. Awesome!

ike??? and sandbox fun

Only the very slightest whiff of Hurricane Ike out here in the hill country. A bit overcast and breezy. Quite a nice break from the heat, actually. Houston got slammed but my folks and cousin seem to have fared just fine. My parents have no power, running water, or cable, and are missing a few shingles from their roof, but they seem cavalier about the whole thing. At least they didn't have to survive by hanging onto a pier like some folks did.

Finally finished putting together the sandbox, too. The ladies love it.

benjamin

One of the great delights of our recent trip to the Northeast was getting to meet little Benjamin, the youngest cousin of the bunch. He is just about eight months now and cutting his first tooth. He wants so badly to move! He lies on his belly and swims arms and legs frantically but just can't manage to swim anywhere. He is like an adorable little sitting Buddha with big big eyes, taking it all in. I'll post some shots of him so you can get a load of his cuteness.

Things are well here back in Dripping. All chickens are alive and pecking, though Penelope still has a cough and their laying is down quite a bit (the heat? moulting??). The grass had grown a mile high in our absence, so Tim went and got a good sweaty workout mowing it. I need to weed the beds but have a hard time finding a moment, as Laurel refuses to be contained anymore. She can return herself to sitting from any position and then scoots around like a maniac. No interest in walking yet, though. She just puts her belongings over her shoulder and scoots away. My Grandpa sent her the cutest white fluffy cat the other day that was just calculated to create jealousy in her sister. Aurora does like fluffy cats.

on a lighter note

OK--so here's proof that I'm a real American despite despising John McCain. I do love me some catalog shopping (or catalog browsing, as there is not a lot of purchasing these days). And the new J Crew catalog is so so beautiful. All those shots of the pretty people in Prague remind me of those teenage days when a JCrew catalog could whisk you away to that perfect land of fantasy, envy, perfect dishevelment, and gorgeous visual storytelling. I love the shot I've attached here of the woman in the yellow jacket. She's a little tired, world weary, and that water behind her is so dark and moody. Forgive me this small weakness. I know they are just trying to sell me something. But hey, beauty is beauty wherever you find it, right??

don't eat it!

My apologies to those of you with sensitive ears:

The McCain campaign is whipping up a load of bull-crap mousse! It might look like chocolate to some of you who fail to take a whiff, but it is NOT!!! That man has voted with Bush 90% of the time. DO NOT vote for him and expect change.

My greatest distaste for the speech and images of the RNC we saw on TV last night was the sea of cowboy hats out there. That man has nothing to offer the folks who are really out there sweating under those hats. Got heat exhaustion? NO health insurance for you! Lost your ranch due to foreclosure? Too bad--we love the bankers and crooked mortgage brokers more than we love you! Kids flunking out of school?? Don't worry--we'll fire all their teachers and close down their school!! What an utter load of bullshit. The people with dirt under their nails and sweat on their brows will not be served by this man, nor does it appear as though he is willing to hand over any of his innumerable houses to the many homeless Americans he is supposedly going to fight for. And on the note of that closing mantra of FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT . . . These folks are nothing but a writhing, senseless mob fighting the inevitable, beautiful, and necessary gathering light of dawn. And that dawn is coming after a long, long night. Woe to all of us if they win that fight. (And woe to them that they should even consider mounting it).

Behind all the tough talk and "country first" noise is a platform that is going to dig us even deeper into the pit we are wallowing in right now. Do not vote for this man!

cliff walking

We did have a few days of gorgeous weather while in RI (70's breezy and sunny!). We went to the cliff-walk one day and the two cousins engaged in naturalist activities with their grandma Sue!