republic transporter

Peter said today "I like the van....

it's kind of like

 

a

Republic Transporter

school notes

Yesterday Peter's school year began.  He has been great-very cooperative, cheerful and an eager learner.  So far, so good!  Besides English, spelling, math, science and geography, he is studying latin, religion, art and music.  We are following the fourth grade curriculum of Mother of Divine Grace School.  Everything is new to Peter and he has been a model student.   Realistically, I suspect that his cherubic charm might not be humanly sustainable, but the little halo has been firmly in place for two days. yippee!

Never drink downstream from the herd...

Today we went to Geoge Washington's birthplace for a little shark tooth hunting and beach time, but first we stopped at the visitor's center and this was the sight we saw on the inlet.  And the cattle had right idea: it was in the 90's under intense sun.  We went with Laura, Mimi, Jeanne and Peter.  There were lots of shark teeth but all of them were tiny.  Kenny found what he thinks might be a dolphin ear bone, which is pretty amazing.   We had a blessed time.  A "cold" front came through on the way home, which brought a lot of rain and a thunderstorm, and tomorrow's high forcast to be a much cooler 81 degrees. 

garden post

Welcome to the garden!

Here is the lovely fence that Ken built to keep the dogs out enclose our kitchen garden which consists of three 4x4 foot raised beds, two 2x8 foot berry beds, an herb garden and a robin nest.  The most beautiful plants in the garden at this time are the glorious cabbages.

And this is "Audrey", a trombocino squash that Betty and Bill gave us.  I am hoping Audrey will grow up the deck post, and perhaps even along the top of the deck.  Trombocino squash are alleged to be very vigorous plants that produce a big crop.  The squash can be harvested when very small or they will grow to be about 3 feet long.  Hello Audrey!

We also have a strawberry patch near the shed and three tomatoes and three rhubarb plants in the garden near the back fence.  The neighbors behind us have planted a very tall screen of evergreen trees that  shades the back garden most of the day, but the strawberries and rhubarb are thriving.  The tomatoes are right on the edge of the bed, so they get as much sun as possible.

So this is how the garden looks today.  We are so thankful to be off to a good start, and I am hoping to post pictures every Sunday, so that we can have a log of what is growing well (or not) throughout the summer.

happy anniversary

On January 21st, Nonie and Nano celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary.

It was a lovely day full of joy and thanksgiving to God for all the blessings He has bestowed on our family!

Audra supplied the exquisite cake, which was as delicious as it was beautiful.

Who lives....?

One of Pete's favorite joke lines is the one that starts "Who lives...", as in "Who lives in the mailbox?" Bill. "Who lives at the bank?" Rob. "Who lives at the radio station?" Mike.


Well, the other night after he was in bed, he called out "Mom, I've got a new joke." sigh. I was tired. "What is it Peter?" "Who lives in the soul?" that's interesting, "Who, Peter?" "Will."

Very good, Peter! You are absolutely right!

afternoon jaunt

Start with a beautiful day at Signal Hill Park...




Add one dog.

Stir in 2 young boys.

Fold in 3 sisters....."Point your toes, Jeanne"

Bake in a cool January oven for 30 minutes. Give Thanks for God's goodness in the sunshine, weather and company. Enjoy!

Chistmas Eve visits

On Christmas Eve, we went up to see Nonie and Nano with the family and Mikey and Nicole.

Just after this picture was taken, Jeanne read "Spanish Teresita" for the amusement of all!

Friday reading

After completing his math and writing this morning, Peter settled in for an hour of reading, sharing a blanket with a canine "carpet potato" (who is NOT allowed on the couch).

New kitty

Lu got a kitten from the twin's house to surprise Mikey with for the 8th day of Christmas.

She is about 12 weeks old, and an outside cat. Her old name was Morpheus, and I believe her new name is Cat. :-)

Tom and Kris

Congratulations to the beautiful couple!!!

The wedding was on December 29th in St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania---with windchill to zero degrees.