Happy Birthday, Dad!

Max the kitten

We have decided to name our kitten, Max, after my mother-in -law who raised all 5 kittens for 5 weeks until the mother suddenly died. Thanks Maxine.

No name for the new Peck cat yet

We picked up our new kitten this morning from my mother-in-law. She had a stray mother cat give birth to five kittens while in her care 5 weeks ago. She was caring for them until the mother cat weaned her kittens. Unfortunately, the mother died yesterday. We had already picked out one of the kittens for us. Now comes the fun. He is very active.

The Weird Summer Squash!!!

With a little rain comes a lot of grass. The kids were raking the dry grass into a pile. Then jumping into it.

And having to rake it all over again. They had fun anyway.

What Happened to Jonathan???

They were supposed to be raking and picking up the grass, but I think there was some fooling around going on. No doubt about it!!!

A Pie for Nathanael!

Here is the strawberry pie, Nathanael. Maybe, when you get home, I'll make one for you. It is the best pie for a hot day. Nice and cool! Real whip cream! Chocolate ice cream!

The kids and I went strawberry picking this morning before it got too hot. By 9:20 we were on our way home with three trays of berries for us and one for Mom. Mom wasn't able to come with us this year and we sure missed her company. Sarah helped Mom hull the berries, though, which she appreciated very much. The kids also picked a quart of black caps off a huge bush near Mom's garden. Yummy!

Good Bye, Andrew

Saying good bye is never easy, but we're getting pretty good at it. Love you, Andrew!

Just a morning jaunt!

On Saturday, we hiked up the front of Pico. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the views. The exercise was amazing! Most of us are sporting sore muscles today. The body of water in the background is Chittenden Reservoir. Thank you Elisabeth for taking most of these pictures.

July 4th

Our 4th of July was a quiet one spent out back around a campfire. Nathanael and Rachel were missed as they are in California. Andrew visited us through the weekend from Norfolk. We had a great time visiting and watching the fireworks from our front deck.

The meat chickens are all processed and in the freezer. We had plenty of help, even though three of our usual workers were out of state. It is a great feeling to get this job done and out of the way.