Happy Thursday!

My favorite day of the week.  Maybe I start my weekends early... I've had a stellar week.  Been very busy, but in a "things I wanna do" way instead of a "things I have to do" way. 
Sweet William teaches a Bible class at the prison and about twice a year, I make cookies for them.  So, Monday and Tuesday I baked.  I made chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, chocolate w/white chips and macadamia nuts, peanutbutter and gingersnaps.  I also made oreo balls and peanutbutter smoothie treats.  I doubled, tripled, and quadrupled the recipes and the oreo balls, I made six batches.  All in all, two banana boxes full. That was a lot of baking.  How is it, that the oven does all the work, yet, I'm tired?  So for a break, I stained my swing.  It looks very fresh and pretty. One of my favorite places to be. Two days in a row of not going anywhere.  It was intensely pleasurable. 

I made a jumper for each of the girls- just something loose and comfy for wearing around the house and playing in. So I got to sew.  Score!  They were so surprised and thrilled.  I love seeing that in my children. Unfortunately, Eva has been a little under the weather.  She has some swollen lymph nodes, a sore throat and fluid in her ears, but the doctor thinks her own immunities will thrash it out.  She did nearly pass out on Monday evening.  Not fun for any of us.  She simply said, "Dad, I'm not feeling so good." and we all turned to look at her and the boys are like, "Whoa!" and Will and I both yelled, "Lay down!" She was positively gray.  I think she was just trying to do more then she was really up to.  After a huge jar of ice water and a shower, she seemed fine and she's doing better every day, now. 

I know it's not Friday, but I want to talk about one of my favorites.  Twilight watering.  I absolutely LOVE to water my garden and flowers when the sun has set and the air is cooler.  The lightening bugs are started to gently drift up from the corn fields.  Just lovely.  So quiet and peaceful.  The sound of the water splashing and feeling the coolness of it on my feet.  Like I'm a a plant in the garden, soaking it up.  You can even hear the plants and  flowers sigh.  You go ahead and try it- but ya gotta be barefoot.  Ya gotta be.
    

The weather is a trial.  It hasn't rained in a month, the grass is all brown and crunchy.  The varmints are more bothersome than usual- I lost count of the chipmunks, mice and shrews we've caught.  John could tell you as he gets paid 50 cents for each one.  Will shot 7 groundhogs. Moles are everywhere.  It's a nuisance to us, but I can't help feeling sorry for them as they have no water on tap. Below is a bird bath we set out.  A country birdbath and hardly picturesque, but the birds don't seem to be picky. I dump it on the flowers in the evening and refill it with fresh.  The seeds I planted are slow growing. But growing, all the same.  The garden is a dust bowl, but we water each little plant in the evenings and mornings and I'm quite proud of them for doing so well.  Of course, I avert my eyes from others' gardens that have ready access to water. (It's funny how people laugh and say, "Oh, we've already had two pots of beans from our garden." And, again, they laugh.  Is that nice?  I don't think so. I find it very anti-amusing.) Ours is watered one bucket at a time.  30 lbs per bucket. I need to have John devise me some sort of yoke as it's a fair walk to the garden and while my arms are getting a workout, my shins are taking a banging.
 

Well, folks, that's all the news that's fit to print.  In a manner of speaking. I'm having another day at home here.  Woohoo.  Who knows, I may be able to squeeze another day home this week.  Doesn't that sound deliscious?