farmette vacation, continued

I wake up to a cloudy, drizzly day. Oh, they say it wont rain. And then they say it will rain. Storm perhaps. Maybe not. Who knows?!

I let the cheepers out and admire the garden. Sometimes a flower is made special by the background. One more yellow day lily? Yawn. There are dozens in various garden locations. Ah, but against these flowers? Special.






Of course, all flowers are special. Though some benefit from their unusual presentations. (These irises remind me of a shaggy sheepdog...)






And here's what else I notice this morning: the raspberries are getting ripe! What great timing!






Snowdrop is up shortly after 8, which is a whole hour before her usual wake up time. I'm not surprised. She has always been an early riser at the farmhouse. I feed her a hearty mushy breakfast and then call down a somewhat sleepy Ed when she is nearly done and I'm about to begin. Snowdrop loves to eat in the company of others.











We don't linger, because this time I know there is a gym class this morning. And I'm very enthusiastic about the idea of her doing something physical on this rather iffy (weather wise) day. Snowdrop has a lot of energy...






... and she loves to challenge herself physically and has too few opportunities for it.


In fact it is a great place for her to move about.






Over, under, around and through...











...she unleashes her inner mountain climbing skills.






But what impresses the teacher most is that she takes to the balance beam without hesitation, shaking off any assistance.






A little gymnast is born!

(What next?)




Snowdrop, class is over. 

We visit Paul's coffee shop and then, so long as the weather continues to be unpredictable, we go again to the library just across the street.






A moment to put the body to rest and the mind to work, though I suppose for most of us, it'll always be a combination of the two that makes us grow and prosper.

(Which book now? So many to choose from!)






At home, after her bath, she again chooses to read ...






... but I'm thinking the gym hour has left its imprint!






After her lunch, I tell her we can pick raspberries. She zeros in right for the best of the best.






What? Only one left?






The cheepers follow us everywhere, which is okay by Snowdrop.

(I can make myself small like you...)






We play hide and seek by the willow...






Then she does her solo power walk around the gardens...






While I continue to admire the summer colors around us.











(It is a great year for lavender!)






(Yet another beautiful combination...)






(Sometimes, you just have to step back and take in the larger picture. Or at least one corner of it...)






And when Snowdrop notices me sweeping the walkway, she insists on helping with the task. I haven't the heart to tell her that it's no use sweeping wood chips.






And the afternoon? Well, those storms again pass us by. So we play outside. With puffs and flowers and silly things that make the girl so very happy.










What do we all eat tonight? I go back to a favorite quick dish that I fixed years ago, when I was myself a young mom and times were rushed -- gnocchi with marinara sauce. Snowdrop obviously has the "I love gnocchi" gene. She eats possibly more than either Ed or I do. And she still has room for rhubarb cake and cream.

She protests going to bed. Ed asks -- why not let her stay up? I have to smile at that. He'd be the parent who would let the kids stay up. And read comic books in bed and fix bikes side by side when the season called for it. So many ways to parent or grandparent! So many ways to do well by your little ones!

Ed and I watch the Brexit results late into the night. When times get tough, people run and say "no..." You'd think it would be the opposite. We're an odd fish, aren't we?