slashed hopes and a grown boy

Slashed hopes for a voluminous rain of long duration for this weekend, incredulity and wonder at the fact that my oldest grandson (I have two grandsons!) is five years old today! (My nephew also has a birthday today but his is many, many multiples of five so he's less likely to be celebrating in the way that Sparrow will be celebrating -- with banners and balloons!)

The fact that the chance for rain is plummeting rewrites my days for me. I am now considering putting in soaker hoses into the flower beds. If we are in for a drought of long duration, I don't want to spend all the rest of my free hours this summer standing over flower fields with a hose, no matter how peaceful and  meditative that activity may be. "Meditative" for me can morph into downright boring pretty quickly if you do too much of it.

This morning the animals had to wait to be fed because I got sucked into answering emails. You know how that goes. By 9 Ed shouted down a good morning and I shouted up an apology for running late with everything, including the morning walk...

("where have you been??")

... and breakfast -- which had a lovely lemon raspberry loaf that Ed picked up yesterday at the market.

Afterwards, I did three things on the agenda for the first half of the day: I watered the new meadow, I got on the tractor-mower and mowed all the paths (so dusty out there!)...

... and I went to Kopke's to buy a couple of replacement plants. 

(on the way there, I always pass this herd of very beautiful cattle that you'll soon see on your dinner plate)

I need plant replacements because for some reason, some unmentionable animal (groundhog? chicken? raccoon? other?) has been digging up my pot with the Gaura Whirling Butterfly. I fix the damage and next morning they're dug up. Is it a game? What could possibly be the motive behind this crazy night time folly? So, I have finally decided to exchange the plants growing in that particular spot. Put in something that says boldly -- I defy you to touch me!

Kopke's is almost all sold out of annuals. It's amazing how brief their commercial season is! May generates probably 90% of their sales. Still, I find some interesting stuff and to my basket I add a couple of sunflowers. That unmentionable animal that destroys my Gauras seems also fixated on digging up (and consuming) all the sunflowers -- several dozen in fact -- that I planted in the meadow. I love sunflowers and have other spots in the fields where so far they've remained untouched. I'm hoping to add a couple of larger ones that wont tempt this evil creature in the same way as the baby ones did.

And this brings me toward the late afternoon. I pot, repot, spot water and now it is time to get ready for Sparrow's family birthday celebration!

Sparrow, the middle child, may not appear as much on the pages of Ocean these days. He doesn't vie for attention when the family comes over and is often content to sit by himself in the art room making creations, or to play with either characters or building stuff in the playroom. He's a happy kid, who has his own unique style and though he is a cautious child, he is also easy going, funny, and likable. Kids, adults are drawn to him. And I cannot believe he is already five years old!

(we pick flowers for the table: five stems of Sweet William)

(We also head out along the freshly mowed paths to pick a few peas out back behind the barn...)

(a quick romp along the "circle path")

(the peas)

(and finally, we each taste the fraises des bois)

Okay, let the birthday bash begin! Presents include a craft set. Sparrow is really into crafts these days. He insists we open up his new box of treasures and soon everyone is making crafts.

A pizza dinner. 

It's what he wanted.

And a cake designed at Bloom bakery to his specifications. My sole contribution here were the candles.

Happy Birthday, little guy! Make a wish!

Yeah!

(last moments of birthday play before it's time to go home...)

Evening is reserved for tidying and for putting my leg up. I do both. With a smile. And so much love...