Watermelon Surprise

Last spring, Ron planted three watermelon plants by the raspberries and I planted three in the back garden.  They were all supposed to be the little Sugar Babies (or is the name Sugar Daddy?  No?).  Anyway, We were amazed when those in the back garden proved to be the big, long kind.  And, while the extra hot summer days have been unkind to many of our plants, the watermelon plants evidently liked them.  We have never grown such a big watermelon in Preston, and there are a whole lot more out there.  I suspect that watermelons are easier to share than zucchini at this time of year.

Our Newest Great-Grandchild Smiles.

It always amazed me at how enchanting and amazing babies are.  Sara and Philip, at last with a baby boy, are discovering what other parents already knew - to have a new baby in the family is both demanding and rewarding.  Dorothy, (Proud Grandmother), sent us this link to a careful recording of the smiles that are beginning to appear in appreciation for all that his parents are doing for him. - I think.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc8fFoFeZy4&featu

Family Visit

 Taking digital pictures under certain light does make for interesting coloration.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to take pictures of Linda's beautiful blue eyes.  After all the difficulties the family has undergone, she is still smiling -

 Is Brig's hair really that gray?  He didn't use hair color like I did for so many years.

Trevor, the youngest of their four children is on his way to U of Wyoming - He is as tall as his father - we feel like midgets around this very tall family!  Trevor has grown up to be a very engaging young man - you can see the shine in his eyes.  Hope his college career goes well!

Time for Glory in the Morning

These morning glories are a perfect complement to the colors in the lilies above, and the orange zinnias in the pot with them.  Many of the flowers in the gardens have become rather ragged with the excessive heat we've had this summer, but it is surprising what gems are still there.

Quilt Pix for Louise

I have posted other pictures of this quilt - Grandma's Garden - but Louise and I were talking, and I don't think the entire quilt ever got on the blog - these are not professional pictures by a long shot, but this is how it looked.

Dinner Time

Yesterday afternoon when we came home from church there were six of the little hummers having a good meal in complete amity.  But, that didn't last long - the one that considers this his/her territory soon began to chase the others away.  The feeder is on a shepherd's crook, and that one perches up there, completely at the ready to dive-bomb any other hummingbird that comes to feed.  The ensuing battles are strenuous - they fly way up high, to the nearest tree, or just go around and around.  This morning, when Ron got up, there were four feeding, and the little "boss" was sitting on the crook watching.  He must get to the point where he's all worn out.  The whole scenario is fun to watch, but it is a little like watching a bunch of large bumblebees attacking each other.  Their aggression would be really scary if these little mites were as large as a crow. We have our own nature show right here by the back patio.

Sunflower Time

Several years ago, I planted two rows of sunflowers at the back of the garden, including all sorts of varieties - one was even chocolate colored.  This one was one of those plants.  However, at the end of the year, when Ron had to take them out, he ended up having to chop some of them.  He maintained that they were like a forest of trees, and asked me to never again do this kind of gardening.  Ever since then, we have chopped out any volunteers that came - there were none last summer.  (Must have known that it would be a rough year.)  However, this year, what happened?  Lo, and behold, the whole garden was inundated with small sunflower plants.  I manfully removed most of them, but asked to have three plants left.  They have remained a cheery bunch on the back row, towering over the rest of the garden,   Now, as we drive to Logan, we see scads of sunflowers along the road - the kind that I used to lop off with my willow switch when I went to get the cows so many years ago.  Summertime!