At last, the long-awaited opening of the community pool.
The water was frigid but it didn’t stop these two from having a blast!
Archive for May, 2008
Making Cheese
I tried my hand at cheesemaking this week. While I’ve made some soft cheese in the past, I’ve never tried any that requires rennet and much handling. The mozzarella was a success — fun and easy to make. And oh-so-delicious. For dinner we made pizza with the results –the dough was made with the leftover whey from making the cheese, the basil is from our garden.
I’ll be making more mozzarella. Alas, my attempt at fresh goat’s cheese was a dismal failure leading to a smelly pot of uncoagulated goat’s milk. Sigh.
New vase
John brought this home to go with the science cabinet.
Mojo’s mission is to clip flowers for it. Fortunately, the garden is blooming!
Roses
Right now my roses are in full bloom. I look at my yard and smile. I walk around and lovingly greet each bloom. Hello old yellow. This was the only rose bush on our property when we moved in. It has survived 7 years of our neglect and abuse. It deserves and award for being so persistant.
Hello rose red, don’t you look beautiful this morning!
Good morning, little strawberry & cream roses! You look so pretty I could eat you up!
And look at these happy, golden & shiny faces!
This one looks so serious.
There are many many more on the verge of blooming. So many I get giddy just thinking of them! I love them inordinately. Maybe I love them so because I know it won’t be long until the brutal hot day of summer arrive along with the beetles that will destroy them. Also coming soon is the black spot fungus that will turn my thriving plants into leafless twigs and my heart will break. Somehow they will limp through until the following spring when they bloom afresh and I can dance through my flower beds with glee.
The start of summer
Summer officially begins when I hang the bunting on the porch for Memorial Day. Let the iced-tea and lemonade days begin!
Peonies
My favorite flower of all is the peony. In my yard, the first blooms usually appear by Mother’s Day. We were away this year. Luckily, due to our prolonged cold this spring, my flowers waited for me to return.
Look at all the ants on it!!!! They keep me from snipping all the blooms and bringing them inside. The ants would probably feel right at home in my house. They can make friends with all the other currently invading my kitchen.
Vacation – Sea World
A trip to Orlando isn’t complete without a visit to Sea World. It’s a nice contrast to the “make believe” of Disney to see the real live animals at Sea World. We tried to make every show but, alas, the dolphin show was packed. We did get to view them underwater.
The boys liked the scary fish:
My mother and I were brave and rode the Shamu Coaster. LOL. The ride lasted a whole 60 seconds and was designed for children. We were the only adults riding without a child.
After 10 hours of non-stop fun, we left the park exhausted but happy.
Vacation – Medieval Times
My mother and Fred joined us for a few days. They treated us to an evening at Medieval Times.
It was an awesome experience — the horses…..the show…..everything! My children were captivated.
And I felt like I was transported back in time:
Too briefly. Now we are home and headed to the renaissance fair this weekend. I have much more costume sewing to do before Monday. My little squires and princess grow so much each year and need to be fully garbed for this event. They will not, however, be as majestically clothed as they wish. Much to their chagrin, we did not bring home a full coat of armour.
Drive Thru for #2
Is it just me, or is this an unfortunate name for an ice cream stand? I can’t help but think of lactose intolerance when I see this sign…..and how aptly named the cone is.
How I spent Mother’s Day
Chilling in a hot tub with a frosty cold drink.
Then we rented a boat to tool around a Disney resort for a while. I sat with my life vest firmly strapped on —- especially while my children “captained” the vessel.
Given our lack of boating experience, having John at the helm was just as risky as the kids. Notice the boat patrol following us and making sure we made it safely back to dock.
Living my simple life 