This is where we have been hanging out these days. It is

so hot, we're really enjoying the water!

Our garden is doing Ok, it is so dry, we have to water it

more than usual...rain would help.

This flower garden with the rooster in the middle is usually

huge, and filled  in by now, it is just so hot that nothing is

really growing except...

Our herb garden is doing wonderful!

The lambs are growing and gaining weight! We are having

to suppliment their diet with hay because the grass is

not growing in this heat!

Granddaughters Alli and Sophia got to stay overnight (their

brothers too) for a whole week, while their mom and dad

went to Philidelphia. We had a lot of fun.

We let these ladies out of their coop and run free through

the woods to cool off from the heat.

We celebrated Grandaughter Gia's 1st Birthday and...

Grandson Grant's 1st Birthday!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

We've been a bit busy around here lately, but it has been

fun! 

These chicks (pullets) arrived the end of February: 15 Buff Orpingtions,

 15 Ameraucana, and 6 Black Sexlink. Aren't they sooo cute! The

Postman called first thing in the morning telling us to come pick

them up at the post-office in town, I could here them chirping

over the phone! These chicks will replace our chickens

that were ALL (26 total), murdered one night by a huge gang of raccoons!!!

Raccoons are very mean and will kill a chicken just to do it! They did not

eat a one of them, they just murdered them.

Yeah, they look cute, but raccoons can get very vicious.

We have reinforced the coop (again), and hopefully they will not get

in this time.

The chicks are much bigger now, I'll post new pics soon.

Here is a raccoon joke for you:

Question: Why did the chicken cross the road?

Answer: To show the raccoons it could be done!!

(This joke might only be funny to people who live in this

area, there are always dead raccoons who have been hit by

cars lying in the road.)

Isn't she sweet! She is a Hampshire, and we are really

enjoying having them here.

The sheep (lambs) getting used to their new surroundings.

Ben giving the sheep some grain.

Stephanie's February birthday and Caitlin's May birthday.

Gianna and Jake.

The boys roasting hot dogs for lunch!

Do any other mothers have a heart attack when their sons

do things like this or is it just me???? 

 My husband and I spent the day in Galena, it was beautiful.

I love old buildings and Galena is full of them.

This is the main street, can you see the house at the top of the hill?

Galena is built into a hill. The streets are layered above the main street and river.

I did some Valentine shopping here.

This is a little Herb and Tea store, aren't the Bee hives so cute?

This is the oldest house in Galena.

These stairs lead up to the houses, library, school, on the next streets above the main street.

The stairs keep going up, follow the lampposts till they stop at the street behind the trees.

When you get to the next street above the main street, if you live in one of the houses,

you have to climb stairs again to get to your front door!!

I can't imagine when it snows, or if there is ice, how they can drive up and down the steep streets,

and shovel all those stairs!

The gates and railings around some of the houses were just gorgeous.

These houses are on the downhill side of the street, their backyards drop almost straight down!

They look small, but some of them have four and five stories going down.

If you look close at the house on the right, just to the left of the front door,

you can see the roof of another house below. 

This is one set of stairs to the street below.

The house on the left is "The Belvidere Mansion".

On the right is a view from an upper street.

The house on the right is "Ulysses S. Grant's" house.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Flowers from my wonderful daughter Liz

In memory of Dominic, who would have turned nine

this year.

Went to Barnes and Noble bookstore. We all love browsing the

 shelves, we could probably stay all day!

Some crocheting projects I'm working on.

Have a wonderful evening!

Caleb made the juice,

while the bread was rising.

      We did chores, finished school, had sandwiches for lunch, and now it's reading time.

Yummm...

Some green letting us know summer will come again!

Have a wonderful rest of today!!