Well then. It looks like I lost a week, though really, this past week was so full of living that I didn’t have the chance to write. My parents were in town from Pennsylvania, and then my brother flew up to spend part of his leave with us before riding back with them at the end of the week. It’s been almost a year since we’ve seen him, and saying how “nice” it was to have him here really doesn’t suffice.

Our days were so filled with just being that I didn’t even take many photos, except of Sweebee and Beans. I’m still uncertain about sharing their images here in this space, so for now, you get the few snaps I managed to capture.

– At the bottom of our driveway is a small antique shop. It had a little sign in the window that it was closed for the season, and I hadn’t seen anyone there until early last week when a lovely petite woman started dragging things out onto the porch. Her name is Barbara and she’s also from Pennsylvania. Oddly enough, she’s from a town not twenty minutes from where I grew up. She and her husband winter down there, and spend the summers here. We’ve talked several times now, and Swee smiles and waves when we see her. I’m looking forward to her shop opening next week, and seeing what treasures she has inside. Barbara has been spending a lot of time sorting out the garden in front of the shop, and yesterday, she filled in the spaces with herbs and tomatoes. I love the way she’s mixed edible and ornamental. She walked me through our own wild space out front (which is dreadfully in need of attention) as there are many plants I’m unfamiliar with, and then sent me back up the drive with some parsley seedlings.

– Our first small harvest! I didn’t use markers when I planted the greens in this box, and it seems that my memory failed me. I thought I put the rocket arugula in the center, and that it hadn’t sprouted, but was pleasantly surprised to see and taste that we do indeed have a small crop. I love arugula. The peppery bite is wonderful in salads, and I’ve got a recipe for chicken salad with arugula that I’m looking forward to trying.

– My mother-in-law is a wonderful gift giver, with a tendency to pick things up in her travels with what at first glance appears to be no rhyme or reason, but in the end makes up a box of little treasures. For their birthdays, along with some other goodies, she sent the girls all the fixings to make s’mores. We’ve roasted marshmallows with Swee before, but never gone whole hog like this. She wasn’t too sure about the total combination, but enjoyed the process. At one point, I realized we had opened more than one chocolate bar, and discovered that she had absconded with the contents of both wrappers, sequestering herself in her playhouse with the spoils.

– I’ve been stretching my muscles in the kitchen since we’ve all been back together, and I think everyone enjoyed the results this past week. For so long, it was just me, a toddler who wasn’t guaranteed to eat, and a breastfed baby who ate mostly Cheerios, bananas and mush. Cooking for five adults and two little ones who have recently found their appetites was a lot of fun. I have a couple of yummy recipes to share over the next few days.

– We had a storm cloud make itself comfortable right over our town today, and it rained steadily without ceasing. This little guy took shelter under the overhang right outside our backdoor. I can’t ever remember seeing a hummingbird before living here, and they have visited us close to a dozen times in the last month. I’d like to get the feeder sterilized and filled so that I can see more of them. If anyone has tips or recipes to share, I’d love the guidance!

Hope you all have a wonderful, sunny week!