Sometimes time settles into an idyllic interval, a respite when things seem, for short while, to be at peace, content, and as they ought to be. Last week was like that in many ways. The weather was just as it should be at the end of July, warm and sunny. Time seemed to slow down a bit from its inexorable rush toward a season not summer. It all had to do with having Miriam and my parents here. It just seemed right.
 |
| Nasturtiums in my garden. |
Miriam and I worked on projects together during the week. One day she and I and my father spent the morning weeding the strawberry beds. Another day she helped me dig up the garlic and pull up some of the onions. We spent most of another day cleaning and organizing the kitchen cupboards. Another day we sat together in my workroom and I worked on painting barn quilts while Miriam painted a new sign for me, all the while talking as we worked. I love times like that.
 |
| Onions and garlic curing on the back porch. |
Having my parents here has been wonderful. I was worried that they would be bored at our house. We don’t do much that’s exciting or entertaining. But they seemed content to move at their own pace, sleep as long as they wanted, eat when they wanted. Dad spent a lot of time reading. They like to sit on the front porch and in chairs out in the yard and just relax. Mama and I worked on some family history. We all played dominoes at the dining room table and croquet out on the front lawn. And we sat and reminisced about people, places, and memories, telling and retelling the stories of our lives. Perfect.
 |
| Mom and Dad relaxing in the back yard. |
 |
| Croquet on the front lawn. |
On Monday evening we went to the Potter County Fair. Our fair is not a big affair, but then our county isn’t such a big affair either. The fair is small and rural and fits perfectly with who we are. We walked the route we always walk when we go to the fair. We went to the show buildings to look at the quilts and other items. We walked through the livestock sheds – first goats and sheep, then rabbits, cows, pigs, and last of all horses. Then we walked back through the fairway ignoring the rides and games. We stopped, as we usually do, at the Hamilton’s maple syrup stand and bought some treats and finished with a visit to the taffy booth. This year was just like so many other years, the same and different in just the right ways.
 |
| At the Potter County Fair. |
We missed Josiah all week. After a few days home from his time at the Hill Cumorah, he left on Monday for scout camp. He went white water rafting for the first three days on the Youghioheny River down near Pittsburgh. The rest of the week he spent with his troop at the Elk Lick Scout Reserve over in McKean County. He came home on Friday night. He isn’t going anywhere for the rest of the summer and seems glad just to have unstructured time at home.
On Saturday Stacey and I spent the day at the Frosty Hollow Herb Festival over in Sweden Valley. This is the second year we’ve gone there with our barn quilt display. It’s a nice venue with two dozen or so other arts and crafts, herb, and vegetable vendors. It’s held at Frosty Hollow Bed and Breakfast, a very beautiful place.
 |
| Our set up at the Herb Fair. |
 |
| Sunflowers at Frosty Hollow. |
It’s August already. The garden looks like it is August. The weeds are out of control. All the softer flowers have gone to seed and the zinnias and dahlias rule the garden. Peas are done, pulled up, and composting. The tomato vines are full, but we’re still waiting for ripe fruit. The rabbits found the broccoli before I did and ate the crowns out of all the plants. Now we will try to shoot the rabbits and wait for the side shoots of the broccoli to form. We’re trying to figure out what to do with all the kale I planted in an overly ambitious attempt at healthy eating. August moves too fast. It seems like summer is in a hurry to move on. This idyllic interval will not last much longer. This is the last week my parents will be here. Miriam, who has been acting as my parents’ chauffeur for all this time, is leaving to return to Utah on Tuesday – earlier than expected. Our nephew Asa is coming from Missouri to drive my parents back next Monday. I don’t know what we’ll do when all the summer visits are over. We look forward to them and then they’re over and the house seems sad and quiet and the summer far gone and forlorn. On the 25th school starts and everything will switch back to our rigid life of alarms and schedules. I’m not ready. I’m never ready for it.
 |
| Yellow zinnias. |
 |
| Pink zinnia. |
