After a week of hot weather, last week was mild, a fitting finale for the month of June. July and August will be hot again, at least I hope they will. We spent Monday and Tuesday making final preparations for having a house full of family. I tend to get nervous about how things look for family when they come to visit. I want things to look ideal for them, no dust, no weeds, no mess, the cute house where Grandma and Grandpa and Aunts Miriam and Hannah live. That sent me into a frenzy of tidying, mowing, weeding, and dusting. I know, in the back of my mind, that I’m overreacting. It won’t stay that way for long with so many people in the house, but just for those first minutes when everyone takes their first look around, I want them to see our world here at its best. After that it's all fun and games and whatever happens, happens.
While weeding on Monday, I found the first of this year’s Japanese beetles. They were eating the roses, of course, their favorite food. There were only a half dozen of them so I just crushed them with my fingers, and I’ll admit, took some delight in doing so. From now on I will be on beetle patrol every morning, armed with my bowl of soapy water. I guess it really is summer now.
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| A sunset last week. |
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| A sunrise last week. |
We had a bit of excitement down at the barn at the first of the week. Last Sunday, when I went down to do the afternoon chores, I opened the door to the coop and found that one of the broody hens had hatched two eggs! The hen and her chicks were on the coop floor and she was showing them tidbits of food and clucking. I was so excited, I ran back up to the house and had Hannah and Stacey come down to see the new arrivals. One chick is yellow, the other is black and they are adorable as only new chicks can be. That hen was setting on four eggs, but only two hatched. I love to watch a protective mother hen with her chicks. She fluffs her feathers and fusses. She shows them things to eat. She takes them to the waterer to get a drink. She clucks and they run under her wings. It’s adorable.
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| Mother hen and new chicks. |
In the wee hours of Wednesday morning (3:20) Geoffrey and his family arrived after some unexpected delays. It’s so great having them here. Our first day together, Wednesday, we took walks around the property. We played a few games. We sat and talked. That evening, after dinner, we celebrated Joni’s birthday. She wanted a peach cobbler, which Miriam made for her, and Miriam also made ice cream. That night, over at the Shillig’s house, Chase and his family arrived.
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| Joni's birthday. |
Thursday the cousins from the two households played all day. The adults sat around and talked. I spent a few hours weeding. Even when there is company I have to keep at it or it gets out of control. That evening my cousin Rob Rathfon came over for a visit. Rob is the son of my Uncle Bob (my mother’s youngest brother) and Aunt Esther. Rob only lives about 45 minutes away over in Tioga County, but we hardly ever see each other. He brought over some things that belonged to his dad that he wanted to give to us. One of them is a very old music book that belonged to our ancestor George Rathfon. The other is a Suzuki Q Chord. We didn’t really know what a Q Chord was, but it is a really cool electronic instrument. We’ve been playing it, trying to figure out all the things it can do. We’ve added it to our instrumental ensemble. We had a very nice visit with Rob. We got caught up on what’s happening in the family. We determined that we need to get together more often. Just as Rob was leaving, the Thayns arrived.
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| My cousin Rob and I. |
Now that the Thayns are here, our party group is almost complete. Sarah and Tosh will arrive on the 3rd, and then we’ll all be together. Things are pretty wild here at times with all the cousins doing a dozen different things all at once. Stacey made a chore chart that she hung in the dining room to try and bring a little order to the chaos. The children have daily tasks to perform and get to put a sticker on the chart when they’ve completed them. Tasks like making your bed, doing a kitchen chore, doing a garden chore, brushing your teeth, and my favorite, Silent Sustained Reading.
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| One of many games played. |
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| Silent sustained reading. |
On Friday at noon we went to the movies. Through Stacey’s work connections, we got a private showing of Inside Out 2.We enjoyed that. That evening we went over to the Shillig’s for dinner to celebrate Chase and Jamie’s son Grant’s ninth birthday. It was a baseball themed party and we had hot dogs and all kinds of baseball related treats – Cracker Jacks, bubble gum, and the birthday cake was shaped like a baseball. Afterward there were gifts and games. That night, the girl cousins all moved their sleeping accommodations out to a tent out on the edge of the orchard. That night, most of them got chilly and moved back into the house in the middle of the night. Since that night, they’ve done better.
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| Cousins at the movies. |
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| Grant's birthday. |
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| Cousins in the tent. |
On Saturday Geoffery, Joni, Ellie, Hazel, Ava, Stacey and I went up to Palmyra to the temple. The girls did baptisms. After the temple, we had lunch at the Chill and Grill, always a treat. It rained quite a bit that day, but in the evening it cleared. After dinner, Miriam and Hannah took a group of children metal detecting. They loved that. That evening we finally despatched our mean rooster, Mr. Polopetsi. After several attempts to subdue him, he continued to attack me. The children like to help me do the chores and collect eggs and I couldn’t risk him attacking one of them. Sorry Mr. Polopetsi. I gave you enough chances. I still have two other roosters that are both very gentle.
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| Ava, Ellie, and Hazel at the temple. |
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| Lunch at the Chill and Grill. |
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| On a salamander walk. |
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| Florence with her pet snails collected in Grandpa's garden. |
Church was great today. With so much family here, our attendance almost doubled. We had Ellie, Joni, and Geoffrey give talks and they did a great job. We sang patriotic hymns – My Country, ‘Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, and The Star Spangled Banner. Now we are home. We’re getting ready for lunch. I doubt there will be much napping today.
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| The whole gang after church today. |
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| The Howe clan after church today. |
June is done now. July arrives tonight. I can see July already in the world around me. Along the fields and roadsides, the Dame’s Rocket has faded and now there are daisies and mallows and daylilies. The tall grass in the meadow and the orchard is ripening to tan and brown. The apples are getting bigger and I’m pleased to see so many of them.
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| My favorite poppies this week (it changes). |
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| Apples getting bigger. |
Things are pretty wild here. All this family fills the place with energy. Every meal is a big production. There are projects and games and other activities going on through all the waking hours and usually into the night. The excitement will build as the Fosters arrive and we get closer to Independence Day. It’s going to be fun.
