“And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”

June running in the orchard.

Well, it wasn’t quite forty days, but it seemed liked it. Last week it rained. Almost every day. Sometimes it poured. Sometimes it drizzled. On Saturday I checked my rain gauge and found that 5 inches had fallen. That’s a lot for one week. So most of what we did last week, we did between rain showers. Or sometimes during rain showers. After a while you just do things, rain or no rain.

With a houseful of company – two housefuls actually, ours and Shillig’s – it was sometimes a challenge keeping everyone entertained and dry (when dryness was desired). Anytime the rain let up, the children were sent outdoors to play. They swung on the swings. They drove the Shillig’s Gator all over the yard (Shillig’s yard, not mine – I don’t let them drive it on my lawn).

Playing on the swings.

A game of Kub on the front lawn.

On Monday our niece Alexa left for home. That afternoon we went swimming in the pool at the house where Stacey and Miriam work. It rained off and on that day and it was cloudy all day, but the pool was heated to 84°, so that didn’t matter. And when it rained, no one cared much since they were already wet.

Swimming.

On the slide.

Popsicles in the pool!

Who cares if it's raining, we're already wet.

Tuesday night was movie night at the Shillig’s house and all the cousins were there in their pajamas.

Pajama movie time!

On Wednesday morning we had a special activity. Wade and Reed (Kurt and Julie’s daughter Kohl’s boys) are obsessed with bigfoot. Their obsession has infected Hazel and June and it gave Miriam an idea. For several days leading up to Wednesday, we all talked about bigfoot – what he likes to eat, where he sleeps, what kind of sounds he makes, things like that. Miriam made a flyer that “arrived” in the mail on Tuesday informing the residents of Gold that a bigfoot had been reported in the area. Then on Wednesday morning, Wade and Reed phoned our house and excitedly reported that a bigfoot had been in their yard next door. There was evidence! Hazel and June rushed over and the quest for bigfoot was on. Miriam made an investigation kit that they used to collect and document the evidence. There were huge footprints across the back porch. Something had been drinking out of Julie’s fountain. There were berries and nuts (the bigfoot’s favorite foods) and bits of fur leading out across the yard. There was a pile of droppings by the raspberry patch. The trail led across the road to the edge of the thorn wood and there they found – a huge nest! They were so excited (and a bit scared at first until they were reminded that the flyer said the bigfoot was shy and wouldn’t hurt them)! Miriam did a great job. It was a great activity for them.

Miriam's bigfoot project.

The hunt for bigfoot.

On Wednesday afternoon our niece Missy and her baby Hudson left to return to their home in Arizona. It was nice having her and her sister Alexa here. Back in the days when they were younger (we were all younger then), they used come here every summer with their family. Their mother is Stacey’s sister Roxann.

Good-bye to Missy and Hudson.

Despite the wet weather I managed to accomplish a lot in the garden. Tuesday morning it didn’t rain for a few hours, and we had a weeding party. We weeded part of my vegetable garden and the vegetable beds at the Shillig’s house. I spent some time cutting down tent caterpillar nests in some of the trees. There weren’t many, but I hate them and I destroy them whenever I can. The rain was back before the day was over. On Wednesday it stopped raining long enough for me to quickly mow the lawn. The grass was tall because I couldn’t mow for so long. The yard down at the bottom of the bank by the barn was almost impossible to mow. It was a swamp. It rained again that night. On Thursday the weather was beautiful for most of the day. I spent several hours weeding more of the garden and propping up things that the rain had knocked down. Top-heavy plants like poppies and snapdragons don’t hold up well in the rain. I also brought in another load of zucchini and the first little ripe tomato.

Balloon flowers.

Yarrow, poppy, hollyhock, and asclepias.

Zinnias.

By the end of the week the rain had let up and the weather was beautiful. But all that rain has made things soggy. The ground is saturated. There are mushrooms coming up all over the place. The damp has accelerated the spread of early blight in my tomatoes. Now it’s a race to see if we can get ripe fruit before the blight kills off the vines.

When the rain stopped we had a lovely sunset.

Remember a while back when I wrote about a lack of Japanese beetles this year? I wondered then if they were just late in arriving. Well, they were. They are out in their thousands now devouring everything they can. They love raspberry and blackberry plants and rose bushes and zinnias and apple leaves and linden leaves and I really hate them. In the mornings when it’s cool and dewy they tend to be sluggish and I go out every morning and squash them with my bare hands. My efforts are probably futile, but it gives me a small measure of satisfaction to vent my hatred by destroying them.

Japanese beetle on my raspberries.

On Thursday Hannah arrived home from college. Rachel and Miriam drove up to Buffalo and brought her home from the airport. I’m glad she’s home. It seems like a long time since I last saw her happy face. Actually she’s been gone since New Years, so it has been a long time. That said, she and Miriam drove down to the Thayn’s house for a few days, so it was hello and good-bye again.

On Friday the weather stayed nice all day and we had several fun adventures. We went up the road to visit our friends the Siska’s horses. They have a beautiful place on a hill just up the Rapley Road from us. The children loved the horses, especially Hazel. After visiting the horses Lynetta Siska let us pick raspberries and blueberries. We had a great visit.

At the Siska's house.

Hazel on horseback.

After that we walked up to the hollow to look for salamanders and touch-me-nots -- a summer tradition that stretches way back with us. We found a few salamanders, but hardly any touch-me-nots. For those who might not know, touch-me-nots are the seed pods of Impatiens capensis also known as jewelweed. The seed pods explode at the slightest touch. It might still be a little early for them.

On our salamander walk.

Then after dinner (it was homemade pizza night) we drove out to the Jones’s farm to see the chickens, turkeys, the pig, and their beautiful gardens.

At the Jones's farm.

Saturday morning the Thayns, Kohl and her children, and Miriam and Hannah all left. They all went down to the Thayn’s house. Kohl and family will depart from there on Tuesday for their home in California. Miriam and Hannah will come home on Wednesday. In the meantime, it’s just Stacey and me at home and it seems too quiet. Happily, that won’t last too long with the girls arriving on Wednesday, and on Thursday Sarah, Tosh, and Sarah’s friend Orlando will arrive for a visit. Until then, we’ll just be moping around in the too quiet house.

It looks like the week ahead will be rainy again. Starting tomorrow afternoon and on through the rest of the week the forecast says we will have rain and thunderstorms. I’m thinking we might want to start building an ark.