a visit...

It got very hot over the weekend

but as it is the unofficial start to 

Summer

it isn't a surprise

but we had a nice surprise

son #1and son came by for a visit

after a jolly round of

Chinese Checkers

and a small snack of the 

delicious buns 

I made

that I found the recipe for on the pinning place

we went down to what is called 

the beach

 around here

I haven't ever taken photos down here as we don't go anymore

so it will be nice to see a slightly different 

"view"

!!!!!

one can see how thick the woods are here

can't get over how the trees have grown down to the water

22 acres of water

it used to be a corn field!!!

spring fed

there was a birthday party going on in the pavillion

are there fishes in there

do they bite

just hanging around down on the beach

looking back the other way!!

sharing the slide

that is so slick it was hard to get him going down

anyway he enjoyed it and interestingly didn't ask to go swimming

maybe next time

if we promise the fish won't bite!!!!!!

Kevin Costner has a band and he can sing

who knew ! :)

It's Memorial Day weekend here in the States...it's all red White and Blue...

and it's that time we are supposed to remember those who gave all.

Living right in the middle of where so much of The Civil War was fought

this reminds one that it wasn't so long ago that there was a war here

and as they say in the South

It wasn't very Civil!!

There is a house in Fredericksburg that was used as a hospital

we went there once and I stood in the window of one of the rooms

that still looks out over the river and the banks where so many were slaughtered

and read a book in which a nurse wrote her thoughts and feelings

 the night before a battle

 about the men she tended to that night

they all went back out  the next day and only a  few returned to her care

there are still too many battlefields in this world

....................

this song is very sad...but it's pretty in its simplicity and it makes you wonder

when can the angels stop coming down...

playing with floss

some of you may remember these little "guys"

the turbaned floss bobbins

well they showed themselves the other day and I decided to try something I saw on

"that pinning place"

!!!!

this is a cathedral window done in crochet!!

the blogger very kindly made a chart for those of us who don't read French

and there is a picture of what she made

I will attempt the same!!!

because you can never have enough little bags ....made of things that sit around and stare at you!!!!

I bought some mohair a while back

and decided to see what it would look like

done on the

Hairpin Lace Loom

the link will take you to a video on how to do it

you can make your own loom with a 

paper towel tube and two needles 

you know to practice on

after the initial clumsiness you will be hair-pinning your little hands off

try it

apple cake...

all in US terms

oven 425 deg F

bake time

25-35 mins

Butter a 9 inch spring form pan

Cake

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/3 c sugar

1Tbs baking powder....1/8 tsp salt.... 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, beaten, ...2 Tbs oil... 1/3 c milk

lemon zest...... 4-6 apples

Topping

1/3 sugar...I beaten egg

zest of lemon...  1Tbs lemon juice

3Tbs melted butter

combine and stir well to blend

make cake...

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.

Add  eggs, milk, oil, zest and vanilla

Stir to blend well

Add apples and stir to cover apples well

put batter into the prepared pan

BAKE

for 25 mins 'til fairly firm and golden

take cake out and pour the topping mixture over the cake

return to the oven and bake another

10mins

remove the cake and cool for 10 mins

release the sides of the pan and remove the cake

there you have it

a delicious cake made with fresh ingredients

that you can pronounce and enjoy

and you will

enjoy

I am making custard the next time

the English in me just calls for it!!!

I can't find the page I got this from

I have looked everywhere and it's not to be found

so I can't give credit where credit is due

and it is DUE!!!!!!!

after some rain

it's been raining around here quite a bit

and it is very welcome

we have a drought already so any rain is good

no hummers as of yet but it's all ready for them

in fact it rained so much the night before last

there were floods just up the road a ways

as they say

water half way up the cars in some spots

that's just silly

too much isn't any good 

but I think it's all gone now

the lake is nice an full too

I'll show you later maybe

so in between showers yesterday

I took a little walk in the front

and took a few shots of what's there

mountain laurel is almost over already

the bush is getting so big it may have to be pruned

husband planted the trees way too close and now the bush if fighting for space

it's the only plant left from when we came here

eons ago

its very very old

as are we now!!!!

this is 

sooc

straight out of camera

the light was just like this

lovely!!!

everyone is up and growing finally

it's all getting so big and jumbled

just like I like it

yes he is still here

standing guard on the flower 

so that's it for today

what it looked like yesterday

wet and green and jumbled

just like I like it!!!

great big gobs of gorgeous geeseie gosling gooseie goodness

they are back

after weeks of not seeing them

knowing they had the babies

but not knowing what happened

they came sailing in this morning

 more than before

there are babies over there in the grass

and two ducks on the dock for an added bit of scenic beauty!!!

 and there

in the rear of this group 

is

HONKER

 doing what he does

 playing nursemaid

auntie/uncle

butler

protector of all things little

 and goose-like

they swam straight onto the shore and got out

 and let me know 

they know 

I know 

they know

yes ma'm

 but the little ones didn't give a hoot

or would that be a honk

and just started grazing

 this is another family

 and the other families

and one lone one on the water

maybe next year he'll have one of these of his own

I hope so

I cannot tell you how happy I am to see them

I thought something horrible had happened to them

because they were invisible for so long

but now I know why

welcome back goose's

now here's to getting the blogging mojo back

but I know I'm not the only one

something seems to have shifted and blogging ain't what it used to be

:)

some have gone completely

some have seemingly started "blogging" on Facebook

a place I just can't get a feel for.... find it a bit weird for some reason

some are on Instagram

which just uses up all your time on the phone and I'm not paying to see peoples photos 

that all look the same and are somehow a bit depressing

that smoky fuzzy dark look makes me blue

depressed

down

gloomy

and I'm enough of that these days without 

Instagram enforcing it

:)  :)

makes me want to say

I vant to be aloooone

:)

so

here's to coming back

and staying back

or at least

being here a bit more often

be good

and I hope a goose made you happy today

(whatever)