Blueberry Report - 2021 (and a bit about flour)

I'm always pleased when I see our neighbor's name on my caller ID because it means blueberry season has begun! This year the first call was July 29. The last of the berries was on August 12. This year we bought 26 quarts. 

This is more than last year's 17, and equal to 2018's number. The man asked about the numbers because his wife likes to keep track, so I gave him the list I posted here on last year's blueberry report. 

What you may see to the left (and under) the berries is my bread flour.  A fourth-generation farmer just across the state line has begun growing wheat and other grains. The farm he grew up on was a dairy farm. Dairy, as you may know, has declined greatly in the country so they sold up, and he now has a grain farm. You may read an article about it here. I buy 50 pounds of whole wheat flour,  

move it to freezer bags, and freeze it. I take out a couple bags at a time so I always have some available. I make bread twice a week. The fridge freezer has local strawberries, and some blueberries from another local source. Today I am heading to the Co-op to get lots of local sweet peppers to freeze. Ah, August!

The essence of summer suppers

 We have three favorite meals that I make only in summertime. I made a little vow to myself years ago that I would eat tomatoes only when they are fresh and local or from my own plants. They are heavenly. The other times of the year they come from God-knows-where and are, as they say, like cardboard plus being expensive. So when summer comes we eat and eat them. I also never buy fresh basil any other time of year, and usually have enough that I have grown myself. 

Hummus (which I do make other times of the year, sans tomatoes)

Pesto

Tabouli

Today's video/Michael Franti & Spearhead - "Good Day For A Good Day" (Acoustic Video)

New Michael Franti & Spearhead!

In praise of cleome and cosmos

Sometimes on TV you will hear the phrase "wow factor". Well, I think the cleome and cosmos both have it. This year we started two-year-old seeds of both these plants. We figured we had nothing to lose, and maybe they would be fine. And they were. More than fine! This is the variety of cleome I bought from Renee's Garden. Some people say "cle-ome-ee" but I prefer cleome, sounding like gnome. 

Hummingbird's Choice

Color Fountains Cleome

(Cleome spinosa)
Thomas Jefferson loved the beautiful flower trusses of tall cleome in his renowned flower gardens at Monticello. Today, these vigorous summer flowers are treasured in heirloom and restoration gardens. The 4 to 5 foot plants are crowned with huge flower clusters of pale pink, crisp white and rose-violet florets. Cleome’s unique blossoms with their long petals and spidery stamens are favorites of nectar-seeking hummingbirds. They make striking large arrangements when the long stems of bloom are brought indoors. 

I just love it that Windy Poplars Farm is growing a plant that Jefferson had in his garden! Have you ever read the wonderful book, Dear Mr. Jefferson: Letters From A Nantucket Gardener by Laura Simon?  

I grew one years ago, and it kind of took over the flower garden so this year we planted them out in the vegetable garden where they have plenty of room to spread out. I like having flowers among the vegetables, although I'm beginning to see it is vegetables among the flowers!

Blurry and washed out, but I wanted you to see how huge it is.

And aren't these stems otherworldly looking. 

They all don't look like that.

It has been noted by visitors that the leaves look like a pot plant, and even the smell is a bit "skunkish". I don't think they are related though.

That same year I also ordered this from Renee's. 

Double Butterfly Cosmos

Rose Bon Bon

(Cosmos bipinnatus)
New from the very best French breeders, florist-quality Rose Bon Bon offers you extra fancy, uniformly double blossoms densely packed with frilled petals in a rich romantic rose. This exceptionally beautiful and carefree new cosmos produces 3-inch flowers that bloom non-stop on long stems, making them perfect for cutting abundant bouquets all summer long. Butterflies love to visit these lovely blossoms as they sway above finely cut foliage.

This is an interesting cosmos because it has both these tight flowers and the more usually seen open ones.

Here is how they look together.

I think we planted three plants of each. Again, sorry for the less than perfect pictures. The afternoon sun is so bright. I should have waited for a cloudy day!

Today's video /Michael Franti & Spearhead - Hey Hey Hey

This song is from 2010 but could have been written yesterday. This man makes the world a better place with his songs. 

A different way of gardening

"If you want to attract wildlife into your garden, and increasingly most of us do, the key thing is you've to abandon trying to control every aspect of your garden and that will allow wildlife in." 

Monty Don on Gardeners' World.

This is a quote from a recent show, but he has been talking about this subject for years now. And we have followed his example. 

I expect most men just love to mow. I know that Tom always did. But he has had a sea change in his view. He no longer mows any of the lawns every week. In England this past May was "no mow May". At Windy Poplars Farm, it might be called "mow once in a while in May, June, July, August". And you should see the results. Both red and white clover, little white flowers I don't even know the name of, daisies, hawkweed, dandelions, Achillea/yarrow have all grown and prospered. We have seen bees and other bugs on them. When Tom does mow he leaves whatever is still in bloom. Along the edge of one garden a whole row of achillea grew; a real row - as if we had planted it. 

Another benefit is that when it is dry, as it was here early in the summer, the grass stays much greener. 

We shake our heads in pure delight at this change in our yard. The big fields are mowed only once a year at the end of the summer. When we had more animals we used to bring them into the other fields, but with only 8 sheep and a donkey, the barn pasture is plenty so we let those other pastures become fields loaded with all kinds of plants. Along our road/driveway are tansy, goldenrod, meadowsweet, brown-eyed Susan, buttercups. 

It is a veritable garden of Eden here now. In addition to all these wildflowers, a couple years ago we planted echinacea, monarda, perennial hollyhocks, and achillea milleflora in the terrace garden, and the butterflies and bees are plentiful. I left the flowers on the catnip plant and it is full of bees every day. There is a wild garden off the side yard where there are lupines and comfrey and globe thistle, and loads of milkweed. 

"Wildlife" has quite a different meaning to the people on Gardeners' World and people who live where we live in northern New England. It is not the bees and butterflies and other flying pollinators. Our wildlife is deer and coyotes and black bears. We've had them all visiting this spring and summer. The coyote only once. It was the biggest one I've ever seen. It was just looking into the pasture. I opened the door and said it should probably leave now, and it did. A mother and her two fawns come and eat from the garden most evenings, and they haven't done much harm. I don't begrudge them anything really because I am happy they come by. We also had a young bear early in the season. Just saw one the other evening and wondered if it is the same one, only bigger. There have been birds nesting, and the wild turkeys with their chicks. 

Possibly (probably) because of climate change, we've seen tomato plants pop up all over the garden from last year's tomatoes. Also potato plants and, just like last year, the calendulas have returned. Mallow has come back in grand fashion after being away for a few years, and the hollyhock in the patio garden appeared. 

The gardens and animals have been such a source of comfort and deep joy during this kinda still in the pandemic time, and also some family situations that have taken up a lot of time and emotion. Very, very thankful. I wanted to put up pictures today, but just didn't have the time. I'll try and do that soon.

On his 78th

Two months after my mother died, the new Rolling Stone Magazine must have had a piece on Mick Jagger turning 30. I don't recall the article, but I do remember saying to Tom, "as long as Mick Jagger is in the world, I'll never feel old." I even know the room I was in when I said it. I was 25. 

Well, today he is 78 and I am still five years younger than him, and really, I feel the same way. He is a wild man, with more energy than any ten men of 30 or 78! 

Instead of putting up a video of the Stones, I thought I'd share one of my favorite songs - a duet between the late, lamented Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger.

Independence Day plus one

 

Here I am at my local Co-op today without a mask! This is the first time in 15 months! I was so much more relaxed today. It was an amazing feeling to just "be" again without impedimenta. The new "rule" is that if you are vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask. I saw many people still wearing them, but it was Senior Day (which happens once a month when those over 65 get 10% off) and perhaps older people may have medical conditions or live with someone who does and they do not want to take a chance. Some of the store people wore them and others didn't. 75% of the employees have been vaccinated so maybe those were the ones who haven't had the shot yet.  Anyhow, it was just the best feeling! 

50th Anniversary of Jim Morrison's Death

I wrote about our trip to Paris after the fire at Notre-Dame, and today I am revisiting that trip on the 50th anniversary of Jim Morrison's death. First of all, there is no way my head can get around the fact of all those years. From 23 to 73 in a blink of my eye. How is that even possible? 

Anyhow, when we were in Paris, we visited Pere Lachaise cemetery. I don't think we went because of anyone special who was buried there. We had heard about it, and spent a day walking through. It is truly beautiful. 

Fast forward to weeks later. We were in Dublin on a bus, and saw a newstand out the window. There was a copy of Rolling Stone and Jim Morrison was on the cover. We were so excited to buy it. When we actually saw it, our happiness quickly went away. That beautiful boy, dead. Even now I can't believe it. This is my copy of the magazine. Not sure if it is the one we saw in Ireland.

And it was so strange to know we had been at the cemetery after he had been buried there. Just the idea that we could have seen his grave without knowing he had died. Gives me shivers.

So, in honor of the 50th anniversary of his death, I thought I'd post a song. It was hard to choose just which one, but here you go. 

The Crystal Ship

Before you slip into unconsciousness

I'd like to have another kiss

Another flashing chance at bliss

Another kiss, another kiss

The days are bright and filled with pain

Enclose me in your gentle rain

The time you ran was too insane

We'll meet again, we'll meet again

Oh tell me where your freedom lies

The streets are fields that never die

Deliver me from reasons why

You'd rather cry, I'd rather fly

The crystal ship is being filled

A thousand girls, a thousand thrills

A million ways to spend your time

When we get back, I'll drop a line

I read someone's analysis of the song, and you may read it here. All it showed me is that one cannot really analyze poetry! It is what it is to whomever is reading it. 

Trouble with blog header photo

 If you are reading this, you will see that my blog header picture is all messed up. I can't say I wasn't warned because Kay at the Musings blog posted about her problem a couple days ago. 

So many of my fellow bloggers have complained about the changes blogger made months ago. I have had no trouble at all, except that I could no longer post a home video. 

We got a new computer last month, our first one in ten years, and now I can post a home video. Hooray. But there have been so many changes that Tom has spent days on the phone with tech people. 

I am wondering if it is the new technology that has caused me to have this problem with my blog header. Or is it blogger? Anyhow, it sure doesn't look pretty. The header picture was peonies but they have gone by and the hollyhocks are stars in the garden now so I thought they would make a good header photo. I knew I was taking a chance, but I thought because I hadn't had the troubles others had that I'd be okay. Nope.

As I told Kay in a comment, there are days I want to give it all up. No more computers or cell phones. Sometimes I want to live a life that is free of screens and connections. I am driven wild with this whole cloud thing. We didn't have any cloud with the old computer, but now the Apple hard drives are small and there isn't room for thousands of photos. I feel like we are all forced to join the crowd. This is all so different from the whole ethos of the hippie life, which was to do things for yourself, and live a private life if you wanted to. Now I feel like there is no freedom like that. No privacy. No quiet.

We are wooed by convenience and ease. The words from Pink Floyd come into my head, "comfortably numb". 

Reading a tongue-twister at seven years old

 

May Books

A perfect month of reading. I really loved all the books, and they were very different from each other. You may notice the year in the 1920s in red. I began doing that last year as I began my reading from the 1920s. I just do it to draw my attention to the fact.

May - 6

24.The Plumley Inheritance - book 1 in the Ludovic Travers series

by Christopher Bush

mystery 1926

Kindle

finished 5/4/21

We live in a wonderful time for readers because we have access to so many old books. It is just thrilling to me to read something published when my mother was 13. Another Dean Street Press reissue.

25. High Wire in Nuala - book 9 in the Inspector De Silva series

by Harriet Steel

mystery 2020

Kindle 

finished 5/7/21

I don't read very much historical fiction, but I will read these books as long as she keeps writing them. I love the Sri Lanka setting, called Ceylon at the time the books take place. 

26. Dandelion Cottage

by Carroll Watson Rankin

children's fiction 1904

Kindle

finished 5/9/21

This was one of those Amazon recommendations - I think because I read The Railway Children. Another book about children, and I loved it. Four girls are "given" this rundown house for the summer. Fully drawn characters with an interesting story.

27. Sweet Bean Paste

by Durian Sukegawa

translated from the Japanese by Alison Watts

fiction 2017

Kindle

finished 5/12/21

I saw the movie version of this on Netflix DVD called just Sweet Bean and loved it. When I read Convenience Store Woman in April, Amazon recommended this book. I hadn't even known it was a book. It is rare when both a book and movie are perfect but these certainly are to me.

28. Before the Coffee Gets Cold - book 1 in Before the Coffee Gets Cold series

by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

translated from the Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselo

fiction 2015

Kindle

finished 5/17/21

A fascinating concept. An underground restaurant with just a few tables, but it has a reputation that people can go back in time. There were a few separate stories, and I was so caught up in them. Wonderful idea and book.

29. The Consequences of Fear - book 16 in the Maisie Dobbs series

by Jacqueline Winspear

mystery 2021

Kindle

library book

finished 5/23/21

Ah, Maisie is back. Always a joy to follow her in life. This was a particularly excellent installment.

April Books

 April - 5

19. Sable Messenger - book 2 in the Inspector Knollis series

by Francis Vivian

mystery 1947

Kindle

finished 4/2/21

20. The Threefold Cord - book 3 in the Inspector Knollis series

by Francis Vivian

mystery 1947

Kindle

finished 4/8/21

I like these Vivian mysteries. I'm not wild about them, but find them pleasant enough old mysteries.

21. Something in the Water

by Catherine Steadman

mystery/thriller 2018

Kindle

library book

finished 4/10/21

This book is completely out of character for me! It is a thriller, an edge-of-your-seat kind of book which I rarely read. My daughter actually quit because it was scary! I stayed with it just because I had to know how it turned out. Whew! I don't think I'll read any more of her work, but the book was very good.

22. The Swiss Summer

by Stella Gibbons

fiction 1951

Kindle

finished 4/20/21

It is probably obvious that I read mostly English authors of books set in England. I do occasionally take a different road, and that's what happened this month. Although Stella Gibbons was an English woman, this book is set in Switzerland. Other than Heidi, I don't think I have ever read a book set there. Swiss Summer is one of the re-issued publications by Dean Street Press. The characters were new and interesting. Their personality quirks were quite different than I've read before. And Switzerland sounded just divine - a perfect place to spend a summer. I highly recommend it.

23. Convenience Store Woman

by Sayaka Murata

translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori

fiction 2018

Kindle

library book

finished 4/22/21

This was a recommendation from Sam at Book Chase. It was unlike any book I've ever read, and I loved that. The characters, the setting, the idea were new and so interesting to me. I am very happy I read it, and it has led me to other Japanese writers. 

Tom's 2021 Reads

6 in all

May - 1

1. Truman

by David McCullough

nonfiction 1992

print

finished 5/12/21

July - 1

2. Bury the Lead - book 29 in the Joe Gunther series

by Archer Mayor

mystery 2018

print

library book

finished 7/10/21

August - 1

3. Illumination in the Flatwoods

A Season Living Among the Wild Turkey

by Joe Hutto

nonfiction 1995

print

finished 8/13/21

September - 1

4. Bomber's Moon - book 30 in the Joe Gunther series

by Archer Mayor

mystery 2019

print

library book

finished 9/16/21

October - 1

5. Down the River Unto the Sea

by Walter Mosely

mystery 2018

print

library book

finished 10/12/21

November - 1

6. The Shadow District - book 1 in the Flovent and Thorson series

by Arnaldur Indridason

translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb 

mystery 2017

print

finished 11/6/21

Happy Mother's Day!

The best story!

Quote du jour/Christopher Bush

 I'm reading yet another old mystery by someone I had never heard of before, The Plumley Inheritance by Christopher Bush. I came upon this quote and thought how apt for the past year. 

"The vicar had retired at his usual hour. The day had told on him very much, and at his age it is the mental stress that tells."

I can see the "mental stress" very clearly on my own face. 

Grammy and Nana award winner! The Adults Are Talking - The Strokes LIVE NYE

This year I did something I hadn't done since I was a kid. I bought an album called The New Abnormal by The Strokes based on my love of one song, "The Adults Are Talking"! Every time it was on the radio, I stopped in my tracks, and thought that I just had to own it. Happily, I love every single song on the record. But this one, oh, is a perfect, perfect song to me. I love every note. The album has not left the turntable for weeks. When I heard it had won the Grammy award for Best Rock Album, I was so happy. The lyrics are a bit hard to understand, but honestly, I don't even care that much. It is that music and voice and instruments that I am wild about.

 

March books; and the Second World War

 15. The Black Cat Murders - book 2 in the Heathcliff Lennox series

by Karen Baugh Menuhin

mystery 2019

Kindle

finished 3/5/21

16. The Splendid and the Vile

by Erik Larson

nonfiction 2020

print

finished 3/15/21

17. The Curse of Braeburn Castle - book 3 in the Heathcliff Lennox series

by Karen Baugh Menuhin

mystery 2019

Kindle 

finished 3/19/21

18. Inked Out - book 2 in the Snug Harbor series

by Karen MacInerney

mystery 2021

Kindle

finished 3/23/21

Still loving the Menuhin books. I'm going to wait a bit to continue, and read some I already own on the Kindle, but I'll go back. Pure delight.

I enjoy two of Karen MacInerney's mystery series - The Gray Whale Inn, and this new one, Snug Harbor which is a bit of a spin-off. These are all books that ease my mind and soul. Nothing terrible happens to the main characters, there are mysteries, the settings are lovely, and always there are recipes. 

And now I come to one of the best books I've ever read, The Splendid and the Vile:A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz. It is simply perfect. I've always said Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is the best book I've ever read, and now this new one by Erik Larson comes in second. He has taken one year, May 1940 through May 1941, and brought it to life. I learned a lot about both the English and the Germans during that time. By choosing to cover only a year, so very much could be covered about the people and life during that time. 

 

I also watched two television series on DVD during my time of reading. One is Goodnight Sweetheart about a man who time travels back and forth between the 1990s and the 1940s. I offered a quote du jour from it in January. It is one of my favorite, favorite television shows. 

Back in the early days of PBS, when we were kids in our early twenties, Tom and I watched an English television series called A Family At War (1970-1972). We were absolutely riveted for 52 episodes. I gave the DVD set to Tom when he retired. He hasn't watched yet, but I did this winter into spring (finishing last evening), and found it to be just as wonderful as I remembered. It deals with an extended family from 1938-1945. We went to England in 1971, and I actually looked up the phone number of one of the actresses I liked a lot in the show, Lesley Nunnerley. I've always regretted that I didn't call her and talk to her about what a great performance she gave! 

To continue with my World War II reading and television experience, I am now reading Citizens of London:The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour which a friend recommended years ago. And I am going to begin this evening watching four movies, made from 1942-1945, which I bought as a set called David Lean directs Noël Coward. 

Today's picture - Old bookmarks

Do you remember the early days of Amazon when they included bookmarks in the book orders? I still have two of them. I have a couple little drawers of special bookmarks and these are among them.

March 2020

I had to look it up, but our presidential primary was on Tuesday, February 11, 2020. I remember being bowled over when I saw a few people at the voting place with gloves on. I don't think there were masks then. I couldn't believe people were so concerned about a "flu". I didn't think much about it again until March 12. We had been told that an old friend of ours was in hospice. We hadn't seen her for years. We drove over to the place, and were met at the door by someone saying we could not come in. She told us "our president" gave a speech last night that said nursing homes shouldn't let anyone in. Having not heard the speech, we were surprised. She said she would let us know when we could visit our friend, but that call never came. She died on the 29th. 

The next day, Friday the 13th, I had a haircut appointment. The woman and I talked about how exciting it was that the local high school boys were in the state playoff that night. By late afternoon it was announced that the game was cancelled. That's when I knew something much more serious was going on. All the schools closed. 

And thus began the year like no other.

February books

I began three new mystery series this month!

10. A Shot in the Dark - book 1 in the Mydworth mysteries

by Matthew Costello (with Neil Richards)

mystery 2019

Kindle

finished 2/6/21

This is a new series set in the late 1920s. I completely enjoyed this story of an aristocratic Englishman, Sir Harry Mortimer and his Bronx-born wife, Kat. They have both been active in government service, and are now home in England. Happily for them, there are enough murders to keep them from getting bored. I like the main characters and I liked this story. I will read more and more of this series.

11. A Pint of Murder - book 1 in the Madoc and Janet Rhys series

by Alisa Craig 

mystery 1980

Kindle

finished 2/20/21 

This was my first book by Charlotte MacLeod writing as Alisa Craig. It was a very sweet kind of book (if you don't mind a few murders!)in which the reader is introduced to Madoc Rhys, a royal Canadian mountie, and Janet Wadman. I enjoyed it and plan to read the other four books in the series. I've read a very few of MacLeod's books; one in the Peter Shandy series and one in the Kelling/Bittersohn series. I do like her, and am happy to be back in her company. 

12. The Old Woman Who Named Things

by Cynthia Rylant

illustrated by Kathryn Brown

children's picture book 1996

print

finished 2/22/21

I recently bought this book. I wrote about a library copy here on the blog. It was written 20 days before Margaret was rushed to the hospital. I wasn't such an old lady then as I feel like now. Hoping when the virus lessens, I will kind of find myself again. 

If you go back to read it, and read the comments, you'll see the first one was from Cait O'Connor. Her blog is still up, and the last entry is just so sad. I didn't leave a note, and I'm sorry about that. 

13. A Little Night Murder - book 2 in the Mydworth mysteries

by Matthew Costello (with Neil Richards)

mystery 2019

Kindle

finished 2/24/21

I liked this one just as much as the first! 

14. Murder at Melrose Court - book 1 in the Heathcliff Lennox series

by Karen Baugh Menuhin

mystery 2018

Kindle

finished 2/27/21 

I so enjoyed this book that I've since read the second, and am now on the third. If the author's name sounds familiar, her husband is the son of the late Yehudi Menuhin. She has a website here, and you can sign up for her reader's club which of course I did. In the first email, there is a link to get a short story about the main character, Heathcliff Lennox. He hates his first name. He fought in the First World War, and this is another series set in the 1920s. He has a dog, and soon has a cat as well both of whom he loves. He is quite eccentric, a loner, but pleasant enough to other people. He is a different character than I've read before. 

This month I don't have a favorite. I completely enjoyed every book. And I am still reading The Splendid and The Vile. Great, great book. We just gave a copy to a friend for his birthday. 

Birthday party, and the evening after

My 73rd birthday was a week ago today, and this is the first chance I've really had to sit down and write about it. 

The whole family had not been together since November 1. There was school, there were rising cases in our state, those in authority advised that families not get together for the holidays, and we all decided it was best to stay in our little local pods. Yes, it has been very hard, but the health of all my babies is more important to me than anything! We've all been well, there haven't been cases in their schools, and we're all very careful so we decided we could get together during February vacation. As a birthday surprise, Michael, Estée, Campbell, and Indy showed up down at Margaret's. Tom was down there, and texted me there was a birthday surprise. I walked down and three kids raced to me. What joy!!

You may notice that my coat is buttoned unevenly. That's because the wind kicked up as I was walking down and I was struggling with one hand, grabbing at random buttons and buttonholes to get my coat buttoned. 

At the outside fire

Margaret made the cake. This is the recipe the family pretty much agrees is the best chocolate cake so why make any other! You may find it here. In that big bowl is chocolate whipped cream for the frosting. It was perfect!

A late Christmas present for Hazel - a dressmaker's kit with a model, material, and all the accoutrements of the sewing world. Estée has a business making clothes and doing repairs/adjustments to older clothes. They worked together for ages.

While Margaret taught the boys how to play Mario Monopoly. 

My grown-up babies.

We all agreed it had been the most perfect day, except for missing Matty who had to work.

And then ... when we got home, we saw that Lucy had peed on the kitchen rug. That is not like her. She has never peed anywhere except outdoors. Also, the water bowl was almost empty. We had been noticing for a few days that she seemed to be drinking more than usual. These are both signs of possible medical problems, so off Tom went to the local emergency vets who work the hours the other vets are closed. 

There was quite a line of cars when he arrived at five o'clock when they open. Someone came by to get information about what was wrong. He told them, and they came back after an hour and told him he could walk her to the door, and then they took her in. In about half an hour, the vet called and asked some questions. After another half hour or so, the vet called again to say Lucy's sugar levels were elevated. To make a long story short, she has diabetes, and Tom gives her insulin shots twice a day. They gave her a low dose to start her off, and said to go to our regular vet as soon as we could. He said she needed more insulin, so we upped it, and so far she is doing well on it. It has been a fraught few days as we've adjusted to this, but honestly you wouldn't think anything was wrong with our dear girl. 

They've told us that she is otherwise very healthy, and should be able to live with this a long time.

Addendum: On Friday Lucy went back to the vet, and he said the insulin had to be upped again because her sugar levels weren't what they should be. (I think that's the medical explanation) He said it can take a while to get this settled. She goes back again Monday morning. So she has gone from 10 units, the base amount the emergency vet gave, to 14, and now to 17. 

David Bowie – Life On Mars? (Official Video)

This evening I watched a live Instagram of Lukas Nelson, and one of the songs he sang was Bowie's "Life On Mars" in honor of the Mars landing. I was never a huge Bowie fan, but I still thought this was appropriate today. And here he is way back in 1973. Does not seem possible it was that long ago.

Hello dollies

" It is a fine thing to preserve and pass on the dolls of the past. And the dolls in native costumes are worth handing down, too, for there may well be a day when native costumes are gone. As countries get divided up and passed around, as people fly all over the world, probably everyone will dress alike, more's the pity."

Gladys Taber

Stillmeadow Seasons 1950 

I have written a bit about Tom's parents moving out of their home into an independent living apartment here. The follow-up is that after a couple years, they moved again; this time into assisted living. They needed help with medications and other things. Last month his step-father died. It was the best death one could ask for. He essentially laid down and after a few days stopped breathing. He was 97. Tom's mother has moved into a smaller apartment in the same building. She's doing well.

One of the things we were given when they made the first move was her doll collection. I spent quite a long time three years ago documenting it in our iPhotos, and have been meaning to do a blog entry about them for all this time. His mother had them catalogued years ago, and I matched the picture of the doll and its place of origin in our pictures. 

I am so fond of this lady!

 

Look how tiny these are

And here are some pictures of them arranged on the shelves.

The family of dolls on the lowest shelf were played with by Hazel a lot for a couple years. She had this special voice and made up stories about them.

 Because there wasn't a doll from South Korea, I went online to buy one. She is taller so she gets a shelf all to herself

And these two are my very favorites. They are from Hungary. The expressions are so great.

And I love this woman!

 We are so, so happy to have these dolls. And someday, they will go to Hazel. I thought I might have prints made of the information and the dolls and put them in an album.