Summer?? Already???

It was just Spring!! At least that's the last time I posted and if I remember correctly, it didn't really feel like spring at all! We had a really long, cold winter, lots of snow, lots of snow days and days of school closed. So many in fact (10) that we had to make up 2-1/2 days. That doesn't sound like much but in reality the kids (and teachers) were pretty much finished after Memorial Day so that was just another couple days of going to a place no one wants to go to. Anyway, it's over now and summer has been wonderful but is winding down too. Here's what's been happening in the last 4 months. All the beautiful creatures of Spring returned. A little chilly for them at first but they survived.

I include the neighbors cat and our number one chipmunk/mouse/mole hunter. At times this summer I have watched her trot from our backyard to the house across the street with various varmits dangling from her mouth. She's a killing machine that one!

This bird was particularly interesting. At first I thought it was some kind of oddly colored finch, like a one of a kind. Then the next day I saw two of them and decided to google them and found that they were in fact a real bird, an Indigo Bunting. I had never seen them here in Michigan before. They only hung around a week or so but they were spectacular!

Three mama ducks were having babies on the pond this year. This was early spring. They are so big now that I saw 5 or 6 ducks all together on the pond the other day and I believe it was one of the mama's and her babies, all grown up but still hanging out together.

We also had some other Springtime visitors

It was Berit's first time really around the dogs and she learned quickly how to keep them from licking her in the fact. She stuck out her little arm and batted them away. She was so hard for them to resist!

Shortly after their visit, with spring officially here, it was time to start my new garden. I had decided to give up my plot at the Community Garden and give gardening at home a chance. My problem had always been not enough sun since the backyard is mostly shaded by big trees. Over the winter the guys cut down a few so I thought there was a chance. Here's how it looked after I dug out all the hostas and hydreageas and began by planting some carrot and radish seeds and some lettuce.

And of course my porch lettuce though I put it on the back "porch" this year.

My ever-faithful helpers/watchers enjoying some Springtime sunshine.

These next two shots are from the upper deck with a few more things planted.

And I planted two more barrels of red potatoes this year. One planted from organic red potatoes that had started sprouting and the other from seed potatoes, also red, from the local nursery. So far the plants from the organic red potatoes look bigger and healthier but I haven't harvested the potatoes yet so we still don't know which produced better but we will soon find out as it's almost time to harvest. One small worry, the seed potatoes never flowered so that is a little concerning.

And this little guy paid a visit one day. He wasn't eating anything but he did have a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get out and over this log.

May came and went and I must not have taken many pictures because I got nothin'. However, June was another story. I had a BIG birthday approaching and thought I was going to get through it quietly but my family and friends had other plans. The Thursday before school got out I was in an all afternoon meeting and was called to a teacher's room at the end of the day for a behavior problem. When I got there she insisted I go to another classroom to talk to a teacher about a student. When I got there, still clueless, the room was filled with balloons and friends, gifts and I was having serious trouble processing what was going on! While still in the middle of that shock, my friend Ann says, "there is only one thing that could make this surprise even better" and I turned to the doorway to see Amber and the girls! That was it, the waterworks began! I went into the ugly cry and I guess I should be thankful I don't have any pictures from that though I'm sure someone out there does have some. How they all, work and family, managed to keep this from me is still a mystery! So much preparation and planning went into the day from picking the girls up at the airport, all the behind the scenes organizing Ann did at school, sneaking around, the whole deal. I felt very loved that afternoon. But that wasn't all, oh no. On Saturday Amber wanted to have a "girl's lunch" with just us girls. We headed to our 12:30 reservation and when we walked in there was the whole family, Howard, Tyler with his girlfriend Jesse, Scott with his girlfriend Emily, my two good friends Cheryl and Judy and their husbands and 5 or 6 of the Bunco girls, all attending my Birthday lunch! There was another cake, more presents, a beautiful lunch and I was again having trouble processing how they could have kept this all a secret from me all this time since I could tell much planning went into the day!

So surprised!

Berit took everyone in and was a trooper, until naptime that is!

Scott and Emily

Tyler & Jesse

Cheryl & Mark

My Birthday Banner

Beautiful cake in my favorite color!

Quinn and I looking at the story of my life. Howard put together this beautiful frame collage of my life from my earliest baby picture to our recent family photo. How he was able to do this without me knowing is still a mystery to me.

Happy Birthday to me. Those 3 or 4 days were such a gift. I also received a wonderful present made by Amber that everyone should be so fortunate to receive at some time in their lifetime. It was a wonderful book of letters from friends and family telling me about a memory or what I mean to them or how I am in their life. The best present ever. Truly. Now any time I'm feeling down I just have to look at that book and it changes everything. So special.

Amber and the girls were able to stay for a week and since I got out of school a few days later we were able to spend lots of time together.

July brought more gardening and beautiful weather. We have had an amazing summer here. I don't think I've had to have the air conditioning on more than 2 or 3 days at a time and sometimes for just a couple hours in the late afternoon/early evening until it cools down enough to open the windows again. I also went up north with the Bunco girls and we had a great time. Love these girls!

The Porter's celebrate July 4th! Great picture!

Berit celebrated her 1st Birthday!!! Can't believe she's a year old already!

In this picture she's wearing a dress that my Grandma made. Amber wore it on her first birthday and Quinn wore it on hers.

I love this one! So precious!

July also brought a trip down to Tennessee in the Mustang to visit my Aunt and Uncle. We usually make this stop on our way to Florida but we decided to fly this year so we won't be driving through Tennessee. We had a wonderful visit, as usual. A trip to their neck of the words is never complete without a ride on the boat, dinner in their favorite little cove and a swim. It was quite hot and humid there so the swim was just what was needed!

H-Man relaxing and driving the boat.

Me and my Auntie, selfie. She's still a looker at 87! Love her!

Uncle LeeRoy, relaxing while H-man drives.

We had a great visit and an uneventful trip, the best kind!

Someone else had a birthday! We had to celebrate early because I wasn't going to be at home on the big day!

I realize this post is getting quite lengthy but I'm just getting to the really exciting news! Amber & Andy and family purchased a new home! Well, new to them anyway. I flew to VA to wrangle the baby during the move. It was crazy and hectic but they are moved and setting in quite nicely.

Quinn loves her new basement playroom and art room. Amber and I spent the better part of one day, in between errands and baby wrangling, putting up this 3 piece world map. It's sticky like sticky notes and you have to match all the lattitude lines and match words up exactly. Quinn loved it and is trying to remember where Australia is!

Beri calling for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

She loves the stairs but the newly purchased baby gate keeps her safe.

Quinn loves Mimi's iPad.

Sitting in their new comfy chairs!

Love their new home!

Before I knew it the time was up and it was time to go back home! I miss them!

So, summer is coming to a close. In two weeks we'll be in Florida for one last fling. We're hoping to see some family and friends while there and Amber, Andy and the girls are coming too. Before that though I will be finishing up in the garden. This is what the potatoes look like now

These are radishes I'm growing in pots. I tried them in the spring in the garden but all I got was greens and no radishes. I saw this on Pinterest, planting in pots, and they're doing much better. I'm seeing radishes.

The vine in the front is the pumpkin. No pumpkins so far and there probably won't be any but the vine is awesome! In the middle there is the cucumber. So far I've harvested only 3 but I see more coming on.

The tomatoes are absolutely delicious!

Another zucchini coming on.

First and second harvest! Plus some green beans that I forgot to take pictures of.

And the flowers in the front yard are doing well too.

So that's whats been happening with the Mitchells. Often when I think of writing something it doesn't seem like it's really worth writing about. Today when I looked back through this I realized all that's been happening in the last 4 months. It's been a really good spring and summer. Lots of friends and family, beautiful weather, a little travel and a lot of staying home, just like I like it.

Have a good week! Hi Anon!! Finally!! But of course you already know all this stuff!!! xo