July notes

At this rate, posting once a month is looking like my 'MO'. We've had a delightfully comfortable summer...temps in the 70s most all summer, with maybe too much rain/cloudy days. Another downpour last night left another 3 inches of rain. The gardens have struggled with lack of sunshine, but when the sun does come out, things erupt. I thought we'd not get any raspberries this summer for they were still tiny hard green dots on the canes. Then, with 2 days of sunshine last week, suddenly I had an over-abundance. I've finished 18 jars of raspberry jelly, putting aside some for a church fair in November. Tomatoes, cucumbers. chard and squash are slow in developing. Cool weather crops like lettuces and peas have done exceptionally well.


Summer is when I get to read, for the days sometimes feel just right for relaxing and a cup of tea. Usually, I'm reaching for a tall glass of iced-tea and a shady nook in the yard, but this summer it's been mugs of hot tea and a comfy sofa. 5 books is enough for now, I think. I chose light reading that doesn't require lots of concentration and is conducive to interruptions. Fun stuff.


I've finished 2 bed quilt tops, both go to a long-arm quilter, then home to me for the binding. In addition, I'm using the left-over fabrics to make coordinating accessories for the bedrooms---tissue box covers, cushions and pillows, table runners, etc. Just needed to spruce up the bedrooms a bit.


Tony and I bought a pellet stove to replace the wood-burning stove that we've had in the family room for 25 years. Splitting, stacking and lugging the wood, cleaning the ash bin, and scraping out the creosote lined chimney are getting too much for Tony...it's just not fun anymore. The pellet stove should require far less attention, just loading in the pellets daily, cleaning the ash bin once every week or so (it produces far, far less ash). The new stove will probably be installed in late August.


Giulia arrives on the 15th of August for her senior year at Nipmuc High School. Since Tony spent a week with her and her family in Rome in April, she isn't a stranger. She's very out-going and makes friends easily. I put her in touch with a girl in our town who will be in her class, the daughter of a quilting friend of mine. They have e-mailed, IMd and Skyped each other for a couple of months, now. Unfortunately, the infra-structure in Italy isn't as good as here, so Skype is frustrating to use...it keeps dropping mid-conversation...every minute or two. Then we must re-connect for another couple of minutes. After a while, we get discouraged and go back to e-mail.

Giulia has been in e-mail contact with the principal of the high school who has put forth a genuine and warm welcome to her. Ms. Scribner has set Giulia's mind at ease with answers to many questions.


Adriana is continuing with her dog-biscuit business. She's got a winner here, and is hard-put to keep up with the demand. Fortunately, she seems to like to measure ingredients and mix the dough. The tedious part is rolling out and cutting the shapes. She LOVES to sell the biscuits and has a little rolling tea-cart to set up outside the shop on weekends. She takes after her mom (and Uncle Steve).