Sunshine Week

We have had a very dry summer. A record dry and hot summer. Last weekend, however, we had torrential rains that nearly made up the deficit formed over several months. It rained so hard that it "washed" my car as well as the local coin place does!


The sun has returned and everything is a glorious green again. The skies are blue and grass is happy. My rose bush in the garden is going crazy with new growth and the first buds are about to pop. I have been clipping the 2nd and 3rd buds on each stem and I can hardly believe it but the roses will end up with stems about 12-15 inches. I hope they are strong enough to hold the heavy blooms as they open.

The first mums are blooming and I have conquered the slugs who were attacking my dahlias. The photo doesn't do the color justice. They are deep dark maroon, night like.


Amanda's friends Chun-soon and Kate stayed here Monday night before they head up to Casper WY and eventually Alaska for a month long trip. The are so lively and full of fun and energy that the house was enlivened as well. I promised them a shot in my blog before they head out to take on the bears when they camp.

I have some long time friends from Temple who have spent so many years sitting in the same row during services that we have been affectionately dubbed "the ladies of the 2nd row." We range in age from 57 to 93, but I won't tell you which is which. Ok, Trudy is 93, but more active than most 60 year olds. She teaches piano, creates beautiful pottery, hikes and swims regularly and is an incredibly charming lady. The other four of us have traveled to Israel together (three of us twice) and have sat in a Saturday morning Torah study class for over 20 years. Andrea, Ruth, and Rita round out the group and they are as special a group of friends as they come. Wednesday we met at Andrea's home and took a walk to Washington Park, around the lake and through the flowers. There were hints of Fall in the air and the sky was clear. All the rain of the last weekend left snow on the mountaintops in the distance. Ahhhhh. It was a terrific morning.
Walking back to Andrea's we stopped at a gazebo for one of the apartment complexes and took this group shot.

I seem to be on an "old friends" theme lately. Maybe it is my age, the recognition of mortality, all the nostalgia for 1968 with the DNC convention in town next week. Whatever it is, it is not ending soon. In October, I will be traveling to the east coast for my 40th High School Reunion. That's right, 1968. I have been in contact with some other "old friends" from that part of my life and it looks like it will be a fun event too.

If you thought there would be no fiber mention in this posting, here it is: The weekend of my Reunion is the same weekend as the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. If I play my cards right, I will be going up on the last day, Sunday. I was at Estes Park this June, and this festival is about 10 times as large, or so it seems from the map of the event. All the big players will be there and I will have to begin budgeting now.