august

i made a quick decision trip to san diego to be with my 87 year old dad. at the suggestion of his doctors and head nurse, all seven of his children made their way to his bedside from around the west and overseas upon learning he had suffered a "massive heart event". it was scary and we didn't know what to expect when we finally got to the hospital. all of his children, two granddaughters including nicole, as well as two of his ten siblings spent the next three days by his side in an obviously crowded telemetry room. fortunately, my dad survived, is stable and making good progress. go dad! i had to include this very rare photo of all of us kids together as we took a break for lunch, one of us being clear-headed enough to think of taking this photo op. (it certainly wasn't me). blessings, dad.

august, my favorite month of the year, sultry, steamy, often too hot to handle and also my birth month. the garden, oh the garden, alive, flourishing, growing, blossoming, giving. the zucchini and grape vines overflow their boundaries and promise more to come. bugs, butterflies, birds and bees luxuriate in the blooming bounty of their surrounds. paul often comes home for a lunch break and heads to the stream to go fishing. in the summer i read alot and have devoured british novelist edith pargeter's, the heaven tree trilogy my mom sent to me. the three books are filled to the brim with 13th century welsh/english artistic, architectural, romantic and political intrigue as well as details of daily life and domesticity enveloping you into a foreign becoming familiar setting throughout the two generational saga. boulder county fair is on this month too. i never want to miss it. the barn animals are always my favorite, especially the cows. seeing the cute little farm girls handling their sheep and goats sparked a little flicker of envy as i had always wanted to grow up on a farm. it brought to mind the appreciation i have of my father, who was a young farm boy and took his children to visit his family's farm, teaching and sharing with us his many lessons and loves of farming, milking cows, gardening, fruit and nut trees, nature and carefree summer days.