Adoption

Daisy

Wyatt (and our vet, Brandi)

Pink Toe (our name), going to comfort the little boy who had picked her out but was home with a broken leg.

Lucy and her new Mommy

Lucy and her boy!

Our vet matched Shirley and Ginger up! She is going to be the healthiest, well taken care of little sweet puppy in the world!

This sweetheart was picked up by Tom's Mom (my mom-in-law) to go to Aunt Mertie who has had all of her pup's chew toys and pillows and blankets, etc. waiting for 5 weeks, now.

Two princesses!!!

The small furry one has a new name - 'Alison' (as in 'Alice-in' Wonderland)

And, we kept big Chubbs!

er,........ big Chubbs.....

Big Chubbs......

If you want to see big Chubbs, you'll have to go to this post, Chubb Jr.

and,.......

we, also, kept Una!

 

She was the first born and I will never forget how full of awe we were to hear her first cry.

Although, we're still trying to think of official names.......

So,....

 yes,

I am brokenhearted to see the clan scattered 

but,

 

 really, 

I am filled with joy!

Grass!

(This is one of those posts, where it is rather fun to click and zoom in on some of the photos - just to let you know - there's a lot to be seen!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Our home is nestled at the bottom of a meadow covered hill, in a high valley in the top of the southern green mountains of Vermont.

If you walk out back, past the barn, there is an old farm road that follows at the foot of the hill.

This photo is looking back towards the barn.

Most of  the meadow is hay - mixed with a plethora of wildflowers. Some of the grasses in the hay are timothy, brome, fescue and a touch of alfalfa, trefoil and vetch. It's all spread with buttercups.

If you continue for a little ways, you come to our hidden back meadow.

We don't hay here. It's just full of flowers. I think that Tom has a dream of sheep for this spot.

To the left, around the outside of the trees surrounding the meadow, there is an old town road that disappeared somewhere in the twenties. This is the road that I took, today, and, on my left, was the hay meadow. It is full of Bobolinks nesting. I promise that I will attempt to get a photo of them for you before they are finished. They have the most amazing song and swoop and soar around me.

To my right, is an old stone wall. There are no shortage of these in Vermont, let me tell you!

This is a view, through the hedgerow, of the  secret meadow.

At my feet, as I start up the path are wild strawberries. The hill is covered with them but they are very small. You must look or you will miss them.

If you proceed along the path, there is a conjunction of roads and meadows. I, once again, took the path to the left. This takes me around the "loop".....

.....and, to the top of the hill.

This is at the top, looking back down the path I'd just huffed and puffed up. The hills in the distance are cleared, old farmland. I pretend that I live in England when I see it, although, it is difficult to see from here.

Here, I've  turned about two hours to my right ("as the clock flies").

I know full well that there is no way to capture what it is like to be on top of that windy hill; so, I am not disappointed. The sky is a bowl over my head. I can see from mountain top to mountain top. "Panorama" is too small of a word to describe it.

The meadow is chest high at the moment. The wind blowing waves through the grass is breathtaking.

(The photo below is taken from the one above. It looks like a watercolor to me.)

Coming around and back down the hill, you can see our older farmhouse, to the left and Tom's Mom's newly built Colonial. (I'm about halfway down the hill.) Just beyond her house, at the bottom of the hill is the big pond. The incline would still be too steep to see it from here if you could see through her house.

"To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee

And revery.

The revery alone will do

If bees are few."

~Emily Dickinson

My husband jokes that one of my hobbies is to paint front doors.

He has a point.

 

When we lived at the parsonage, the front door was 4 different colors. I think, however, that, since it is the "gateway" to our homes, our front doors should make a statement - exude some kind of feeling. Hopefully, the sense one has as they enter our abode is of welcome and anticipation. I mean, you all know what I'm talking about. A beautiful front door can make our hearts ooh and ahh! A beautiful front door is really a pleasure. It is like the crowning jewel on the exterior of our homes.

Last year, I painted the door "Nantucket Fog" (Benjamin Moore) to do something - anything -  with the outside of the house while we were trying to pick the official house colors and do something with the landscape.

     Admittedly, a much simpler way of changing the front door is by hanging something on it. Oh, I bet that most of you are nodding your heads (at least in spirit) in agreement. Changing what is on our front door can be, also, a sort of celebration of the changing of the seasons. I am stating the obvious, though.

     Above, is the wreath that I've had on my front door for almost 9 months. I have had the slight trouble that, most of my wreaths don't fit between the storm door and the door proper. It's been frustrating. 3 months ago, I saw a very pretty wreath made out of solid white fabric roses at that french store, Target. (For those of you across the Atlantic, it's not really french. It's an American, middle priced department store that is very popular at the moment. Tres Chic!) The price for the wreath, however, was one that made me scowl and think, "I can easily make that for, at least, half that price." I put it on my list of things to do and, finally, got to it, yesterday. Happily for me, my discount department store had this one already made for a quarter of the price. Perfecto!

It just needed a little "something"....

    The change of wreath has come in time for the Memorial Day weekend which was May 30th. Although, some of the celebrations for Memorial Day are quite serious, that weekend, also, marks the unofficial start of summer. There is another reason that the 30th of may is celebratory (besides being the day that I arrived in Vermont from California,  17 years ago). Two years ago, on May 30th we closed on (bought) our home. What a day! It was like a beautiful dream that I will never ever forget!

Well, we celebrated these wonderful milestones by toasting marshmallows and lighting sparklers.

We fired up our pagan altar on which we offer burnt marshmallow offerings to the god of summer fun.

This called for a mosaic!

(This is the first one that I have ever created!)

The door is open!

Summer - come on in!

Love to you all,

Katy Noelle

P.S. Just in case your worried about our "pagan altar", my husband is very interested in archaeology and has, indeed, worked on some "digs" in the Middle East. We just kind of think this way, sometimes.

My camera really, truly is gasping it's last breaths. I was amazed at this last photo. I have to cajole every picture out of it and, then, I'm not really sure what I've got.

I am linking to "Mosaic Monday" at The Little Red House. This is a lovely blog! Mary has, also, provided a tutorial, on her sidebar, about how to make a mosaic. Thank you, Mary!!!

Chubb Jr.

Fat Douglas Fir.......

Fat Dougy Fur......

Chubbs Jr. is a big dog. He seriously takes after his father when he was a pup.

 

 He's a big baby, Chubbs is!

An absolute sweetheart!

He's just one of the gang. There he is!

 (The one bulldozing his way through.) 

A gentle giant!

(The one who's always easily taken down.) 

He just watches the world a lot.....

.....and, barrels along.

Oh, and he likes to sleep in his food dish!!!

We love you Chubbs, oh, yes, we do!