Pussy-Willows & Popcorn: July 2013

Well....it has been forever since I have been able to focus on preparing another blog entry! Following our return home, from Portugal, we have, literally, been ON THE RUN!!!! This is our first 'non-committed' weekend at home and although it is a rainy weekend, it is feeling fabulous! As I write this....Orion is colouring superhero pictures, Lawrence is prepping hamburger patties, the fireplace is cozily crackling and I am sitting in my favorite rocking chair, absorbing it's comforting warmth and creating this page.......

Since getting home, we have: sadly said goodbye to our brother-in-law, Larry, who passed away shortly after our return; travelled to two family weddings (on separate weekends); attended Michelle's convocation in Manitoba; spent time with Laura & Matt as they prepared to move to Ontario; planted flowers to celebrate summer; took part in our favourite annual RJC golf tournament; drove out to BC; hosted a large lake party and dealt with changing tenants for our Rosthern house!! Within all of this, we have worked....me, full time....Lawrence part time!! Needless to say, it has been a full and very, very busy 9 weeks!!

2 weekends ago....just prior to Canada Day.....we drove out to BC (60 hour return trip) to pick our precious Orion up, so that he could spend his summer vacation with us, here at Greenwater! Since his arrival, we have been boating, swimming, beaching, practising his reading/2 wheel bike riding, hosting a 'Celebrating Success' convocation party for Michelle and taking Orion into town every day, last week, for swimming lessons (by the way....he passed his Level 2!!!! Hooray!!....We are all so proud!).

In the evenings, while we enjoyed walks to Uncle Loyd and Aunty Cheryl's cabin and to the park, we have been finding and picking WILD STRAWBERRIES!!!

Yes!!!! These incredibly sweet & delicious morsels are quite abundant this year and after two nights of just picking, eating, and grinning....Orion asked if we could pick enough to make muffins! What a great idea!! So....on Thursday and Friday evening, while we walked, talked and picked, we decided NOT to eat our pickings and we gathered enough to make a small batch of amazing wild strawberry muffins!!

As we woke this morning to cloudy, cool weather, we KNEW we had been blessed with perfect baking weather!! Today was 'the' day and boy, did we have fun making a delicious bakers dozen of fresh WILD STRAWBERRY MUFFINS!!! Our house smelled and felt wonderful as the muffins baked, we played board games and the rain gently made music on our tin roof!!