I mentioned that the oak’s acorns would attract deer and how nice it would be to finally have shade in the camp area. Paul laughingly answered, “in forty years!” As we walked through the new cleared section of woods near the picnic area, he pointed out beautiful tall skinny oaks, probably twenty to thirty years old, proving his point.

look closely for the orange tape to find the baby oak twigs!

We planted nine of the oak trees lining the field track “driveway” as it leads down to the campsite. I say “we” but anyone that knows us knows I am a wimp lately and that Paul did all the digging. I handled rock removal (lots of Knox rocks, of course!) and marking them with bright surveyor’s tape. Between the wet, clay, rocky soil and Paul’s tractor… it will be a miracle if they survive their first year.

Paul had to fight some difficult, rocky clay soil.

We put the last oak tree near our man-made pond. I say this to differentiate between the small one we picnic on and the large, ten-acre pond that is NYS Designated Wetlands. We just enjoy the wildlife there, occasionally canoeing. Our beavers have built a hut on the opposite shore of our large pond; we are glad they’ve moved there because for the last five years or so they have lived in a double decker hut on our small pond. We planted an oak near there to commemorate the beautiful huge oak the beavers destroyed two years ago.

Finally, beavers have moved out of this hut (to our other pond)- we hope it will be safe for this tree to grow!

We also planted three dogwood trees in the cleared area of the pond. When I complained, “But this is where I wanted to build our cabin!” he assured me that if they live we will move them.

On his way to the area where I dream of building a cabin

We put the last six dogwood (one had it own spot where the path turns to go down to the campsite) lining the edge of the field we call the fruit tree field. No, there are no fruit trees, but once, in the naiveté of our early years, we planted a circle of a variety of fruit trees, envisioning a cute grove. We checked them each time we visited. Before the summer was half over, the deer had eaten them all to death. The place is best if tended, but wild. As a reminder, that is still the fruit tree field.

As we planted, we talked about grandchildren (and wow, what if their grandchildren, too!) enjoying the spring blooms or the oak lined drive. They could be successful young men and women that look forward to weekend getaways in the country with their cousins and siblings! That’s what planting an oak tree does, it makes you think of why we need a healthy earth and natural places for the future.

the first yellow iris- out front!

Some of my own gardens are transforming. Jacob’s Ladder blooms are fading, as are the forget-me-nots. Yellow irises are poking out- yes, iris already in early May! I can’t believe how much weeding needs to be done before our Memorial Day party already, too. Lots of greenery- everywhere J

I have some primrose as well as little pieces in other gardens, too.

Primrose are blooming in several gardens. I thinned it last year and I am reaping the benefits this spring. My soil is very dry though. My epimediums are blooming in the various spots I have them but they don’t look green and healthy.

Now as we head into May, I no longer have daffodils or hyacinths. Instead I am enjoying a plethora of perennial blooms. The driveway garden is filled with forget-me-nots. All the cuttings and pieces I put in at the end of last summer look surprisingly healthy.

I was also greeted by tulips

Jacob’s Ladder is blooming already, as is pink creeping phlox. Brunnera and bleeding heart are going strong.

epimedium blooming nicely

brunnera - next year the white bleeding heart will be big enough to really complement the pair

Jacob's ladder- I think the forget me nots need to be pruned away from it so it shows better.

I have some tulips and the promise of more. Azalea and lilac bushes are budding and starting to open.

Alexandra Elizabeth

Flowers aren’t the only thing blooming fresh this year.  My baby granddaughter Alex was born to my oldest daughter Nicole. She is adorable and fresh. She is already going to be the brightest bloom of my summer!

Mommy brings home her beautiful girl

My grandson is about to turn one! Unbelievable but his parents have shown him nothing but love, patience and encouragement so his sweet personality seems natural. His smile lights up my life. My daughter Aimee and her son Jason visited baby Alex when she was born. Ooh- the love, the love, the joy!

Aimee and Jason visit Alex

Each week since she has been born has been a week of cherishing the chance to be with either grandchild. My spring perennials just remind me of how quickly babies grow into beauties. Appreciate every moment spent with our loved ones.

Jason enjoying a graham cracker

I can't help but start with a picture of my grandson!

March is always such a funny month. On the first, we had an icy snow fall, though most of our winter was dry and clear. That thursday, we cleared four inches off our cars in order to drive home from work. Ironically, I had to shovel and clear the stairs to the bedroom above our garage for our very pregnant daughter that was coming that weekend. Any other weekend those stairs were fine. The weekend we planned her shower, and celebrated her brother’s birthday, slippery stairs. My life has always been ironic.

At Nicole's shower, holder her nephew, Jason

The two weeks following that have just been beautiful! Crocus have poked through the lawn inspiring me to clean off my gardens. Seventy degree weather has prompted my husband to enjoy the outdoors so he has pruned all my dragon’s blood hedges and cleaned yard debris. Happily of all, we have trimmed the overgrown bushes in the front of my house nearly to the ground. Not only will this allow me to see the often hidden flowers that also grow there this summer, but once the hot summer sun beats there steadily, the abundant snakes that live there will probably look elsewhere for comfortable shade. Best of all, you can see the front of my house, usually hidden by those overgrown bushes.

early crocus

Last weekend we drove to our property in Knox. The geese were enjoying our large pond. The beavers that have been living in a hut by our small pond have now built a hut near our large pond. Did they move? Or did their family get so large that they needed to expand?

a new beaver dam on the large pond

Thinking it would be nice to see the large pond from our campsite, we decided to clear the brush and dead trees from the woods and widen the path that leads straight down to the long pond. It was fun and productive. The day was glorious. I came home with a sunburn and a few days later discovered I had poison ivy as well. I am struggling with the irritation but the memories of the satisfactory progress has me eager to work up there some more. I will take more precautions next time!

The start of our clearing, near the pond

Our first of many piles

This weekend we went to Nicole’s in New Hampshire. She and Ryan were scheduled to sheetrock the nursery. The men put up the sheetrock, added some joint compound, and worked on some wiring. Ryan thinks he might make enough progress that we could see paint by the time we visit for Easter. We won’t hold him to that, though. When one brings home a briefcase of work, like he and I do, progress on our side jobs tends to go slower than we hope.

little white flowers with green centers

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Nicole. We spent time in the yard and her sewing room. This could be one of our last months alone without a baby interrupting our activities. Her flowers are starting to come up, too. We had fun picking quilt fabrics for her baby. Color therapy.

the bear bent my shepherd's hook and threw my suet feeder across the yard

We arrived home from New Hampshire to see blooming hyacinths and evidence that a bear had enjoyed my suet feeder. It was torn apart and the stand was bent over. Bark from a nearby tree was all over the ground. Having seen a baby bear climb that same tree, we can picture that again. Just one more sign of spring!

It’s hard to believe but my husband and I just celebrated our 30-year anniversary. He found a perfect card, capturing lots of funny and touching ideas about being a couple this long. Since laughter has been the hallmark of our life, it was almost as touching to me as the flowers. He even included yellow roses, just like in my wedding bouquet. In his usual, humble way, he didn’t sign the card and tried to pretend he didn’t know who sent them.

Last weekend the kids were here to celebrate my big 5-0. One night we played Canasta into the wee hours – party animals, I know, but it reminded me how much I have loved game nights we’ve had over the years.  The baby was the center of our attention once he arrived. We passed him around, took turns feeding him, and watched him go crazy in his jumper. We watched Jason and football. My parents joined us for dinner and our little party so we had four generations together.

Jason, at Christmas time

I enjoyed cooking with the family all weekend, too, though I tend to make too much food when I create a party. PJ has become our official turkey specialist.  He prepared the Thanksgiving turkey as well as our birthday celebration. He makes awesome homemade cranberry sauce, too.  Nicole, Aimee, and Erica all pitch in with sides and desserts, allowing us all time with the baby, too.

The baby has been the center of our festivities.  Our large holiday gatherings allowed my nieces to finally get time to know Jason better, and sometimes hold him for the first time.  After a long summer of busy plans and crossed up schedules, Thanksgiving has become a time that I look forward to playing with all my nieces. One is in college now so even her parents couldn’t get enough of her. I very much remember that stage!!

Hannah, spending precious family time with baby Jason

This Christmas we packed in visits to as many people as possible. Jason dressed as Santa for us and we couldn’t get enough of his first Christmas. It was truly all about the gifts we share in life rather than the gifts we received.  We had plenty to be grateful for in 2011 and we are thankful for such a healthy start to 2012.

Dress up fun for Thanksgiving

Next week is Paul’s birthday, shortly after that is Valentine’ Day, and before you know it spring will be here and I will be planning my seeds and gardens!

Applique quilted wall hanging

Lots of fun making a holiday quilt

I spent early December weekends making a cheerful quilt designed by Konda Lukau. It was on the cover of McCall’s Quilting and I loved it as soon as I saw it. It was easier than I thought, and I was listening to the Hunger Games trilogy on my iPod so every chance I had I hurried upstairs to work on it. Between the story and the quilt, I loved those free moments. Even now when I spread out the quilt for a picture, I think of Catniss and her adventures.

I even found time to make a matching stocking for Jason

I used some leftover strips to make a stocking for Jason, my grandson, too. I had envisioned an appliquéd Santa in rich reds, greens, and blues, with his name on it. Maybe next year, but by then I will have a grand daughter as well. I always have big dreams and little free time!

Our Christmas holiday was packed with family and fun. From Friday night until Monday we were celebrating but there was lots to do and lots of traveling. My grown children have family of their own to see while they are in town and we also went east to spend time with the rest of the Groudas family. I have holiday pictures to share, at some point, but I have to figure out how to change the resolution first.

From Tuesday on I actually had a “stay-cation” as my daughter likes to say. For the next few days I listened to music and some James Patterson mysteries while making another holiday quilt top, this one from Quilt magazine using Ohio Star Blocks and designed by Kaye England. It was for intermediate quilters it said. I must be a beginner because it was a bit hard for me. My Mom has suggested I enter them in next year’s fair but if you look too closely you’d see all the points that are uneven. It took me all of one day just to do the triangles for the star blocks and the flying geese! And you thought they called them “hour-glass” blocks because they look like hour glasses- no- it’s also because you spend hours making them! On the third day I was finally ready to put all those different borders together. It was very gratifying. I have red fabric with small flowers for the binding but I am intimidated by the quilting. I am not sure whether I will do it myself or send it out for someone else.

A bit harder for me

I really enjoyed the flying geese and ribbon borders

Hourglass points are called that for a reason!

I spent Friday and Saturday doing housework and work for school but Harry Potter kept me company.  PJ and Erica gave me the complete set of movies on blue-ray for Christmas so it still seemed like vacation even though I was cleaning or typing reports.  I made it all the way through the sixth one.

Last night, for New Year’s Eve, Paul and I enjoyed over five hours of Pride and Prejudice. Both my daughters and my son’s girlfriend love this book and movie and I had never seen it. I’d read the book and enjoyed it but it was such a long movie it was hard to find the time. Well, what a great way to finish stay-cation and celebrate New Year’s Eve! We really enjoyed it, as they said we would. It ended just in time for the Coldplay concert on PBS, though Paul had to switch channels for just a minute at midnight. He needs to see that ball drop in NYC!  I didn’t miss Paradise, though, which was the next song when we switched back. Nice!

I can only hope 2012 is as awesome as 2011! Last year ended on a high note and we are ever the optimists!

Though work keeps me busy, life at home keeps me happy.  The pretty red chili peppers had to come off the plant. I loved seeing all that red from my window but what’s the point of growing them if they don’t get used? I made a pot of chili … oooh, sizzling hot! I only used a couple of those babies, too! Yummy!  Paul dried some of them for me so I could use the seeds on my pizza all winter. Mmm..hot pepper on my pizza!

I steamed a couple sugar pumpkins and made a pie from them. I used sweetened condensed milk and it didn’t even need sugar. I didn’t have cheesecloth for the pumpkin though, and used just a strainer. I wonder if it might have been easier… or harder? It took a long time…now I know why people buy canned pumpkin!

I topped off the week with a trip to NH to join my daughter and her husband at a benefit concert by the Indigo Girls. The Nashua Leadership Committee raised money for the auditorium the concert was held in, the largest in New Hamphire and part of a school. It is important to the NH Performing Arts. The concert brought awareness and funds to the arena, along with hours of harmony and rhythm.

Now we get to have Fitzwilliam Darcy at our house for a visit for a couple weeks. Nicole packed his costume because we will be doggy-sitting during Halloween.  So. “bat-dog” packed his toys and came to Grandma’s. He’s already walked in the woods with each of us today.  However, sorry, Nicole. It’s saying there isn’t enough room for my new camera’s pictures. I’ll have to take some pictures of him with my iTouch and see if they work. The “bat-dog” pictures on my computer are adorable but I can’t upload.  Took Faye’s and your advice and wrote  without pictures.

Fall flower display

I have turned over a new leaf at my job, transitioning from English teacher to full-fledged literacy coach. I am now mentoring new English teachers for the classes while also directing the literacy program and handling small group and individual intervention contacts. After years of incorporating literacy strategies into my English classes, it is rewarding to have a total focus on each individual students’ literacy needs, from sounds of vowels and syllables to writing detailed expanded predicates.  I am excited and nervous to watch the data to see how the students progress.

PJ invited us down to visit and he took us to watch the Yankees beat up on the Red Sox.  We took the train to Grand Central Station and made our way to his apartment in Manhattan from there. We had lunch at a brewery and dinner at a pizzeria after the game. Though his hospitality was generous and thoughtful, his company was the best part of the weekend. We just don’t see him enough in this time of busy lives.

Go Yankees!

PJ and Paul at Grand Central Station

The garden has a few special fall blooms left.

Giant sedum hiding behind the epimedium

The giant sedum is now red.  The autumn crocus surprises me each October.  I have planted lots of bulbs in anticipation of spring births. I remember all the tulips and hyacinths blooming while we visited baby Jason in the hospital last spring so he will be a year old when tulips bloom next year. We’ve already enjoyed five lovely months with him. Amazing!

I can’t help but add a few more pictures of him in closing!

Holding onto his favorite toy, a stuffed owl

An older picture from summer- I just love his expression :

OK Grandma, I'm tired of all these pictures!

There have been lots of times when he just wants to be held, especially after a feeding.  Digesting can be difficult and uncomfortable work for a tiny one like him.  I am glad to hold and comfort him as much as he wants. We are really proud that he has gained as much as he has… with just ten more ounces he will have tripled his weight since birth.  Full term babies often take a year to do that and Jason will be four months old on September 1^st.

When he is awake and playful, he likes to move his arms and legs like crazy.  He is very expressive and when things catch his attention you can see his fascination.  As with most babies, he loves faces.  He even gets a kick out of the reflection of himself, like in the mobile above his swing or my iPod camera.  He has started swinging his fists and it is adorable when he realizes he is controlling them.

For his cousins that are waiting to meet him, here are some of his funny faces:

The biggest accomplishment of the week was the huge garden at the guest house next door.  Without any attention in the spring, the goutweed was prolific, spoiling some beautiful perennials I’d planted in there over the years. The root system of that weed is serious and it tangles itself among the good plants.  I resorted to weed killer a few weeks ago, spraying it on and waiting for it to get in its system and kill it. I have been digging and spraying a little at a time, during this heat wave, trying to save what I can of the garden and feeling joyous when I get bare ground around any nice plant! I was listening to The Help, which kept me going.  I was so absorbed in the story that I kept on working no matter how hot or discouraged I was.

One of the hibiscus I planted for my daughter's wedding

Hours and days, killing and removing goutweed!

Of course, bare ground wasn’t quite enough satisfaction to keep going so spent time each day in all of my favorite gardens.  Now most of them are weed free even if it isn’t a time when they have lots of blooms. A good friend asked for some more pictures so I went around and found some color to share.  In a pot by the deck I have some wonderful red blooms.

Lovely red blooms attract hummingbirds as well as humans!

I don’t know what it is, but I hoped when I saw it at Home Depot that the color and shape of the blooms would attract hummingbirds and they do. Coincidentally, I just looked up to see a ruby-throated hummer at my feeder, probably thanks to that nearby flower!

The deer and rabbits ate most of my phlox, echinacea, and vegetable garden this year, especially my husbands’ giant pumpkins. Our vegetable garden has a huge blank space where they usually grow.  No sunflowers either.  I pulled out all the weeds that were in that blank space the other day and decided to start some new lettuce, peas, spinach and carrots.  Either we will get them in the fall, or the wildlife will have another feast.  We’ll see.

Our peppers and a tomato plant.

My herb garden is bountiful.  I have spicy basil, regular basil, oregano, tarragon, parsley, thyme, rosemary, dill and lavender.  The animals ate the tops off my onions, and trimmed my dill, but it’s working out.  Paul is taking care of a vegetable garden for some friends he is caretaker for, so I didn’t plant cucumbers or corn here.  I only put in one tomato plant, a couple peppers, some lettuce and carrots.  I put zinnia seeds all around the veggies and now that garden looks pretty, too!   

The weather man has threatened showers all weekend.  I say bring it on!  My seeds will need them- or else I am going to be listening to the next story while I stand there with the hose each day.