Fuel and a Puppy Hat

When we stopped at a gas station today,

we noticed that they weren't just selling gas.

They also had an assortment of hats for sale.

Anna tried on the white bonnet . . .

. . . I tried on the black one . . .

. . . and Joy decided to do her own thing.

The peaky cap looked good on her.

The yellow puppy hat?

Not so much.

Although, with the right attitude,

you can make just about anything look cool.

Tia the Bathing Beauty

For my birthday . . .

. . . I bought myself a tricolor sedum because it was pretty

and because I am rather prone to impulse buying

when I stroll through a plant nursery.

On a completely unrelated note,

Joy made this little bird meme today . . .

. . . and I photographed this beautiful depiction

of how Tia envisions herself

whilst reveling in the glory of the bath. 

Sunday Duets

Sunday is a nice day for . . .

. . . a duet with Daddy . . .

. . . a game of Checker Flick . . .

. . . making carrot cake . . .

. . . and another Daddy duet

(thanks for turning pages, Todd).

Stay Broody

Reesey the Chicken has gone broody,

which means she likes to spend all day sitting on her eggs . . .

. . . and everyone else's eggs too.

. . . it's kind of annoying for her coopmates,

but we like the fact that we can pet her glossy feathers

as much as we want to

and she won't leave the nesting box.

Go ahead, Reesey.  Stay broody all year.

We won't complain.

Yes, That Concord

Our family celebrated the Fourth of July . . .

. . . by taking a little trip . . .

. . . to a community picnic in Concord, MA.

As in Concord and Lexington, 

where the Revolutionary War kicked off

exactly 250 years ago this year.

There was a live bluegrass band . . .

. . . one of those

 throw-a-ball-and-dunk-some-stranger-in-water games . . .

. . . and good old-fashioned apple pie.

Later in the day, half of our family

went for a fun motorcycle ride together.

I feel so grateful that we live in a land

of such freedom and opportunity,

where we have everything we need

and some to spare.

Happy birthday, America!

Wildflowers and a Red Witch

Buckle up, folks . . .

. . . because Joy is learning to drive.

Riding shotgun while my rookie teenager drives my van

is a little unnerving,

but I'll take this parenting task over potty training any day.

Joy and I drove to the Concord Cheese Shop this afternoon

to see what unique cheeses they currently have in stock.

I was charmed by the idea of eating Swiss cheese 

"from cows grazing on summer's wildflowers."

We also bought some of this paprika-rubbed cheese called Red Witch,

because how can you pass up a cheese with a name that fun?

Dodongo Dislikes Smoke

I wasn't feeling very well for much of last week,

so I went to our local library . . .

. . . and checked out a Nintendo Classic Edition console

so I could kill time playing Legend of Zelda.

I actually remembered most of the levels and secrets

from when I played it as a kid,

but I had to consult the internet for the last couple dungeons.

Side note: These two chairs I saw at the doctor office

seem like some sort of visual metaphor for life.

That different generations struggle to see eye to eye?

That we view the world differently as we age?

That youth looks more fun, but maturity gets more done?