SUMMER 2010 UPDATE - JUNE

Now that June has flown by, I realize Namasté has been idle for over a month. In a nutshell (and for the annals of farm history), here's the list of happenings:

1. Eliza graduated in the top twenty of her class late in May. Petie, Myra, and Samuel all came home, and we got to spend almost a week together in celebration of Eliza's exit from Warren High School. A good time all around....senior awards night, the actual graduation celebration, and then Eliza's graduation party here at The Farm....perfect weather, a perfect ceremony, a perfect fiesta in her honor. I think Eliza was most pleased.....and so was I !!

2. A week and a half later, I hurried through exams and headed off to Cincinnati for my annual summer work with the ETS AP Reading. Surrounded by over 1,000 Spanish professors, I worked full days, spent time with close friends, networked with many, many folks for whom I have high regard as colleagues, and play a bit in Cincinnati.....another rainy Reds game, nice walks along the river, and our annual dinner at Bootsy's with a cochinillo prepared Cuban-style.

3. Since I've been home, I've spent a good deal of time working on the Evergreen Arts & Humanities Series......gratis work for Washington State Community College....It takes me away from the farm on some days, but I've managed to balance my time at home with my time away.

4. The garden and our flowers are THRIVING! Potter Joe and Farm Mom have been farming away, and the results of our labors are reflected in huge tomatillo plants, scads of onions, lettuce, squash, cukes, and tomaters. The garden's just beginning to come in. Give it another two weeks, and canning and freezing will be a daily event here. Lilies, coneflowers, nasturiums, butterfly bushes, zinnias, sunflowers add splashes of color all over the farm.....And the Farm Mom couldn't be happier.

5. A new bassett hound, Paco, will be arriving at the farm in a little over 10 days. Joe will drive to Utah to pick up one of Rufus's brothers.....(new litter / same parents)...and we can hardly wait.

6. I'm beginning to move into relaxation after a very stressful year at work.....Every day my gratitude for The Farm grows to a deeper level, as I can feel peace and tranquility embracing me on every side. I feel like I'm on v-cation (as Eliza used to say) at my home.....I don't have to leave to find peace, and I love that feeling.

7. Farm family updates:
a. Lori's coming home tomorrow, I believe !!!!
b. Brett and Betsy should be home soon.
c. Joe leaves for Utah next week for a whirlwind trip to pick up Paco.
d. Eliza returns to The Farm from her dad's on Saturday.
e. Samuel's signed a lease for a new apartment and will be moving in July to a safer neighborhood in DC.
f. Andrew leaves July 31st for Susaki City in Japan for a year's teaching with the JET program.
g. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Bobbi and Isabella will come home in August for a few days.
h. I'm looking forward to a possible trip to Miami for a few days in August OR I'm going to try to see if Laida will come this way.


(NOTE: My dinosaur computer is being really grouchy about posting photos, so until I get a new computer, Namasté, might be lacking in visuals.)