hello to all my adoring fans out there. i know you’ve been waiting to see me post again. mom has sort of taken over for me since she got a new keyboard and the keys are smaller. i’ve been growing and growing and being really really good and then being really really bad. anyway, you don’t want to hear about the bad things, really you don’t. i think they love me anyway but sometimes it’s hard to tell like when mom’s face gets all red and steam comes out of her ears. like yesterday when she came out of the grocery store to find i had pulled up and chewed on the carpet in the back of the truck. oops.

anyway i’m supposed to be telling you about the pool ...

here’s the thing: i really really really really like water. i’ve always had my front feet in the water bucket and i like to stick my head below the water level to drink. it’s just what i do. mom and dad found an old kid’s wading pool under the deck where pool junk is stored that was left behind by the people who used to live here. it had some holes in it so dad fixed it up with black stuff. i liked it! just like a big drinking bowl. cool. but i tried to get the black stuff off.

then they opened up this really really big thing with water in it. i’ve been running over the top of the cover that was on it all winter long. mom always yelled at me when i did that but it was fun. i knew they were doing something out there in the yard with the thing last week and i couldn’t wait to go and see what it was. the minute mom opened the door i ran right down to it. i drank it. yucko! tastes funny. i pawed at it. i almost felled in. twice. mom and dad thought i would for sure just jump right in but i didn’t.

a couple of days after that mom and dad put this other cover over it. it looks like water but it isn’t. anyway, mom and dad were outside the pool area weeding and they heard a huge splash. when they looked up they saw me fly out of the pool by the stairs with my tail between my legs. i was totally wet. i know what happened but they don’t. they don’t know if i jumped or fell in. i know and i’m not tellin. i ran and ran and ran around the yard with water flying off of me. i was cold!!!!! i didn’t stop running around for a long time. i don’t know if i’ll try that again. it was scary.

then they put this funny thing in there. it moves around and it tried to get me but i barked at it and told it what-for. mom says it’s cleaning the pool but i don’t care. i don’t like it much.

i’m sure i’ll have more adventures with the pool this summer. i might even really get in if mom and dad are in there too. i still can’t figure it out. but i will. don’t you worry.

UPDATE! Saturday afternoon.
i did it! i wented in the pool! dad got in and called me to him and i jumped right in and swam to him. dad caught me and held me for a minute then turned me back the way i got in. i doggie-paddled as hard as i could to get out. i didn’t run around after i got out like i did last time either. mom had her little camera that takes moving pictures but she forgot to push the button. so .... nothing to show for my few minutes of glory. mom is dumb. but i will probably do it again. it wasn’t too bad!

This morning I saved two toads from drowning. It’s true. I did. I love toads. Last year I didn’t see any. When I went out to skim the pool this morning I found a toad floating face down in the water. Oh no! I thought it was dead but when I touched him with the skimmer he moved, albeit feebly. I fished him out and put him somewhere safe. Here he is.

It took him awhile to gather his strength back again, but he finally managed to hop off. I think it’s the same kind of toad that we had the summer before last. The Golden Toad, as I called him.

As I worked my way around the pool I filled my skimmer with caterpillars and lots of spiders. When I got to the opposite side I found another toad, this time a different color. He too was doing the dead man’s float and I thought for sure he was a goner. I scooped him up gently and he moved! Again, I placed him where I thought he was safe from Bella and he too eventually hopped off into the yard.

So, two toads saved. Do you think I’m strange for liking (and sometimes kissing) toads?

Oh yes. Did I mention the pool is open? Yesterday was the first day. Bella did not jump in (thank goodness) but did have some cute encounters with it. She is working on her own blog entry to come soon complete with pics and video. It might be open but we won’t be swimming for awhile. The temperature stands at 60 chilly degrees. brrrrrr!!!!! Hopefully we’ll get some sun next week and the solar cover will help to keep in whatever warmth we might get out of it. We’ll be patiently waiting ...

Well, okay, it’s not technically summer yet but this weekend we made our preparations as best we could. It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise for doing things in the yard.

We put the screens and curtains up on the poolside cabana, brought out the umbrella and the deck lounges and chairs. (Pool not open yet, but hopefully this week!)

I planted some pots.

I did a lot of weeding of the back flower beds. In doing so I discovered two very different columbines. At least I think they are a variety of columbine since the leaf is the same. They are both in different flower beds and very far apart. Here is the double one.

And this one doesn’t open any more than this but has many layers. Anyone have any ideas? They were not there last year and I certainly didn’t plant them. ? Maybe I pulled them up last year in a fit of zealous weeding but they had dropped seeds the year before?

We planted marigolds in the front flower bed. We planted our kitchen herbs in the old dry sink which join the already planted and potted tomatoes on the deck. I am hoping for a great harvest of patio and cherry tomatoes this year.

Last year we didn’t plant tomatoes because we got such a late start with our trip back to Colorado in mid June. This year we decided to stay home for June since it’s such a lovely time of year here and the pool really suffered while we were gone. Plus, we missed some quality pool time, not to mention firefly season! So, this year we’ll do our cabin trip in September instead.

Water dog Bella had fun with her wading pool this weekend too. She is always sticking her feet and head in the water bucket, so we thought she’d enjoy having a bigger water feature.

...testing, testing ....

hey, this is fun ...

i think there’s a bone in here somewhere ...

I have no idea what’s going to happen once the pool is open. I know she’s going to end up in it at least once. Oh boy.

We went to the Warwick farmer’s market and bought fresh baby lettuces, scallions, radishes, bread, cheese, and a mini quiche for our Sunday lunch. Yum. I’m glad the market has started back up again. It’s a summer tradition for us and one that we love.

So, we had a busy weekend but it felt good to get things done. We ended the weekend with one of our favorite meals last night: grilled artichokes and lamb chops “scotta dita” (or burned fingers because they sell them on the streets of Italy and you just hold them by the bone and eat them quick while they are hot!) while listening to the cool vibe of Bossa ‘n Stones, (the Rolling Stones hits done with a bossa nova beat) which we discovered while eating in a restaurant in San Miguel.

I hope you all had a great kick-off weekend to the beginning of summer!

Tomorrow I’m taking you back to San Miguel again. I certainly hope you’re not getting bored with your armchair vacation ...

Just three days ago I was swinging in one of these hammocks and sitting poolside sipping the frosty “drink of the day.” The sun was shining, warm tropical breezes were gently blowing across my body, and the day was warm.

This morning I am standing by the side of my own pool here in New Jersey hugging a hot cup of coffee between my hands to keep them warm. I can’t sit down because the chairs are covered with snow. As for the pool ... well, I know it’s in there somewhere! The sun is shining, a frigid breeze passes by and my body shivers. It’s 8 degrees F. What’s wrong with this picture?

Reality bites sometimes.

We left in a snowstorm and we arrived back Tuesday night in a snowstorm. In-between I think they had a few nice days here. We were certain our flight was going to be delayed coming into Newark and our pilot even told us that we might be, but as we approached he made no mention of going into a holding pattern. He spoke about the frigid air we would encounter upon leaving the plane and that it was lightly snowing. We landed ahead of schedule, something almost unheard of at Newark Airport, especially with some weather. By the time we got to the car it was snowing heavily and we were glad we landed when we did.

As we got closer to home the snow was ending. Our wonderful neighbor had plowed our driveway of the three or four inches of snow that had fallen. I got out of the car, took three steps, hit an icy patch and went straight down on my butt. Welcome home, Lynne.

I’m not complaining. Really, I’m not. Okay, help me with my mantra here.

I love New Jersey winters.
I love New Jersey winters.
I love New Jersey winters.

The dogs did great in the kennel and Bella had no problems. She did however un-learn some manners (such as biting and jumping up), so we have to work on that. She also turned from a puppy into a somewhat gawky teenager while we were gone. Not quite sure how that happened. The kitties all did well and Luke did a great job taking care of them and the house. All in all, a really successful trip.

It’s good to be home but I am having a few issues. Where is the breakfast buffet? I have to make my own bed, cook my own meals and do the dishes. Can’t I just throw my bath towels on the floor for someone else to pick up? waaaaaaaahhhhhh.

It all seems a dream now, like we were never there. But we were and we had a great time. Now it’s time to pick up the threads of normal life again. Still, I hope you’ll bear with me over the next few days as I share some vacation photos with you and then I’ll get back to being a “new” Jersey girl again.

The photo above is kind of like I’ve felt for the past week. A wavy and wobbly shadow of myself. I don’t get sick very often (once every 3 or 4 years) but when I do I really get sick. I think I’ve turned the corner for good now although it’s been a slow process. If I try to do too much during the day it sets me back a little. Easy does it—that’s the key to recovery. I did a lot of just lying about, taking naps and staring out the window. I never lay on the small wicker couch in the sun room, but when I did I this outline in the tree branches jumped out at me. Look closely and see if you can see what I saw from my reposing vantage point. (I’ll show you at the end of this post what I saw.)

Our snow is mostly gone now except for the patches were it was plowed and piled. I mourn its loss all the more since I only managed to get out in it that one time. The pool could be used for a skating rink if only I weren’t afraid of ripping the cover.

Sunday was my birthday (Happy Birthday to Me!) The weather was strange—in the 50’s! The sunset that night was stupendous though. The light outside was really odd and when Rick pointed the sunset out to me I had to go out and take a few photos. Doesn’t it look as if there is a forest fire behind this tree?

I took this sunset as an omen that I was on the mend. I’m still not 100%, but yesterday was a good day. At least my head wasn’t spinning and I could read and knit again.

I’m still working on Rick’s second mitten (remember the one that Bella ate?) and also on this scarf for myself. The lace pattern is both fun and beautiful at the same time but it does require some concentration.

And, I was able to make a start on this Christmas present.

Last year on our trip to Mexico I felt so stupid that I didn’t know the language. I probably won’t know much by our trip at the end of January but at least I’ll have a head start.

So, in the photo above—what did you see? I saw this Cardinal. The bunch of leaves made up its eye.

Hopefully I’ll be starting the new year with better health than I’ve had for the past two weeks or so! Onward to the flip side of sick!