This & That - June 2016

With two new grandsons we found ourselves babysitting twice as much this month.  In between we managed to have several outings.  This one was in Shepherdstown, WV, about 35 minutes from us.  It's a small college town with a quaint downtown.  Whenever I'm there I love to pop into this French boutique. . . .

We met friends there for dinner at Mi Degollado II restaurant along with three other couples who were friends of theirs.  We were all there to attend a benefit concert sponsored by the Refugee Resettlement Committee at their church. . . .

This is a cause dear to my heart because one of our sons used to work for the International Refugee Committee in Baltimore while his wife worked in a Baltimore high school that had many refugee children.  Hearing the first-hand stories about the trauma of being uprooted and resettled in a strange culture after spending years in a war-torn country puts a human face on the newspaper accounts and all the debate one reads about.

The next morning was a Sunday so I was able to enjoy a quiet reflective time outside at my little bistro table.  I turned on the fountain in my garden, gathered my reading material and journal, and took my coffee and scones out to the deck.  Weekends are the only time I don't hear the drone of the Interstate traffic commute into Washington, DC. even though it is over a mile away. . . .

While in Shepherdstown I found this mini-bird bath with a sculpted hummingbird perched on it at O'Hurley's General Store.  (You can hear a little history about the store and their Thursday night jam sessions HERE.)  I can see the birdbath from my desk.  This is the view out the back door.   I kept a vigil looking for a bird to visit it. . . .

I have a fun story to tell about these Myrtle topiaries I found at Chartreuse & Co.'s once-a-month sale. . . .

This particular weekend they were having a yard sale in addition to the barn-full of vintage and imaginative repurposed items.  The first item I came across that I liked was a child-size park bench with a wild animal motif that would be perfect for Olivia.  It was only $45, but I decided to wait and see what else there was to be found.  I passed a collection of table-top myrtle topiaries that were only about 10 inches tall (pot and all).  At $20 that seemed a bit steep, so I passed that by.  Then I went inside and saw a child-size hutch--perfect for the playhouse we've been thinking about building.  It was $45, too.  A really good price compared to what I've seen elsewhere.  As I stood there trying to decide, reality set in.  How often would Olivia play in a playhouse.  She lives an hour away and we go to her house all the time.  The same with the park bench--it wouldn't get used that much.  Then I looked across the way and saw the above topiaries.  It turned out they were $45 each!  In my estimation the $90 had already been spent--it was just a matter of changing what I brought home with me.  As I went up front with the ticket to pay I noticed the lady in front of me had one of the $20 topiaries.  I thought it was a good thing she wasn't seeing what I'd bought (they were the only two for sale) or else she'd probably be upset with what she was paying for her topiary.  If I needed convincing I was getting a good deal, it was sealed when I had two people admire my topiaries as I carried them out to the car.

Father's Day Ken went off to spend the day with our youngest son at an event being held for Vietnam Vets.  It gave him a chance to tell our son what we went through the year Ken was away.  Our other two sons who are fathers now spent the day with their children, but by happenstance Ken and our youngest were able to meet up with Alejandro and his parents for lunch at a restaurant near where they were in Baltimore.

I was spending the day at my desk drawing my picture for this month's Beatrix Potter painting when I heard what sounded like baby birds chirping outside my window.  Sure enough, the Wren's eggs had hatched.  I did a post about it HERE.  I'm sad to have to report, though, they have not survived.  I don't know if it was the too hot-sun or the Black Snake that visits my garden. . . .

I posted my Beatrix Potter painting HERE.  It did not turn out the way I wanted it to, but I did love the geraniums and the pot of flowers next to it.  I decided to edit out the surrounding scene using the touch-up feature and this is what I came up with.  It actually has more of the "feel" I was going for. . . .

Then last weekend we had gorgeous weather for the Surreybrooke Garden Tour, which I wrote about HERE. . . .

The next day we met friends at the once-a-month opening of the Bowman House in Boonsboro.  I will be doing a post about it next month.   The weather was so nice we took the Roadster and drove the back roads with the top down and ended the afternoon at the ice cream parlor in Middletown. . . .

My patience was rewarded!  I finally had a visitor at my bird bath. . . .

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Take Joy!