Puppy Love

 

Do you know that this picture means?

Yup, you guessed it. The lagoon has opened for the summer! This means that the kitchen is pretty much laid to rest for the next six months. We live out of a picnic basket, quick trips to the market for meat and vegetables, and bottles and bottle (refilled of course) of water. Oh how I love this time of year. I completely change up our routine. We are at the lagoon most days. I read way more than I do during the rest of the year. This year we have changed a few things from last year. Josephine got absurdly brown last year from the sun. This year I lucked out and got a bunch of rash guards at the thrift store. That will help I'm thinking. Also, last year we used our everyday thrifted china at the lagoon. It was a pain: heavy and needed washing. This summer we are using cheap old paper plates with those seventies wicker holder things. It has been awesome so far.

Want to join us?

More Birthdays

Totally had to steal these from my sister, Amanda, to post here. They are all of Sunday, the day we celebrated Clare's birthday in Santa Cruz.

Baby Alexandra

 

 

 

 

May Faire

 

 

 

 

Reading At The Farm

To go alone with my books post from last Friday, here is Josephine reading in front of the back door (which opens onto hundred year old redwoods, spicy smelling Christmas trees, and........since its Spring......a sea of blue forget-me-nots. 

Sea World

 

 

 

 

 

 

the books

Something I really love about going home to Santa Cruz is the wonderful array of books options that await me. I always bring home piles and piles, to add to the piles and piles already here. Of course, much of the weight in the car when we drive back up is book returns. Humph. I love that the books aren't really in any kind of order--well, maybe a little. Poetry is generally in one spot. Shakespeare holds His own shelf. The section on raising cats and dogs is pretty much always dusty and in the lower corner. Oh, and all the datebooks from before even Annie was born are on the top. Super fun to browse through. But its so fun to find something new to read when you never know what might be next to Tolkien or "Chess for Dummies". Sometimes you will find, as I did this weekend, that a cover-less copy of "D-day" is really excellent midnight 

reading. 

Campfire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Morning Duck Walk

We had a little early morning duck walk this morning. Light rain has joined us over the past few days so everything is soft and fresh and sweet smelling. Perfect April weather to my mind (lets not talk about that 90 degree day last week.....). We had this mother duck and her babies appear a few days ago. Sadly, there were five the first day, and now only three. I don't think its any coincidence that it is a domestic Pekin duck and she appear just after Easter. Hum....no brain stretch to see what happened there...

Anyway, she is such a good little mama and her babies are so adorable. The girls call them Puddle Ducks (since we are in our Beatrix Potter phase here). 

 

And a little morning lovin'. Oh how can I not adore these kids!? Especially in  their cozy Hanna Andersson pjs. Those ones Josie is wearing--got them when Clare was just two. They still look pretty new a kid later and nearly every night use. Wow.