North Haverhill Fair.

7-28-25 VERMONT: They left yesterday, Emmett and his parents, in a car packed to the brim, while we started and finished the clean up. They were among the best guests we've ever had. Alison and Dan are due on Wednesday. 

Saturday we went to the North Haverhill Fair for a look at all the animals and a bit of Fair food, Bloomin’ Onion and pulled pork sandwich. We ate and watched the games and rides and saw heifers, oxen, sheep and goats, tractors, a horse pull and took a lot of pix.

In the garden we have fritillary butterflies and the first monarch of the season. The tiger swallowtails are still here.

There has only been 0.2 inches of rain in the past ten days.

New blooms: cone flower, cup plant, helenium.

Five fritillary butterflies on Cone flowers.

Emmett, Mom and Dad. The new chair was a gift from them.

Emmett on the bench.

Fritillary on filipendula.

Prize winning Swiss Brown cow, can you tell that the cow is pregnant.

Yoked oxen, these are on the small size, big ones are taller than this handler.

Horse pull.

Stuff 4 sale.

Pond bank in July.

We Visit the Birds.

7-18-25 VERMONT: The hot and humid ended today with a cool and windy post cold front and a T-storm. We only got 0.1 inch of rain, but there was 1.15 over the last week. Things still seem dry, and the tomatoes need watering.

Emmett has been to story time at libraries in Norwich and Hanover, but today we did a trip to VINS [Vermont Institute of Natural Science] for the bird show. We saw raptors including owls, hawks, eagles, harriers, and the show with a harrier flying through the audience was the hit of the day. We even got souvenir owls a the gift shop. 

Emmett also visited the alpacas in the neighborhood. 

New blooms: pickerel weed, hydrangea, summer azalea, astilbe, hollyhock, rocket ligularia, meadow rue.

At VINS, this harrier put on a show for us and a zillion other kids.

We saw bald eagles at VINS. VINS is worth many visits.

An almost black flower from a hollyhock.

Summer azalea has subtle color.

Mid-summer pond bank.

Emmett helps feed the alpacas.

Nice sunset a few evenings ago.

Emmett's Here.

7-14-25 VERMONT: It’s been hot and rainy, but we’ve been out and about and doing the Upper Valley. Emmett had been to the Montshire Science Museum twice, to neighbors to see chickens and tractors, both of which he loved. Probably the tractor more than the chickens. 

At Post Mills Airport we watched an airplane take off towing a glider, then land and tow another glider up, up and away. We also toured the Airport Museum of the rusty and dusty. Then we circumvented Lake Fairlee. 

There was also a trip to Woodstock and a trip to Hanover. Emmett loves the dogs, but they are terrified of him and flee whenever he totters toward them.

It has been loads of fun for us and for him and for the adults in his staff.

New blooms: more hosta, more phlox, milkweed, pink filipendula, evening primrose. 

The only flower for today...

Computer Whiz banging away on my keyboard.

Firefighter at work.

At the Montshire, there's a moose.

It was Yaya's birthday on Friday.

Chickens can be a bit scary.

Bubbles on the deck.

Saying hello to Peachez.

Dancin' on the deck.

The Season Gets Busy.

7-9-25 VERMONT: Lily, Danna, Matt, and Harrison were here for the Fourth weekend. They helped us get the boat out of the barn and into the pond and pulled the buggy out of the barn. We went to the parade in Strafford, visited the church on the green and the meeting house. We had dinners on the deck, preceded by celebratory beverages.

In Strafford, Coburn’s General Store has been sold by the family to a group of investors from the town, and the transfer happened on the Fourth. A new sign was hung, and everybody marched in the parade. We bought shirts and hats that marked the occasion.

The kids were in and out of the boat harassing the frogs with little nets and actually captured one, but he/she escaped from the bucket.

We all went to an miniature art show/sale at the Justin Morrill Homestead. Judy is bidding on a couple of the items. 

The kids went to the fireworks show in Fairlee. They left after a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning. 

Today, Anna, Gardner, Younchin arrived with GGS Emmett. He is mad about the dogs, his fire engine and his personal chair.

New blooms: phlox, bee balm, rhododendron, catmint, hybrid daylily, red spirea [actually out for a couple weeks].

Seen in the parade.

Parade attendee.

lily and Danna at the Meeting House in Strafford.

Inside the Meeting House.

Hunters on safari.

Beverages on the deck.

Renegade frog.

Water lily flower.

Flower Power.

7-3-25 VERMONT: The flowers are coming thick and fast. Something new every day, but I am not overwhelmed, I am steadfastly reporting it all. 

We had dinner at Cloudland with cousin John and at Casa Brava with Shari and Dave.

We got rain today 0.25 inches in three dumps with sunshine in between.

Lily and Danna arrive tonight with guests.

I planted with help from Hiliary and Matt, two bee balm, Monarda didy ‘Grape Gumball’, three speedwell, Veronica spicata ‘Blue Skywalker’, and two lobelia, Lobelia Siphilitica ‘Great Blue’. They all went on the pond bank.

New blooms: summer sweet, catalpa, daylily, delphinium, daisy, filipendula, mallow, astilbe, ox eye, hosta. 

Maltese Cross is a little gem of bright red.

Daylilies start at the beginning of July and finish at the end of the month.

Ox Eye has aphids on the stem. I'm waiting for Ladybugs to come and eat them.

Filipendula are growing in two beds, these are the first to open. They may be too invasive.

Daisies on the edge of the lower pond. These are the ones you buy, not the wild ones that have been open for a while.

The catalpa tree with white flowers.