hello again!

What incredible beauty I'm finding in the yard, now that the rain has taken a break. Such splendor in bloom. Apparently there's more rain in the forecast for the next ten days...?! The Summer of Slugs. It reminds me of the summer that a friend had moss growing in the door frame of her car, which was quite pretty to those of us who love moss.

It's such a pleasure to be back. The good doctor cured the computer of more than 1,000 viruses. Yikes! I'm ever so grateful to him.

I wish I could give you some pictures from the past week, when I was lucky enough to help with an art camp for children 4 - 8 years old. They did printmaking each day with a visiting artist, and then baked, felted meteor balls, helped with a puppet show, did some watercolor painting, cranked homemade ice cream, played and ate delicious food and had a lot of fun. Dearest Miss M. who organized and hosted the week in her usual beautiful, calm way, won the hearts of children and parents alike, who went home with lots of beautiful artwork and tears in the eyes of the adults, sad to say good-bye.

Now that art week is over, I'm looking forward to gardening once again, up the road at an amazing farm. Off the grid...organic...humming with bees...orioles begging for oranges, and bluebirds nesting nearby...a soothing and inspiring place to spend the day, with a Master Gardener whom I'm quite fond of. Also two great dogs, and two very sociable cows whose faces are often inches away from mine on the other side of the fence, and when I straighten up there's a big wet muzzle right in my face and a wet lick on my sweaty cheek!

Interspersed with gardening there will be my weekly Master Gardener volunteer time at the Pine Tree State Arboretum, and an afternoon of learning to make cheese. What a life, eh?

Some puppet shows are coming up - "A Fairy Went A-Marketing" in Lincolnville at their Strawberry Festival July 11th, then the Martha's Vineyard Puppet Festival July 18th and 19th, when M. and I will perform two puppet shows at the Polly Hill Arboretum, followed by the Fairy show again at the Coastal Maine Botanical gardens on August 9th for their fairy weekend.

Busy, busy, and it's all so good.