taking a little break...

... to enjoy a homemade Oreo frappe.

Thinking of you, Christy & Jim!

zooey & kameron

Doug's Dad & his wife came to visit us this past weekend. They've been doing foster care for about a year and a half now, and have had a little boy named Kameron. He and Zooey had fun getting to know one another.

Both of them were a little wary at first...

But it didn't take long for the friendship to blossom.

And Zooey only tried to pounce on him once... when he was crawling and she probably thought he was a chubby little woodchuck.

nonsensical

Some days,
I want grandiose verbage
As refined and well-strung
As a pearl necklace.

Others,
I want to take
My adverbs and verbs,
My adjectives and nouns
And paint bold, brash
Streaks across a tattered wall.

Still others,
I want to mix my metaphors
In mud and rip my paper
And smash my syntax
To smithereens.

And occasionally,
I want nothing
But a crisp, white sheet
Pristine
Staring and waiting.

---

On a completely different note, yesterday I took Zooey for a walk on what must have been the muggiest day ever. I was soaked with sweat when we got home. Yes, you wanted to know that. In fact, if that doesn't gross you out, try this: While we were out, Zooey pooped, as she is prone to do, and when I was bagging the stuff, I got some on my hand. It was less than awesome.

Why am I sharing that on the internet? Because I can't share poetry and not follow it with something trivial, lest anyone begin to think I'm ever deep!

best of: plymouth, mi

For the past 3 years, Doug & I have lived in Plymouth, MI. Although I've been growing increasingly annoyed with this little city, there are several things I do love about it. So, I thought I'd highlight those for anyone who reads this blog and finds themselves in Plymouth.

However, before I get to the goods, let me get my whining out of the way.

A quick Worst of Plymouth, MI:

-Railroads.

-Potholes on Lilley

-Post Office

-Inflated real estate

And now I present...

Best of Plymouth, Michigan

Best Ice Cream: Dairy King

(Best flavor: Mackinac Island Peanut Butter Fudge in a sugar cone)

Best Bar&Grill: Hermann's

(Best app: potato skins)

Best Fresh Produce: Schmidt's Roadside

(Okay, technically this is in Canton, but it's right on the Plymouth-Canton border. It's a little slice of farm in the suburbs!)

Best 1st Apartment: 383 Starkweather Street

Best Wildlife Refuge: 537 Mill Street

Best Apartment in a Hair Salon: 308 Farmer Street

(See also Best Looking Couple, Best Home-Cooked Meal & Engaging Conversation, and Biggest Egos)

Best Nail Salon: Tic-Tac Nails

(Why they didn't call it Tic-Tac Toes I will never know...)

Best Subs: Joe's Deli

Best Soups: Dilly Dally Deli

(Best soups: Chicken Noodle and Chicken Tortilla)

Cutest Boutique: The Haven

Cutest Boutique with Outrageous Prices That I Can't Afford So I Never Actually Shop There: The Haven

Best Coffee Shop: The Coffee Bean

Best Ethnic Food: Zapata's

Best Downtown Event: toss up between the Ice Festival and Art in the Park

Best Eyebrow Wax: Christina at Salon International

Best Resident Famous Athlete: Chris Osgood

Best Dog: Obviously.

I'm sure there are more things that I should add, but that's it for now.

recently i'm... (7)

Excited About: So much! I leave for Africa in 10 days. Robert is moving back home within the next couple weeks. We are closing on our house in less than a month.

Reading: Leviticus. Not reading any books right now! I know, shameful.

Watching: The World Cup is over, so... nothing.

Cooking: Made banana-blueberry bread last night. Pretty good.

Planning: Paint colors, room arrangements, various projects...

Listening To: "Yellow" - Jem's rendition. Beautiful.

Eating: Excelsior peaches.

Thinking: Summer is far too short.

Thankful for: Family.

going out to clean the pasture spring...

My grandpa passed away early Monday morning, July 12th.

Please pray for my mom and my grandma as they grieve his loss.

Doug & I will be coming to New York this weekend for his funeral on Saturday at 11:00am.

You can read Poppy's obituary here and, if you haven't, about my last visit with him here.

~

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;

I'll only stop to rake the leaves away

(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):

I shan't be gone long. - - You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf

That's standing by the mother. It's so young,

It totters when she licks it with her tongue.

I shan't be gone long. - - You come too.

-Robert Frost

jamaica 2010

We had a great trip our 2nd time to Sandy Bay, Jamaica! Thanks again to everyone who made this trip possible through financial gifts and prayer support!

week at home

Happy Independence Day!

Before I uploaded any pictures, I started this post with "Here are some of my favorite pictures from my time at home." Um, I need to revise that statement:

Here are a ton of pictures from my time at home. I love all of them.

Zooey watching the pig and goat very, very curiously.

Peas in the garden (I spent some time here every single day...)

Cute pea pods with only one pea!

Making kabobs with Dad.

Zooey & Elly being best friends... most of the time.

Beautiful skies

Dirt roads

Katie's adorable piglets

Luscious strawberries

Mama & baby

Dad's Oreo pancake... I did not try this confectionary experiment.

Fried zucchini, from the garden

Farm girl through & through

Baking berry pies

Watching soccer & cheering for Germany

and of course - gorgeous fields.

I forgot to take pictures at the 4th festivities at Nesbitt Pond, but I had a ton of quality time with my wonderful cousins. As crazy as we all may be, I just love the Bannister-Nesbitt family. And WNY? I can never get enough.

"What does the city have to offer me? Everyone else thinks it's the bee's knees.

What does the city have to offer me? I just can't see..."

- Camera Obscura

guess what?

We bought a house!

It all happened super fast - we'd only been house hunting for about a month! We went to see this house on Monday, June 21st, put an offer in on Tuesday, June 22nd, and got a call on Wednesday, June 24th, saying our offer was accepted!

We're really excited to move & make it "ours" - our closing date is tentatively August 11th.

Yay!

poppy & grandma lynk's

Yesterday I went with my mom and Ethan to visit my mom's parents, "Grandma & Grandpa Lynk". Growing up, I called my grandpa "Poppy". They live in eastern New York, about four hours from where I grew up. I used to spend a week or so with my grandparents every summer when I was younger, but as our family got bigger and Dad starting farming full time, it was increasingly difficult to get away in the summer. Our visits dwindled to every other Thanksgiving and every December for "Lynk Christmas". As Grandma & Grandpa got older, Thanksgiving and Lynk Christmas were moved to Uncle Tom & Aunt Heidi's - which means, sadly, it had been about 5 years since I'd been to Lynkholm Farms.

The drive there is absolutely beautiful:

gorgeous hills

awesome barns & silos dotting the landscape

& the ADKs on the horizon!

Then we arrived at Lynk Road in Sharon Springs.

Pulling onto this dirt road, I can still hear Robert's 6-year old voice: "Can I walk from here?!" I can see Uncle James & Aunt Georgia's house from the end of the road, and when we get around the curve, I see Grandma and Grandpa's.

As we get closer, the cows greet us with slightly curious stares, as they always have.

We pull into the driveway, and I see something new: a wheelchair ramp. Grandma comes to the door to greet us, like she's done for at least the past 25 years. But Poppy is no longer able to greet us with bear hugs and whiskered kisses. We walk into what used to be the dining room and say hi to Grandpa, who returns our greeting from his bed. Pokey, the dog they've had for years, wags his tail and haltingly gets to his feet. We all sit in Grandpa's room, laughing at old stories about Mom punching a kid in 4th grade, reminiscing about Great Grandma's famous sayings ("If you don't have anything to do out at the barn, I've got plenty for you to do in the house!"), updating Grandma and Grandpa about various happenings on Excelsior Farms...

Our visit is too short, but Grandpa needs to rest. Pokey slowly settles his tired body back on the floor at the foot of Grandpa's bed. I give Grandpa a gentle hug and kiss goodbye. Before we leave, he tells Mom they've got three new heifers, and I know his heart is out there in the barn, in the pasture, on the farm...