GGGRRR

Spent all day Tuesday locating and hauling in large square bales of hay for my starving flock. Pastures are gone so the bales were greatly appreciated. Now for our dinner. I had seen someone make Pad Thai on the TV in the morning so after getting all the ingredients I started cooking what was to be an easy meal. It was TERRIBLE. Mine went in the trash as Bill ate his afraid to tell me how it really tasted. Going for a bike ride seemed like a good idea to relax. Later as I sat in my horribly hot house, hungry and glad the day was over, the rains came. The next hour was spent covering the bales with tarps by flashlight. Some days just never end.

Drove to NJ to get Brogan yesterday. She was with some fellow Irish and American kids for a few days. She needed a break from the heat here and the company of kids her own age. She stayed with the wonderful Torres family. Thank you guys so much for your hospitality. We'll get together again next week.

The drive up was fantastic. AC on, coffee, with MY CDs playing. I could play and replay favorite songs without complaints. Played one song 5 times, just because I could. I love being alone.

Brogan didn't get to the beach while in NJ due to rain so we drove just to see the other side of the Atlantic. Amazingly,it was sunny for a few minutes so she got to put her feet in. The sun didn't last long so we headed home. My favorite ice cream shop was gone. This economy is really taking its toll on long established businesses that you expect to be there forever. So disappointing.

Rain? What Rain?

Well the rain that was predicted seemed to fall on everyone else yesterday. We didn't get enough to penetrate the mulch in the garden. Soo disappointing. The front did blow out the humidity and reduce the temperatures so we took Brogan to Washington, DC today. Seeing the White House was on her list of American "must sees". We went right into DC without getting lost, like I did when I took Garrett there in April. We found 3/4 of a parking space right on the Smithsonian Mall. My lucky day! My Honda Civic squeezed right in. No parking meter...free parking for as long as we wished to stay. It doesn't get any better. We walked to the Washington Monument with the sun beating down on us. Brogan asked,"I thought we were going to DC when it got cooler?" My reply..."it's only 90 with low humidity, this IS cool for DC in the summer." The White House is so guarded now that we couldn't see the south entrance or the rose garden at all. The front is still visible for pictures. Brogan was surprised at the size, expecting it to be much larger and more imposing. After lots of walking we retreated to the AC in the Museum of American History. Super place. There were Dorothy's ruby slippers, an original Kermit the Frog puppet, AND Julia Childs' kitchen. The science exhibits presented a American genius that really made me proud to be an American. In all my trips to DC I had never been to this museum. I really have been missing a good one. Glad we went. With so much more to see, we plan to go back in 2 weeks.

Another squeezy parking job in Chinatown got us into a restaurant for a great lunch. Finally. We were so hungry from lots of walking, but that's what you do in DC.WALK!

The heat and drought continue with high humidity added to the mix. Torture. This weather always makes me grumpy as I feed my winter hay to the flock. Brogan,Lillian and Molly and I have worn out our welcome at anyone's home where there's a pool. I am so grateful for friends. Thank you all so much.

Tim manages a pool. At night he relates tales of poolside brawls that challenge his management skills. Yesterday he called the police 3 times. The weather must be bringing out the worst in everyone. Time for a rain dance on the front lawn... or where the lawn used to be.

Brogan is a real trouper and deserves an award for enduring this weather with humor and smiles. Nothing like this in N. Ireland. Maybe another round of Mini golf tonight will get us all laughing.

Heatwave

Trying to find anywhere cool, we have been to the mall twice (I hate it) and the theater, which I love. Brogan loves to shop so the mall is great. She loves American bargains. Yesterday she got a pair of jeans for $5 and lots of other bargains. No wonder...she's a size one..short, and I'll bet there's not another person in York County that is that small. She HAD to wear her new jeans today when we went to Lancaster to see JOSEPH at the Sight and Sound Theater. It is an amazing theatrical performance in a huge theater. Bigger and more spectacular than some Broadway shows I've seen. The show was "cool" in more ways than one. A fellow BFL breeder, Kyle McCleary, trains the animals which are included in the show. Today he amazed me by walking 3 Jacobs sheep through the audience, onto the stage during a song no less. No halters were involved. I can't even get a sheep to walk on a halter through the barnyard without music!!! Lisa, we need to hire Kyle for Wooster next year.

Antique Bikes and Old Biker

Before it got too hot, we decided to ride the bike/hike trail with Brogan. That meant digging thru the pile of antiques in the barn for "wheels". One found bike was fairly contemporary while the other were two relics of the fifties.....chrome fenders and a basket on one. Molly got that one. Mine was an ancient English road bike. Just my style..upright handles and brakes on the pedals. The tires inflated without blowout so after a little oil we were off. I keep forgetting that young people worry about how they look. That doesn't bother me at all, never has, so my enthusiasm for the newly reborn bikes was greeted with the famous eye roll from Molly and Brogan. They did refuse to wear the cobwebby helmets offered tho. The trail was gorgeous. A bit sunny so we made sure Brogan was covered in sunscreen. Those Irish freckles were just waiting to light up. Along the way another rider, about my age, smiled and said, "nice bike". Was he laughing or did he really admire my "style". I know...that's a biker pick-up line right? I'm just so gosh darn cute. Our ride felt like 100 miles to me but Molly burst my bubble and informed me it more like 6. Killjoy. I was beginning to think I could do that ride across N. Dakota with a little practice. The old bikes and the old biker made it home. Molly and Brogan are now making cupcakes to restore the calories I just burned. They are getting even for making them look like the "red neck bike club".

NYC Trip to Get Brogan

Our Irish guest for the month of July arrived yesterday. Brogan comes from County Derry in Northern Ireland. She is a member of the Project Children Group which brings Irish children under 15 to the USA every summer.

Brogan had to be met at Kennedy Airport. Too many years since I had been there I relied on my brother Joe, who works in NYC, to get me around. And get around we did. We met on Staten Island and since we were both early, going to Coney Island to walk to boardwalk seemed an appropriate way to while away the hours. The fishing pier was proof that America is truly a melting pot. Each fisherman was a different nationality and their boom boxes played an international musical language. Being at the beach with the NY skyline right behind you is a unique experience for we non city dwellers. Passing up a hot dog at the original Nathans, we opted for dinner at an Italian clam house in Queens. Going from Brooklyn to Queens the farewell sign read "Fegeddaboudit", not simply good bye. Dinner was amazing. Mussels marinara and calamari....mmmmm.

Brogan was ushered in by bagpipes and since it was just sunset, Joe drove off to show her the NYC skyline after dark, taking us to some cool places that tourists never go. Ice cream under the Brooklyn Bridge lights was magical. The Statue of Liberty from Red Hook dock was illuminated by fireworks in Jersey City. So beautiful. We rode on cobblestone streets...who knew they still existed? It made me want to reread A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN.

Brogan was fading fast so we left NYC with a promise to return. I hope she had as good a day as I. Being with my brother was fantastic and the tour of NYC unbelievable. We grew up going to "the city" as we called it but it is so different now and I think I have grown to love it again after years away. Seeing the remains of the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing brought back great memories of how special those World's Fairs were. "The city" reminds me too of birthdays my mother and I celebrated with a Broadway show and dinner at a fancy restaurant. We saved all year for it and couldn't wait for April to come. Gotta love it. Maybe I am still a city slicker at heart. Where would I put my sheep?

Sooo Hot

It must be over 100 in this house today and equally as humid. In my next life I'm getting a house with central AC. No more of this old farmhouse stuff. I watched my 5 year old charge,Lillian, today and we turned the hose on each other while we watered the plants. That felt wonderful.

100 bales of alfalfa went in the barn today. With as dry as it is that might be all there is for this year. My pastures are looking spotty and it's not July yet. We have a 13 year old girl from N. Ireland coming for the month of July. I hope she can endure the heat. Most of our Irish guests melt in the PA summers.

I'm signing off to find a cool spot.