It's a beautiful thing

   So.. some happy news here to start off.  My daughter had to put her much loved rescued cat down last week after Phoebe had developed a rapidly growing mouth cancer.  While she is still grieving the loss and wasn't looking to replace her,  a friend's relative was in a tough spot with housing and school schedule and needed to find a home for her also much loved dog.  They asked if Kristen might be interested in adopting, as he was a very friendly dog who was used to apartment living and might be a great fit for K.   My advice was  that while she was still hurting over her loss and this was not intended to be a replacement for Phoebe, she should at least go meet the little guy in case there was a strong connection.  K loves to be a care giver to her animals and I knew she would miss having a critter at her feet to love on. 

    So, they met... and  just look at this precious face.  Needless to say it was love at first sight, and they are living together very happily as I type.  Rex is thrilled to be getting attention and regular walks, etc.. from not one, but two people - K's BF loves him too.... and he's even sleeping on their bed at night.  

 The BF, "D" is a big Star Wars fan.. and he sent me this... .. Our Dog, the Ewok. 

We had company here at the farm the other night and a visit with Florida cousins... family and friends we don't see often.  

This picture is with my MIL, still a beautiful woman in her mid 70's - 

 Our Florida Peeps... 

 Best Friend Cousins here since the very beginning...

We all smothered Baby A with cuddles.  Oh, those precious little toes... 

The cousins went out on a double date adventure... 

Wishing this new little family the very best. 

 Great to visit with them 💖

In between visits and work chores, etc etc... I've made my first ever peach blueberry jam, and I gotta tell ya, it is DELICIOUS.  So simple too, except also a lot of work preparing the peaches... the peaches are fresh off our tree in the yard.  The Ingredients are simple - many many peaches, blanched and chopped, blueberries, Sugar, Pectin, lemon juice.  All cooked together and put in sterilized jars, then processed again in boiling water for ten minutes.  I am loving that combination.  Are you a canner or do you love jam? What's your favorite combination?  I'd give you my recipe but I really did just wing it. 

   We've had some beautiful summer days, and have been taking full advantage of Stella being so close by.  After work or farm chores or whatever is on each of our agendas, we head down there for an evening swim and dinner on the deck frequently.  The kids often drop in after work, too.  Mom is staying down there for a week right now and will have some friends join her as well.  

    If you're contemplating a second home, a little getaway somewhere for respite, I highly recommend finding something not far away, believe it or not.  I'm finding we get much more use out of it because we can get there and back quickly.   It's also easy to include friends/family as they are also nearby.  For us, anyway, that works. 

  Thanks so much for stopping by.  It's a new day, all - let's make it a good one.