Saturday, August 03, 2013  Wedding Day of Grandson Rafe McGuire and Sally Boisvert

Pre planning enabled DS John to manage the sheep this morning and Fern let down well.

Sally called at 6am Alaska time ant told me of the masses of flowers she had grown and cut for the wedding. I am hoping for many pictures of the celebration.

John and DIL Lou drove down to Brunswick to visit  DD Abby.They went to lunch and to a flea market. The weather was excellent. All reported having a good time.  When they got home I fed them beans and bread pudding.

Sunday, August 04, 2013

John got on well with the sheep this morning and also fine with Fern. She is  letting down perfectly for him.

There was one cloudburst today otherwise the weather was excellent. DD Sally called to tell about Rafe an SallyB’s wedding.They were married at 10am on a beautiful Alaskan promontory with about 20 in attendance. Friends and family then gathered at their home to set up the dining tent and prepare for 100 guests. My grandson Harper, Marcia’s son, catered a sit down dinner for the guests. The menu was varied and imaginative with meats smoked by Harper, a home grown and cured ham and another of bear meat and many handmade sausages. The latter had to be rescued by Harper with his bare hands when Rafe’s smoker caught fire. There was also king salmon caught the previous day which SS Sally said was about the best thing she ever ate. There were vegetable shish kabobs sourced from SallyB’s large garden and wedding cakes made by DD Sally’s daughter Rebecca. The masses of wedding flowers were all grown by  DD Sally.. Later there was dancing with music provided by friends, for square dancing.

       Back here at in Maine, DD Marcia hosted a large party of friends and relatives. DIL Lou made a fine Philippine adobo, Marcia made great chili, Mitra brought one of her home grown chickens roasted, and there was lots of other great food. Roshan played a Bach unaccompanied partita for us on her cello.

Earlier in the day, Lou found a lot  of apples from a tree  that I did not even realize was bearing, and I made applesauce.

Monday, August 05, 2013

The cows were not waiting for John this morning. The weather was beautiful so he enjoyed his tour of the pasture looking for them. He saw two does bedded down in the draw.  When he located the cows they were near the house in the sheep paddock.. Mark and Annie, David Eskandari and Roshan climbed Tumbledown.

       Lou and I picked more apples and made a couple of gallons of applesauce. Lou did nearly all the work.

       John worked all day on shower installation and now Lou has taken a shower.  John is in there now and I will take my turn last..what a treat awaits me.

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

John reported that Fern and  Milton were perfectly behaved, the sheep not so much. It was chilly this morning, maybe 45F, but later warmed up and was clear and fine. Neighbor Ruth Snell came by with freshly picked blueberries. I took all she had, ten quarts.

John and Lou went to Rumford on errands. When they got back I greeted John with the news that my computer screen had gone black, a desperate occasion.  John did all the things he could think of while I prayed. Something worked and I am back in business but there have now been a number of ill portent s with this 8 year old computer and I am going to have to replace it as if it dies it will not just be the computer that goes black.

Lou made a delicious lamb curry for dinner.

        Marcia called to day that her DD Caiti had arrived. A party is planned.

              DS Bret called. He and the kids should be here tomorrow night.

August 9, Friday

   Today was the day for John to take Lou airport.  He got up and milked Fern  as he has every day since coming here. Fern accepts him as though she'd known him all her life.  Then he and Lou had to leave as Lou is going to California for a week.  He mounted a little cow on my mailbox. 

   Today Bret's kids Maia and Roger got up and had fun running around the farm..  Shireen brought Roshan here about three o'clock.  They ate a huge breakfast at mid-day and cooked and ate a huge dinner later on.  It rained all last night and all today.  Shireen had to go to work after dinner.  I went and picked vegetables in the garden,  I got carrots and radishes.

   We got word that Abby went to see an optometrist in Brunswick where she is, and that optometrist said that she does not have macular degeneration, as she had been told.  We are all so excited about this.  She has been very careful to take many antioxidants that are recommended for this condition, and we believe they are having this fine effect.

   Poor Willie is having to stay outside because he is such a mess, poor little dog.  We hope to get him cleaned up soon.