Happy 5th of July!!

Yesterday was too beautiful and too long to put any pictures up, so Happy 5th and here are some pictures from our 4th of July.

A bit of background:
Sophie has been under the weather for a couple of days and not sleeping too well (she is MUCH better now), plus she hates hates hates fireworks, which go on pretty much 24/7 around here for about a week.  That makes for not good sleep for any of us.  All weekend we have been enjoying ourselves quietly, and not really planning anything...

HOWEVER...
We thought, "Hey, when you have grandchildren, you do things you never thought you would do."  One thing we have never done (because usually it is pouring rain and about 36 degrees out) is go downtown and watch the Everett 4th of July Parade.

WELL!  I can now cross that off my bucket list.

We took Charlie (Grace, like Sophie, has been under the weather, too, but she is better, also) and made a morning of it.  I was proud of Ed - NOT a crowds/DisneyWorld/family reunion/state fair kind of guy - but he went, and we all had a great time.

Enjoy the pix, and Happy Birthday, USA!

Not in any particular order...

Old Glory...literally.  I need to fix this flag, but am hesitant because it is very special to us...this is the flag I hung up when Alison joined the Army, and it NEVER came down (I know, against all protocol, but I don't care) until the day she was fully discharged.  This is our Remembrance Flag.  

Hmmm...matching shorts and stroller.  Nice!

This was at the end of the parade...someone needs a nap!
So, I went home and had one.  :)

From the Cadet band, 9 times world champions, from PA???  Not sure where.

Loved these little dancing girls!

Watching so seriously!

All I can say is...hmmm, okkkaaaayyy...some sort of Roller Derby Club.  

And this one is for Grandad Strode, Ed's Grandpa.  His old Farmall exactly like this one is still at the ranch.  Well, not EXACTLY like this one...his needs some serious paint work!  (PS and don't read this to Charlie: This is the tractor model we got him for his birthday, coming up so so soon!)

For so many reasons, this is one of my favorite pictures from the day...This is the Chinese Girls Drill Team.  They were gorgeous, and even had three dragons in their part of the parade.
I love this girl--her dress, the feathers on her headress, the way she is leading the group, and the flag in her hand.
It says so much!
I will do another post with more pix of this group.  I just loved them.

I added this because this group was one of the most creatively unusual...in case you can't tell,
she is a marionette "puppet"...very good, too!

Forgot they throw candy!  "Grandma, does candy have sugar?"  (He's on a "watch the sugar intake" program. :)

For Aaron.

From a Filipino group.

Best seat in the house.

Paying the vigilantes...who were really collecting money for kid's programs.  He got a button, which he still had on when we went over later in the day to watch fireworks.

Ready for the action.  We were going to bring the wagon, but Charlie loves our stroller...it has a CUP HOLDER!!

The Cadet band from PA??? practicing on the lawn of Everett High School.  My goodness, they were amazingly good!

This was a fun day!  In the evening, we went over to Aaron and Erin's and watched the Everett City fireworks show.  It is down on the flats by the marina, but you can see most of the show from their front porch...no crowds and hot coffee!  Couldn't be better.

Love to all, and enjoy your freedom!

Before and After and Something New!

Yesterday Charlie and Grace were here for a few hours.

While Grace napped, I cut Charlie's hair...but not before he got to get into something for the very first time...The Legos!  Erin and Alison have tons of Legos from childhood, and I have steadfastly refused to give them up.  For good reason.  Charlie loves them!  The first thing he said when he saw them was "I am big.  I won't put them in my mouth."  And he didn't.

So many many things to try out!

Grace was NOT impressed...I mean, really not impressed.  Why couldn't she get down there, too?  She did throw her pacifier and also the large fake Legos she has, and say her version of "All Done!!"  

Haircut prep, must have fruit and drink to make it through the ordeal.

After the Cut.  He said his hair looked "flat."  I told him to mess it up, more like normal.

The Heat of Summer

If any of you dear readers ever look at a temperature map of the USA, I am sure you have noticed that the only really green or blue, or even white area, is the good old PNW...actually I think it is our own city block, but then I could be prejudiced.

In order to pretend it is a hot summer here, I have...

Cleaned the oven...which heated certain parts of the house up to 500 degrees F.  Bet that's hotter than where you are!

Knitted...sitting with a wool something on my knees sometimes makes me think the sun is shining hotly on my legs.  Not too good for tanning, though.

And baked...the best muffins, from my favorite recent cookbook, which, if you can find one, you must buy.  The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger.  I love her outlook on life and eating healthily and I love her sense of taste.  She just Looks Healthy...get the cookbook...you will see what I mean.  I also tried something new...homemade graham crackers...okay, these are amazingly good.  Nothing like store bought.  Don't try them with weak teeth, though!  They might be called Crackers for a reason!

We also entertained family guests...I am afraid they thought it might be summer here.  Poor things.

Greg and Angie and Carli and Kate were all here last weekend for a night.  How nice to see them again.  Thanks for coming up to this (chilly) blue/green corner of the mainly red/orange USA.

Oh, and PS...Grace is walking!!

Now, some pix, so you can see without having to read...

Carli gives Grace a bath.

Kate plays trains with Charlie...and this is in here to prove I was here, too.  The only pic with me in it!

Carli and Grace.

Angie and Erin.

Greg and Ed.  Ok, Ed is starting to look like his dad; and Greg is starting to look like Ed!!!

Charlie and Kate.

The Yummy Ellie Muffins...small breads, actually.

Graham crackers.  Try these sometime.  They will warm your house, and your tummy.

Artistic Expression

A couple of days ago both the grandkids were here.
And, of course, it was raining...
Charlie needed something to do, so he came up with this on his own.

Why I Love This Place

Those of you who read this blog (all 3 of you!) will know that I sometimes mention that it rains a bit here.  A bit?  A BIT??  Yesterday we were listening to the Mariner's game and Rick Rizzs (yes, that is his name) said, "Here at Safeco Field, the roof is open, the sun is out.  It's a beautiful night for baseball."  Ed and I both looked at the radio and said, "Who ARE you and where do you live?"

It was pouring at our house right then.

Ahh, the convergent zone.  Where weather collides.  Sometimes I think it is directly over our house...

But...

That is not what this post is about.  This is about what I love about this place...and by that I mean this house and this yard and this neighborhood and this city and this county and the Puget Sound area and the Pacific Northwest.

One of the things I love is...cherries.  I went to the Everett Farmer's Market after church on Sunday.  The first cherries from Yakima were out.  Not cheap! but definitely available.  Who can resist?  Are there any left two days later?  We leave you to figure it out.

I also love asparagus...which grows everywhere in the Fruit and Vegetable Bowl...that would be the Yakima Valley area, for those who don't know.  So, had to get some of that, too.

And, I also love flowers, and these are from my garden.  All that rain pays off sometimes.

55 Is Alright

Okay, so the big day is almost over.

And what a nice day it has been...began with coffee and roses, had breakfast with a girlfriend, went thrift store shopping, got caught in a huge rain storm (how unusual!), talked to Dad and Mom on the phone, talked to Alison, talked to Erin, had a visit from the kids and grandkids, a friend came by with some tea he bought for me, Ed made me a birthday omelet for supper, then decided to make his Williams Sonoma chocolate chip cookies for a birthday dessert.  Yum!

Okay, it was a great day.

Being 55 is great with these two as grandchildren.  Me with Charlie and Grace, 6/7/11.

Last month, after being duct taped and coddled along for ages, my old wonderful green Wellies finally went to boot heaven.  These are the Sloggers Ed got me today for my birthday.  Stylin"!

And here is the darling hummingbird feeder he also got me...handblown from recycled glass.  I love it!

The cookies...and are they worth every calorie-laden bite!

Erin makes these adorable dolls; this is the Gardening Grandmama she made for me.
Isn't she so amazingly cute?  I love the flower on her hat.
Happy Birthday, Me!  Thanks to all of you who helped make it so special.

Double Nickel

Today is my birthday.  I leave it to you to figure out how old I am.

Birthday roses, and the guard dog...see those wicked eyes?

And these were on my feeders yesterday, actually a whole flock of them.  This is a guy and his little wife, I think.  They sort of stuck together the whole time.  They are Evening Grosbeaks.  Large birds with large beaks.  The males are so pretty this year.  All the breeding male birds are gorgeous this year, for some reason.