It's been a whole summer without doing a "post", so I will try to get updated in one swoop.  The big news happened at the end of June, my ex husband and father of our children died.  He had been doing better, was home and Sabra had even spoken with him on the phone, when the call came.  It was a difficult time, the communication between the two families had been tense and unfriendly (on their side) and his death came as much of a surprise.  Sabra researched the correct German words to send with the flowers and on the 4th of July he was buried.  We had a memorial get together at Sabra's, it was quite pleasant.  She made Mass cards, I made an album of a collection of family pictures, Helene brought the picture of Zach and her visit with him last year, but it was not like a real funeral.  An obituary in the Poughkeepsie paper brought some condolences, but on the whole it was like it never happened.  Then to top it off, the funeral director emailed pictures of the flowers and the funeral home and each of her kids had ribbons with their names, and the big ribbon in front, and in English, read "Good-bye my love" and his wife's name, who rarely spoke English.  We wanted ribbons but that's another story. 

Then on July 9th it was off the to Cape for two weeks, the first week with Sabra, Tony, Solomon and Henry and woowoo and Paul's boys Zach and Ian.  First day and a half were rainy, cold, then the heat kicked in.  This was the first house we ever rented with central air, and believe me, we needed it.  Days passed quickly and the second week brought Shane and Ava out, then Jer and Gabi.  We came home on the hottest day of the year (that's what they said then)  but since then it seems each day is hotter than the one before.

So now the garden is doing good, lots of beans in the beginning, now the tomatoes and zucchinis are coming on strong.  The zinnias attract lots of butterflies and hummingbirds, and just to prove Bucky right (after the fourth of July the summer is over) the farmer's almanac has August 24 - hummingbirds head south.  Most of the time the yard looks like Mrs. Murphy's Turkey farm, I counted 14, all sizes there today.  The turkeys are a big hit with the B&B guests, so I feel they earn the corn I throw to them everyday.  Timmy is looking to buy a car, he wants a yellow Fit, with manual steering, and apparently, manuals are almost impossible to find, and now they are not making any more for this year.  But the quest for a car gives us a lot of phone calls and emails, so far only a purple fit has been offered and Timmy said, "I can't drive a purple car".  So I guess that gets us caught up to the middle of August.  And boy is it hot and humid.  This too shall pass.