Are My Dancing Days Over?

There have been two times in my life when I have resorted to doing a rain dance.  The first was in 1972 - and Hurricane Agnes hit Pennsylvania. It was the costliest hurricane up to that time, striking from the Caribbean to Canada, with the most damage delivered to Pennsylvania.  The hurricane name of Agnes was retired the next year due to its significance.  My second rain dance was this past Friday.  With a 48% chance of rain predicted for Saturday, I felt perhaps Mother Nature needed a little encouragement.  So, unlike my gyrations of 1972, I held myself to just a tiny hustle.  This is what arrived on Saturday:

I am retiring my dancing shoes... permanently.  Mother Nature, you are on your own.  

Seriously, though, although the petunias, peonies, and sunflowers all fainted during the storm, it was definitely what we needed in terms of watering.   All wilted peonies were cut and brought in for a fragrant kitchen bouquet.

 Luckily, our hail was only pea-sized and caused no other damage - other than a brief power outage. 

 There is now a bit of humidity in the air and it once again feels as though we are living in Pennsylvania, rather than somewhere in the typically parched Southwest!  Interestingly, we have been having a significant amount of haze in the upper sky secondary to the wildfires in Canada.  I feel for those of you who are close to that area.  Stay safe!  And yes - fires, storms, and erratic weather patterns are most likely a part of our future... the effects of climate change.

We have entered into that sweet part of late spring/early summer, where the chore list is diminishing.  Aside from the daily animal chores (that never changes) much of what is left over is maintaining all that we did in the early spring.

This leaves us with more time for other pursuits... bike rides, crafting, and slowing down just a little bit.  For those who like to see what crafting I am up to... here is what I've had my fingers in recently.

Soapmaking (last on my list of necessary survival skills):

Here is the first batch of Eucalyptus/Mint soap... 

finished and labeled.

In the basement pantry are two more batches... orange/clove and farm-grown Chamomile.

I have been making my own paper to cut into small wrappers for the soap bars.  I make them out of paper shreds that cannot be recycled, (thereby recycling them), and various herbs and flowers that I have dried from the garden over the years.

I've continued working on the beekeepers quilt, but must admit that my knitting time is diminished in the summer, as we watch fewer shows and movies.  I knit so that my hands are busy when my eyes/mind are otherwise occupied.

Bread baking continues; although with summer, cooking has waned.  We eat a lot of salads... with fresh veggies from the garden.

Ginger update:  When watching my animals, I try not to anthropomorphize.  As far as I can tell, Ginger seems to be handling the loss of MaryAnn ok.  

Her activity is normal... spending time out in the pasture.  

As you can see, she is healthy and robust.  Her most recent cat scan showed that she is in tip-top shape!

PS:  Though I am no survivalist, there is a part of me that feels an importance in knowing how to be completely self-sufficient.  It worries me that the old traditions and basic life skills of our ancestors may be lost in coming generations.  It is my humble opinion that newer is not always better, and convenience does not equal quality.  So, should there ever be a zombie apocalypse, you are welcome to join us at the farm.