What's Going On Around Here

Today is the arrival of the first of many Carter's around these parts....or at least the Carter's that aren't USUALLY around these parts! Dwight is supposed to be arriving from Guatemala with his business partner Juan and Juan's son, Jose Guillermo (I love hearing Luke pronounce his name!). Paul and Lori are arriving soon, too. I believe it is Tuesday when Carla and her girls will be at the farm....and David & Rita and their girls arrive sometime on Thursday. Paul and Lori's kids will all be here on either the 2nd or the 3rd...so for about 48 hours, we'll have all the Carter family except for Clinton (Mark & Beth's oldest) and Al (Carla's husband). It'll be a fun and busy time, especially since we're having a shower for Erin, Andrew's soon-to-be bride, on the 3rd!

If that isn't enough, my parents will be arriving on July 6 (although a good portion of the Carter's will be gone by then...some just temporarily). We'll be in the parade on July 4 (look for some more surprises this year, for all you locals!).

Our u-pick berries will be ready some time about July 4...just not exactly sure when we'll start yet....but we've been having lots of berries for the market, and they are YUMMY! We've also got LOTS of fresh spinach....and the timer just went off for the canner -- I canned 10 pints tonight and will probably do the same again tomorrow night when I get home from working all day at the market.

The market is going great. We are having a wonderful year, praise God! This is almost the best year since I've been here, this my seventh summer. I really enjoy working at the market, talking to the "regulars," meeting new people, seeing all the pins popping up on our Minnesota and USA maps as people pin where they're from.

Poor Tony has been so busy...between planting, weeding, and picking the crops, he's had to deal with cows getting out of the pasture, the farm dog almost dying (we think it may have been an infected tick bite, but we're not sure....a few shots of antibiotics got him almost back to normal, much to some people's dismay......no, Mama, I'm not talking about you, why would you think I am?), cutting hay, and baling it in between the frequent rains we've been getting, AND repairing a blown out burner on my flat top stove so I can do canning as produce becomes abundant.

The kids are enjoying their summer. They come with me to the market on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and play with Katie, a teen from church who watches over them. She is GREAT with them and they love it! On Saturdays, Bridget is the baby sitter of choice, keeping a bit of variety in their lives. The love both Bridget days and Katie days. Tomorrow (Saturday), they'll be going to a friend's birthday party and are looking forward to it. I told them they should both pick out something to give Simone, one of their favorite things. Luke picked out one of his swords. Susanna, after being told she couldn't give Simone a plain piece of paper, reluctantly picked out one of her horses...with two broken legs. "This is my favowite, Mama. I will give THIS to Simone!" "Susanna, you are not giving a horse with broken legs to Simone!" "Okay, Mama, then I'll just put it in the garbage." "What? I thought it was your favorite!" "But Mama, the legs are bwoken, so I don't like it any more." Sigh.

Tonight was cute, too, as she said her bedtime prayers: "Dea God, thank you for my wondewful Daddy who is weally stwong and takes good cawe of me. And for my Mama who cooks good and takes cawe of me when my Daddy isn't hewe, and for my big bwotha Luke who is weally weally mean to me sometimes but still takes good cawe of me even when he's mean."

At least she's honest....even if she is mean to him more than he is mean to her!