a long country weekend

A glorious five days in the country--hot and humid, 

but there was shade and water, family and friends.
The carnival was in town, with rides, games, fried dough and fireworks,
and it was nice to see the villages crowded and lively.

I saw a young beaver by the brook and ate soft serve ice cream at the general store.

We had a party and it was fun.

 I arranged and rearranged everything and made fruit cobblers.

My husband cooked dinner for 30 in his new kitchen.
The boys moved picnic tables, set up drinks and built a campfire.

Patrice brought me flowers from her garden. 

Her peonies have a heavenly fragrance, like old-fashioned roses.

The next night we went to a friend's annual potluck, fireworks show, and bonfire. Before the fireworks everyone sings the Star Spangled Banner. Burning wood and gunpowder mingles with the smell of pot, a trio of scents that evoke the western Catskills pretty well--thrown in cow manure and fresh cut hay and you're there.

folk art cows

My store in the Catskills is in dairy farm country. There used to be hundreds of family owned dairy farms. Now, sadly, just a few. There is plenty of farm paraphernalia to be had at auctions. But I've never seen anything like these, which I got at an auction in Massachusetts. The same one where I got the toy soldiers.

They are full of character,

made out of wood and heavy and look kind of Indian. I think it's the red dots.

 I don't know what stories they have to tell.

Don't know whether I'll sell them. 

A person will have to be crazy crazy about them for me to let them go.

Do you see the hand shape on the side and the sun on the hump?

So sweet, so interesting, aren't they?

Jen