The Vacation

It was the last day of an extended vacation. The vacation had been nice, quiet and much needed. With all the stuff going on at work and all the changes, it was nice to be able to get away from it for awhile.
We decided to go to the Safe Harbor dam for a day of hiking and picture taking. Well, that wasn't to be, I suppose. It started out really fine, a nice day, some lovely paths and areas that were new and waiting to be discovered.

It wasn't long, however, before the bifocals in my glasses ruined the day for us. They distorted a curb I was on and I fell, head first onto a bridge that crossed the Conestoga River. What a mess! I had a nice gash on my forehead and my knees, elbows and wrist were banged up nicely. I'm healing nicely now. The pictures above are of (1) the purple cherry tree in my back yard. The foliage is wonderful this time of year. (2) The Susquehanna River. This river is a mile wide in spots and the current is treacherous. (3) The Safe Harbor Dam. We discovered this dam to be only about 2 minutes from my home. (4) The Conestoga River at Safe Harbor and (5) The mouth of the Conestoga River where it empties into the Susquehanna. Everything in this area is virgin except where they cut the train track through and built the dam. Most of this area is owned by the electric company and kept natural. It is truly a lovely spot.

The Volunteer

We get a good many volunteer plants in our garden, mostly wildflower or weeds. (If I like the plant and the flower, it's a wildflower and left to grow. If I don't like it, it's a weed and I will pull it.).

All summer there has been a plant growing in a flowerbed right next to my native spice bush. It's been left because it appeared to be a nice bush, though very young. Today, I actually thought about cutting it down but decided that I should at least find out what it is. So, I snipped a nice piece of it and went to the internet. I found all kinds of native plants, but nothing that looked quite like this one. Then there was the fact that I wasn't sure if it was a woody perennial or shrub or tree. It looked like a multi-trunked tree but at just a summer old, it was hard to tell.

So I took my sample, bagged it and took it to the Lancaster Environmental Association at the County Park. They took one look at it and told me it was a mulberry tree http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/mulberry.html. They weren't sure if it is a red or a white at this time, but would be able to tell if it was a little older. They also told me that the fruit is really quite eatable though I would have to fight the birds for it and that's how they often got planted; the birds. I had an entire family of Orioles in the yard this year. They did warn me that we should make sure the berries are totally ripe before harvesting them.

I'm thinking I will replant this tree to a more suitable area. It is right next to the spice bush and we were told that should we have to replant one, replant the mulberry. Besides, the mulberry is younger and smaller.

A Beautiful Day

We try to get to Longwood Gardens every year. This year, it was part of a birthday present as my birthday is tomorrow. So, we went today because the weather reports said that it was to be nice. It was gorgeous!! I had a great time at Longwood Gardens and also at the picnic lunch that we had taken along with us. It was a glorious day.

Eye of the water. This is where the master pump resides for the waterfall you see above. This is just too cool!

Something Pretty

Chrysanthemum 'Jane'. This is a very pretty mum, rather large and has a tendency to get kind of leggy even with pruning. Still, it's well worth growing and it's appearance of delicateness belies it's strength. I have two bushes that are 4 years old. Each year I think they are goners and each year they make a beautiful appearance, though be it late. The flower petals do have a strong tendency to spot when they get wet, which is probably why this variety isn't seen as much. Yet, the bushes are full enough and replenish damaged flowers quickly. I like this mum. The flowers look like little tu-tus.

The Tragedy

http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2006/10/04/491902.html

I morn with these people over the five little girls that died because of the shooting this past Monday. I grew up near the Nickel Mines and I knew the people who lived there. I attended a one-room schoolhouse as a child with some of these grandparents. This was a shocking blow to everyone in the county.

I've heard rumors that the Amish will either dismantle or burn the school. I don't blame them. Their surviving children will not go back there. Whatever they decide to do, they will put this horror to rest. Personally, I think I'd burn the school and till under the ashes to bury the entire thing.

This has been a sad, sad week.

The Baby Shower

Today was a good day. It was the day that stepson, Jim and wife Christina threw a surprise baby shower for stepdaughter, Jennifer. Was she surprised? You bet, at least by the look on her face as she came through the door this afternoon, carrying her own iced tea! Helping her in the door is her husband, Ron, and niece Abigail.

She is due in 5 weeks and has finally found out the sex of her baby. You know it really doesn't matter what the sex is, but to know ahead of time is to prepare properly. Until just recently, little Sarah Georgine wasn't about to let her mother know whether she was a boy or a girl, hiding from the doctor at each exam.

It was good to see both sisters sitting on the sofa, both very pregnant, laughing and enjoying the party. Christina is also due in about 5 to 7 weeks. Both seemed to really enjoy unwrapping the gifts and inspecting each one. Why of course they did! I would.

Even though I don't necessarily look like I was enjoying the party, I was.


Jennifer got a lot of really, really nice things. Her grandmother, Sarah, made her a beautiful blanket, bonnet and sweater. She got lots of diapers, a rattle, a couple more blankets and a variety of things. I was surprised at how calmly she seemed to be taking all this. Jennifer, even as a child, was always emotional. But today, after the initial surprise when she first arrived, she seemed quite calm. She didn't even cry when she opened her mother's gift, a model of the crib that her mother had gotten for her. The crib was to be delivered.

It wasn't until her Dad and brother, Jim brought out the other "big" gift that she got emotional. When we had decided on what to get her for this baby shower, I had told Husband what he should do. He was really unsure, but I told him that I always remember that she was very upset about Jim getting the cradle that both kids were kept in when they were tiny. Jim was the first married and the first with a baby, so he got Dad's cradle. Jennifer always thought that she should get it. So I told Husband, he had no choice but to make a second cradle, the same but different from the first. He did just that. As soon as she saw it, she knew he had built it, even though she still asked. I had gone shopping yesterday and found lovely cradle duds that I thought would suite, especially since I didn't know Sarah would be a Sarah at that time.

Not only was it a surprise baby shower for Jennifer, it was also her birthday, so we had to have a cake to celebrate both occasions. I have to admit, there were a LOT of candles on that cake.

She had a wonderful party and got a number or really wonderful things to start Sarah right when she arrives. Now we are counting down until we get to meet our new baby granddaughter.