Wild

We're well into our first week on Weight Watchers and frankly we're a little grumpy about it (especially me and it was my idea in the first place). I suppose after our first weigh-in we'll feel a little better (provided we actually lose something). This week I got an email from WW called "How to Recover from Wild Weekends". I immediately thought of food (cake, chips and especially gin and tonics), Ken went right to the dark side suggesting that recovering would definitely involve removing all those incriminating photos from Facebook, getting the morning after pill and maybe taking an HIV test. What is it they say about opposites?

WW has all kinds of helpful tips for Wild Weekend recovery...go to your weekly meeting on a Sunday morning (as if...), pack a cooler of snacks in the car every time you go out on errands (are they for real?) and stay away from the food table at a party (oh come on). I think I'm glad we're doing this whole WW thing online and avoiding the meetings all together.

We signed ourselves up for Facebook last week and promptly engaged in a friendly game of "who can get the most friends the fastest". I am winning in this area (for now) but Ken is winning in the area of "best photo of him from high school" posted on FB.

And yes, that's Ken McKinney on the left...I've always had a thing for bad boys.

FB is proving to be a big time sink but it's almost iresistable at this point to ignore the many news feeds, status updates and wall comments. My old friend Joe C said resistance is futile and man is he ever right.

Ithacating

Okay, so where did summer go? After several glorious sunny days we're back to low clouds, gray skies and steady rain. It's barely going to make it to 55 degrees today. Some folks call this "Ithacating", I call it gross. We finally gave in and turned on the heat since it dipped well into the 40's overnight (now, where did I put the blankets and the heavy socks???). I suppose I shouldn't complain, we could use a little rain, but I could really do without the gloom and the cold.

Despite the weather the peas and beans are up and already sprawling. I've really got to get them trellised before they flounder. Asparagus continues to produce but in diminishing numbers. Peonies are still going strong and poppies are done. Poppies don't last very long. Here they were one week ago...
and yesterday, poof they're all gone!

Lilies are coming on and the feverfew is
about to take over the front bed.

Loosestrife is a sea of yellow.

It's time to clean up a little bit and get ready for
the next wave of high summer blooms
(that is if we ever reach 80 degrees again).

There's a hint of light in the sky til about 9:30pm these days. The fireflies are out and the evening summer sounds are starting to rev up.

Our view at 7:00pm
Same view at 9:30pm
I see a few swollen bellies out in the pasture.
We may see calves soon.

Moo.

Ken and I are hard at work on our online listings today, trying courageously to make it through the vast amount of stuff we've bought recently. We're getting there. Peter and Lillie are settling into life without their Franklin. I even caught them snuggling yesterday.

Life is starting to return to normal again.

Frolic

Tomorrow we start Weight Watchers and that can mean only one thing - time to head to Waffle Frolic TODAY!

It was nice to be on the Commons again and especially on such a nice day. It was sleepy and quiet compared to earlier in the weekend when the Ithaca Festival was in full swing.

Waffle Froilic is the place to get great waffles and they offer a gluten free version which means it's "legal" for Ken! They also offer hemp, chocolate and vegan versions if you're so inclined. When the food arrived I immediately declared I'd never eat the whole thing....

Then about half way through I thought I can do this!

and before you knew it, I was a member of the clean plate club.
I highly recommend the classic buttermilk with peach compote,
real maple syrup and side of bacon (I shudder to think how many WW points this meal contained).

We had a nice walk around the Commons and without the crowds
we noticed there was quite a lot of new art to see.

In the alley between the parking garage and the Commons we found a beautiful wall which was created by students in the Ithaca City School district. It is quite striking both from a distance and close up.

I sure do love this place I call home.

Singing in the Rain

It's Ithaca Festival weekend!

Time to kick back and enjoy the best people watching ever.
There's also great music to take in and delicious treats to eat.

We missed the Ithaca Festival parade this year but our friend Mike Ludgate always takes great pictures. It's almost as good as being there. How many towns in the US have their very own Precision He-Man Chainsaw Drill Team, a Volvo ballet and their own roller derby team?

There's great pride in our tiny town.
You can sport an Ithaca is Gorges trucker hat

while wearing your tie die Ithaca is Gorges tee shirt (a must have)

and enjoying a cup of Gimme coffee.

You can even show your pride by playing Frisbee.

Back to the people watching...

There were some of the cutest kids I've ever seen and
they were taking it all in and having a grand time.

I saw some pretty goofy balloon hats,

and tiny Irish dancers in HUGE curly wigs.

There were belly dancers with swords

and a loyal crowd of belly dance gawkers, uh I mean supporters.

Our own Compost Theatre tried to make composting fun.

We noted that the Commons has a fine selection of "gift" shops.
Never too early to think about Christmas shopping...

Even the police appeared to have a swell time
(though I didn't see them dancing this year).

We came to hear our dear friends Carrie and Phil play and sing.
They were great!

Wish you all were here to enjoy it with us! Perhaps next year...