Presentation of that cake....

My Mum blowing out the candles.

 Remember the cake I made yesterday, and the frosting I made the day before? I got to present it to the birthday girl today. There she is, blowing out the candles.

We're actually not on the homestead today, but on the "farm" I grew up on. I use air quotes around farm because we've never farmed it ourselves, although we had a big garden, a goat, a flock of chickens, a herd of guineas, and some peacocks. Still, in terms of actual agriculture, a local farmer used to (and still does) rotate crops on an annual basis, planting corn one year, soy beans the next.

When I was 13 and 14, the neighbor boys from Big Mount would ride their ATVs in the back acerage and destroy large swaths of crop. At the time, I was a great fan of the mafia shows, and at the time, my father had giant Lincoln Town Cars. When the young lads from up the road would come into the field with their ATVs, knocking down soy bean plants, I would drive my father's Town Car over the swails and sit there, revving my engine. It scared the living crap out of those boys. And they stopped coming down for awhile. Mission accomplished.


My father. We've made quick work of the cake.

So, we're here for a few days, while Glenn (Thanks, Glenn!) takes care of the bees, which are flourishing in this hot weather. We topped off their feeders before we left. In fact, last night, around 9:30, Michael made sugar syrup, while I packed and tidied the house in preparation for leaving. If you ever wonder what person would vaccum at 10 o'clock at night. Wonder no further. That person is me.

If you keep scrolling, you'll see a picture of me holding a glass of ice cream. My folks made strawberry ice cream from scratch (and from their own berry crop), and it is fantastic.

While Dad and I got into the port wine, we had a cloud burst, a cloud burst that came with hail. The last picture below shows the rain sheeting down the green house windows. And as quickly as it came, the rain was gone, although it remained overcast for the rest of the evening, and the sky had a strange yellowish cast. Unsettling to say the least, given all the tornadoes that have been ripping across the landscape over the past few weeks

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Bunny, comfortable after dinner.

Me, holding Mom and Dad's strawberry ice cream.



A cloud burst with sheets of rain.