When people get together to celebrate in someone’s back yard, its one of my favorite aspects of living in a neighborhhood. I walked from my house with some of my children to emerge out of the sumac thickets in Ena’s back yard where the grill was sizzling and the drinks were cooling in ice buckets. Watching the children eating and socializing in groups, and then racing around in the overgrown pasture trails and woods made everyone happy.  This is balm to souls worried with the troubles of the day, of the workplace and of ominous developements looming on the horizon of our country.

As dusk fell, out came the spectacular fireworks! Any arrivals or departures

at Gerald Ford International Airport ( or any other US Airport) will have had a nice show. A three-year-old girl however, discovered fireflies and was busy bottling them. When her mother explained that they needed to live outside the bottle it took the child a while to accept, but she reluctantly released them before they expired.  But they were still on her mind and she simply had no interest in the fireworks we were all enjoying. After a good evening together we all walked to our homes in the dark.

Thank you Jeff and Ena!

In the barn we held the first evening painting class and plan 4 more this month. The barn is breezy and comfortable on warm summer evenings and even if we have a storm (which we need), we will be safe and dry, so come rain or shine. With a  cool drink in one hand and a paint brush in the other all your cares will melt into the shadows.