It Wasn't Really So, But it Seemed to Be...

I was walking along the river bank yesterday afternoon. The composition of the bank has totally changed; this spring brought so much flooding and such high water levels that there is now a 4 foot bank of sand along the edge. It's lovely with the birds chirping, breeze blowing, sound of the water rushing by...for a moment I felt transported back to the beaches of Massachusetts. Until the breeze brought me a lovely and strong scent of cow manure, courtesy of the dairy farm on the hill directly across the river. I had to laugh! This, I thought, is the Vermont beach! It's close to the real thing, but there's no escaping that eau de Vermont!

A Birthday for a Princess

We usually try to have a Memorial Day BBQ every year and this year we figured, "why not combine it with M's birthday since we'd only be inviting the same people anyway?" It seemed like a good idea at the time...Actually, it was a lot of fun, the weather cooperated and the kids even went swimming in the river for the first time this year. If only we hadn't tried to poison off our guests with a bout of strep throat, poison ivy and a tick! I wonder if anyone will attend next year's party...M has not put down her Ariel doll since yesterday. I think at the age of 3, she will remember this birthday and all her princess friends who attended.