Outside the Back Door...

Cosmos & Verbena

The Kiss

With celebrating Father's Day, Teddy's birthday (his first), and my husband's birthday (his 78th) this past week, our iPhone cameras were working overtime. Lots of great memories captured and many smiles and laughs as we looked at the shared photos.

For me, one picture stood out and is my favorite of the week--maybe my favorite ever--as my daughter and grandson share a kiss.

Linda & Teddy

Kimball Farm, Sunday, June 15

Teddy James Is One Today!

Father's Day

The original Owl with the original Motif #1 in the background.

Rockport, MA ~ September 1966

I was always fascinated by my father's large, square Irish hands. Hands that made sure our home was always safe and secure; hands that drove big rig trucks on highways; hands that could make a drum set sing; hands that guided me down the aisle on a beautiful May day; hands that reached out to touch his newborn grandchildren; hands that held mine when sorrow touched our family.

I was particularly struck and saddened the day I first noticed these hands looking old. Recently, I read a book that, while not noteworthy for anything else, did have a passage that brought back so many memories and thoughts of my father, John Murphy. 

Age had compacted him, making his work-scarred hands and thick knuckles look too large for his wiry frame. When she was young, she used to believe he could hold up the sky with those hands.

~Elizabeth Lowell, Night Diver 

Reading with Teddy...

Despite the forecast of rain, the sun was still shining brightly late this morning. So Teddy and I headed out for a walk to the library.  

Here are some of the things we saw along the way.

Lots of flowers...

Inviting tables for a little sit...

Bags of coffee waiting to be ground at Barismo...

A freshly painted mural on Marathon Street...

When we got to the library, it was very crowded. Lots of moms, dads, and nanas decided to go for a walk on a sunny day!

I'm ready to read, Nana...

And here is the book we read.

Teddy's favorite page...

Nana's favorite page...

From Outside the Back Door...

The last Lilly of the Valley bouquet of the season...

From Outside the Back Door...

Pansies and Parsley

Outside the Back Door...

The Mallards, out for Mother's Day brunch...

Reading with Teddy...

Even though the first day of spring is far behind us, and it is April hereabouts, the weather is doing that uniquely New England thing where one day it's beautiful and warm, and the next we're back in winter coats and mittens. Making things even more confusing, in the wonderful world of retail it's mid-summer. That means Teddy has a new bathing suit for the July vacation on Cape Cod. Of course, he has the matching hat--which he has decided he doesn't really like. So when I saw this book

I just knew Teddy needed a copy because both Duck and Goose are wearing hats when they take off on their great adventure to the beach. Maybe if we read it enough between now and July, Teddy will be a happy hatter!

Today was the perfect day for a walk to the library!  Along the way, we saw lots of these:

When we got to the library, this is the book we read:

From the instant she sees him at the water hole, Elephant is curious about Giraffe. And while Giraffe doesn't have much to say, Elephant is more than happy to make the first move. From inviting herself to bake pretzels with Giraffe to ordering him around while playing pirates, Elephant's bold and brassy style takes some getting used to. But still waters run deep and silent Giraffe seems to have no problem making himself heard. The result is a friend for the ages.

On the way home, we stopped at the park and watched the older (but not by much) kids sliding and swinging. It was a good day with Teddy.

Outside the Back Door

What has Lucy so intrigued?

Two very lucky (outside) birds!