Live Free or Die

Vermont may be the Green Mountain State, but The Granite State (NH) is "live free or die". That's what we've been up to these past few days.....
Lena has fun in a clothes hamper. Both girls demonstrate somersaults.
Homemade playdough
Swimming without arm-floats (with a grown-up right next to her of course).

Jumping off the ladder.....(yes I know that looks just like me but it is in fact Lisa).
Picking fresh green beans in a bountiful garden....

Making a blueberry pie with berries we picked ourselves!
Piecrust made from scratch (good old Crisco!)
Using my mother's rolling pin which has made A LOT of pie crusts. Like, A LOT.
Blueberry jam - watching the whole process start to finish:
Let's have a little quiz: who can put these photos in the right order?
Photo A

Photo B
Photo C
Photo D
Photo E
Photo F
Please email your guesses with the order of the photos and I'll announce the winner(s) next time.
Meanwhile, above, looking at photos - living free! But below, the "or die" part- here is Estelle listening to the news that Lola, my sister Martha's cat whom you have seen pictured recently on this blog, was hit by a car and killed....
Back to happy thoughts: more living free: Sunday night fiddle concert on the town green:

Above: Lena in some sort of wierd NH mating ritual with another toddler, baring her belly. Below, magic carpet ride in the land of the free...
More living free, dancing in front of the gazebo....

A little French/Nicoise charm: Lisa makes "socca" (chick pea flour savoury crepe) with flour she bought whilst visiting me:
Playdough rules
Plunking out freedom on the ivories:
Playmobile NEVER dies! These toys date back almost 30 years!
What a fabulous stretch of days here in New Boston, NH - we have been in the pool everyday except one - and the first 3 days we spent a LOT of time in the pool. Visiting Aunt Estelle, hosting Mary, Terrence, Noah and Miranda.
Story hour this morning at the library, picking berries, playgrounds with swings (no photos sorry - not that anyone needs yet another shot of my kids on a swingset), swimming and swimming and swimming, videos of Charlotte's web, Winnie the Pooh and The Red Balloon. Pink Playdough, Playmobile, Duplo Train, mousquitos, an old-time storyteller.....we SURE have packed it all in! THANK YOU Lisa and Dan and Mom!