We’re not sure what the answer is, but this year, we’re going to try petunias. Not the big ones (petunia wave), but the little ones, called superbells. We looked around at several colors and eventually decided on pink, which should be OK with the pink and red geraniums and the purple Russian sage I’m planning on potting soon.

We’ll see how it goes!

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A few lines of Part 3 of Howl:

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The recipe for Gin Gin Mules is here: Gin Gin Mules.

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Hamburgers (with a nod to Grandmom, of course)
Stella’s Potato Salad (Laurie, your mom can cook!)
Beans (Well, we’re not sure who gets credit for that, but they were darn good)

And two firsts for the farm: Cocktails on the patio and 2013′s first radish harvest.

Happy mother’s day!

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A tree, then — sour cherry, of course — to block the setting sun, and a couple of flowering shrubs to help surround our new outdoor room.

Hunna is planting the new Montmorency.

Variegated Lacecap Hydrangea, going between the old stump and the asparagus bed:

Next to the Limelight, we have planted a Ninebark, ‘Diablo.’ I liked the dark leaves as a contrast to the chartreuse of the Limelight.

It’s coming along, kids!

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As she turns 18 months — a year and a half? Really? — here are a few other things that melt my heart.

She’s picked up on the intonation of conversation, even if she doesn’t always get what you’re saying. Ask her a question and she’ll invariably say “yah,” either declaratively or as a question, too.

She will lean over and give you a kiss on the lips, especially if you kiss someone else first.

She loves to put on her coat and hat.

She has a sense of humor; she’ll offer you a bite of food and then pull it away, and then crack herself up. The other day she put her face on the plastic top to her toy tub and pressed her nose flat, hysterically laughing.

She loves music. She’ll dance by bouncing her knees up and down and by leading herself in a circle with her hand, forefinger and thumb loosely touching as an “OK” sign, but parallel with the floor. She sometimes looks like a ballerina. She’ll try to sing… it comes out like a coo.

She a great eater and a great sleeper. Other moms want to kill me when I tell them she goes down at 7 or 730 and sleeps til 8 or 830. This morning she slept til 9 a.m. She take an hour to an hour and a half nap around 1 p.m.

She loves cheese, beans, chicken, fruits of all kinds (blueberries and pineapples are especially popular), sweet potatoes, oatmeal and meatballs (turkey, usually). She’s not in love with greens but we get them in by mixing stuff up.

She was a little shy about the water during her swimming lessons, but learned to love to splash.

She likes putting her hand under the hose and if there’s a puddle, she’ll find it and splash her feet. She’s taught herself to get in and out of her little black car, but she can only propel it backwards so far. She loves being outside and plays with her ball as well as picking up sticks and stones and giving them to us or putting them in inconvenient places, like the watering can.

When she gets in a new situation, she surveys the scene with a watchful eye. She won’t usually smile when she first meets someone. But once she’s comfortable, she becomes a big ham, running around, giggling and trying to get people to play with her.

She just stared saying please. “Mee.”

Other words she knows:
Mama; Dada; Man-Man (Samantha); moh (more); doh (door); meow (milk); jeezz (cheese); bebe; wa-wa (water); night-night; poo-poo; pee-pee; baa (sheep); shoe (which recently because a real word from sheeee); tree; coh (coat); ball; bowl; spoon; plate; caaa (car); biiiite (bite); fly; haa-po (hippo) and lots more that I’m not thinking of right this moment.

Animal sounds she makes:
Moo; Tweet-tweet; Hoo-hoo (monkey); Wuff-wuff; Meow; rraooooaaarrrrr; bock-bock (chicken); caa-ca (rooster).

Songs she likes:
Baa-baa Black Sheep is her hands-down favorite. Over and over and over. She also likes “What I Did for Love,” “Dites-Moi,” “Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,” “500 Miles,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Amazing Grace,” “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” an album called “Huh-Uh” by Barry G and most everything from the “Music Together” collection.

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Speidies, brought from Vestal! Yes, please.

Sarah with her cake!

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