"Those Lazy Days of Summer"...Say What???

I have been on an "unintentional" vacation from my blog.

Did you notice?

After writing my last post (June!!!),

I was feeling a bit stale and kept waiting

for inspiration to hit for my next post.

It never did and the whole summer seems

to have flown away.

I may have been uninspired,

but I haven't been idle.

Here's a little catch-up on what's

been happening this summer

at Buttermilk Cottage.

We had to say a very sad farewell to Chaos.

You might remember he was my bother Rick's dog,
who was going to stay here while
Rick and his family were in Germany
for a three year tour with the Navy.
Sadly, Chaos who was 16 years old,
began failing.
He was here a little more than a year
and it is amazing how he worked
himself into my heart.
You were a good dog Chaos
and I miss you.

My daughter Kate made a quick trip home
and sorted through loads of her things
that have been in storage in my
basement for the past three years.
She has made her move out of NYC
(goodbye publishing),
to Washington DC
(hello law school).
She now has her own apartment
and can finally take some of her things
to make her own nest.
Good luck Kate!

After anticipating it for the past year,
my sister Nancy and I finally took our trip
to Germany to visit Rick and his family.
(More pictures will be included in a later post.)
Due to their outstanding efforts
we had a wonderful vacation!
Thank you Rick and Terry.

I've been busy baking for the past few
weeks in anticipation of the upcoming
neighborhood yard sale,
during which we host a
"Bistro on the Porch."
So far, I have stocked away in the freezer
8 loaves of zucchini bread
(lovely zucchini from my Dad's garden)
8 dozen brownies with white chocolate chips
2 Lemon Blueberry Cakes
1 and a half Cinnamon Cakes
(Half the cake stuck to the pan and we had to eat it.)
The event is less than two weeks away
and I really should have something in the oven right now!

And finally, I have been knitting mittens all summer!
I have designed a cozy pair with wool and mohair
and will be listing them in my Etsy shop soon
in ten different colors.

So, a couple of months may have elapsed,
but you're up to date with me!