My youngest granddaughter, Jenna who turns 8 in December, had a story to share the other day. I was visiting her Girl Scout Troop’s Halloween party in the building that used to be a school in Keeseville. The rooms still look like classrooms; the room we were in had a map of the United States on the wall. Jenna took me over to the map where it was a bit quieter so she could tell me about her chicken. Yes, her chicken...

Jenna and her mom went to Family Dollar in Keeseville to pick up some party supplies for Halloween. While they were in the store, looking at witch and goblin accessories, they noticed there was a chicken in the Family Dollar store. Yes, a live chicken walking around! Jenna’s mom, Cris, didn’t think much about it but Jenna likes chickens and has a flock of them at home she considers her pets. Jenna went over to check the chicken out. She came back to Cris and said, “Mom, that is our chicken!” Cris, said, “Jenna there is no way that is our chicken, now let’s get this shopping done, we have to get home.” Jenna, being a bit persistent in nature, decided to go get another look at this chicken. She comes back to Cris and says, “Mom, that IS our chicken, Butterscotch, I picked him up!” Cris was firm in telling Jenna that there was no way Butterscotch would be at Family Dollar - several miles from their home and kept shopping.

At this point, Jenna informed me that a man from Michigan came in to Family Dollar and took the chicken with him back to Michigan. She also told me that when she and her mother arrived home, Butterscotch was nowhere to be found. Cris realized she should have listened to Jenna. Jenna explained to me that, “Butterscotch had roosted up under her mom’s car and got the ride to Family Dollar. When she tried to get out from under the car, her wing got caught and was ripped off,” said Jenna. “The man who took Butterscotch back to Michigan is going to fix her wing and take good care of her, then we will get her back.” She even showed me on the map where we were in Keeseville and his route to Michigan (kind of).

The next morning Cris called me and I asked her about this chicken story. She confirmed almost everything that Jenna said except for the wing getting ripped off and Michigan. Butterscotch lost a couple of feathers and the man who took her home lives in Willsboro so they were going to get Butterscotch back this weekend. Cris says she will listen to Jenna the next time they find a live chicken in the store.

You might as well laugh!

It's Friday! As we jump off the dock of July into the warm waters of August, I hope you have a safe and fun weekend! Enjoy every minute! As my husband David has always reminded me, "these will soon be the good ole days!"

My dog Coco has had fun chasing frogs in our yard so these seemed "in season.

"When a lonely frog consults a fortune-teller, he's told not to worry. "You are going to meet a beautiful young girl," she says, "and she will want to know everything about you." "That's great!" says the excited frog. "When will I meet her?""Next semester," says the psychic, "in biology class."

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There once was a really cute princess who was walking through the woods. All of a sudden she heard a voice calling, "Hey Really Cute Princess!"She looked around and didn't see anyone or anything but a frog sitting on a big rock. She started to carry on her way but the frog called again. "Hey Really Cute Princess, if you take me home and let me sleep on your pillow next to you, I will turn back into a Handsome Prince!"It had been a very long and boring day so she decided to pick up the frog and give it a try though she really didn't believe the frog at all.The Really Cute Princess took the frog home with her and let him sleep on her pillow beside her. When she woke up the next day what do you think she found? There on her pillow beside her sat a really Handsome Prince.

Do you believe this story? No! Neither did her mother!

Our garden is doing great and we are now enjoying its bounty. We picked green and yellow beans to make my grandmother's "Milky Beans and Taters" and beets which my dad and I prepared for pickling. I never made pickled beets before but he remembered how from his mother making them so long ago and with his help we pickled a small jar. Tonight we will have them for our supper and we will do more as the beets are ready. I'm going to do a stir fry tonight with our peas, we planted sugar snap peas with edible pods and they are ready to pick as well.

Summer! Even though it's a bit moist, it's warm and we see lots of sun and the garden loves this weather. I'm enjoying the summer. My treat of the week was a visit to Paul Johnson's bakery on Route 9N in Upper Jay, just down the road from the Land of Makebelieve which we all miss. Paul's Bakery celebrates that and for the hour or two we spend on his screen porch eating the delightful food he offers up, it's the next best thing to Makebelieve.
Today until about 2 pm you can enjoy Paul's meatloaf sandwich on his rye bread, served with a wonderful bean salad. Then go get dessert in the bakery! My pal Alllison and I shared a tart topped with cherries, black raspberries, blueberries - I named it "Summer on Plate!" Then we had to share a piece of Paul's German Chocolate Cake. I washed all that down with a quart bottle of FIJI water. What a feast! I brought home a few treats too - there was a part of pie left - black rasperry & cherry. I bought a loaf of his bread too. To celebrate the summer there is no better place than Paul's. His mom had lunch with us again and she told me the proper name of the business which I forgot. I'll write it down next time.

I heard a news report on 17 year old Zac Sunderland yesterday. He became the youngest in history to sail around the world alone. What a great story and an amazing feat. It really captured my imagination and made me want to learn more.

Visit his website at

http://www.sailzac.com/

Summertime!

Bailey and Jenna are having a fun and busy summer. Here they are at their softball games and they had a fun day with the Girl Scouts at The Great Escape in Lake George. Now they are at swimming lessons every day too. Busy kids!

Have a great 4th of July!

I was looking around for something to post about the holiday. Perhaps at one time in my life I knew the Star Spangled Banner has 4 stanzas but I don't recall ever hearing the last three sung... so should you wish to sing the entire version here are the entire lyrics.

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light.
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner!
Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slaveFrom the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.O!
thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave![