A Haven for Vee

Thursday, July 31, 2014

July

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
~E. B. White

☺☺☺

July has been a pleasant enough month. I had three outings: the 4th of July with family at the ocean, a Portland Headlight Day with my daughter and grands, and a day with my sister searching for that elusive four times great-grandfather.


This is my favorite photo of July and may become my favorite photo of the summer and may even become my favorite photo of 2014. 


Here lies the 
multi-great-grandfather with his second family. He and his second wife lost all three children before they turned five. What a heartbreak. His first wife (my four times great-grandmother)died young. I think we'll be looking for her grave next. (I'm not as interested in the other graves here since they are the second wife's family.)



There were only three truly hot days. About half the days in July we ran the AC; the other half have been temperate and pleasant, more like early autumn.


Documenting only...it was an awful month for Japanese beetles. No roses, no astilbe, no mallow, no strawberries, no blueberries. Hope that I can rescue the phlox.

And I celebrated seven years of blogging this month. Hmmm...gives one pause. Wish I could give you a prize for reading this long. You certainly deserve it!

 
Oh well, it is time to focus on the good and lovely things and leave the rest behind. It's really the only way to live!

Thanks to Cheryl at Thinking About Home who hosts this monthly gathering of moments. You can link up right *here.*

39 comments:

  1. That is a great photo of the boys in the ocean. So sorry about the Japanese beetles. Even Georgia is cooler this a.m. (62) Hard to believe August is near and school starts soon. Wishing you a nice day and congrats on 7 years of blogging. I always enjoy visiting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't even tried to post from my iPad which is what I brought on vacation with me. I've been leaning more towards FB where I can click on Like to show I've been to visit and keep everything short.
    Now I'm thinking back over my July too and can't believe the month is coming to an end. I can see why the photo of the boys will be your favourite, there's something about the bond between them that comes across when viewing it. This photo would look fabulous blown up on a canvas on the wall. Our daughter did this with a picture she took of her son and daughter and changed to sepia. Only thing is, it's expensive.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning, Vee … I can see how you would treasure these special outings this month. I also see how the first photo would be your favorite. Brothers have such a bond -- and this shows it. They weren't thinking of walking to that island where they? Enjoy that cool weather! We have a little ourselves and are savoring it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the photo of your grands, too, Vee. It's just so sweet in the way of the gentle touch and the awareness of them seeing something beyond. It seems like you've had a good month, except for the beetles! We've experienced cooler temperatures here lately. What a relief!
    Congratulations on seven years of blogging! xo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love, love the photos of your grands, thanks for sharing all your photos. It indeed has been a mild summer..we were just discussing that. Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on seven years of blogging, Vee! It's such a treat to read you every morning. :) Love that photo of your grandsons too. Enjoy this lovely last day of July! xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. July has been a mostly lovely month. Enjoyment abounds.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, how I loved seeing the highlights (and lowlights...darn those beetles!) of your July! As hard as it would be to choose ~one~ photo to be the favorite of the year, I think that this one is a shoo-in. How wonderful that you were able to capture the tenderness between them...and surrounded by beautiful scenery too! Love it! (I also love Judith's idea of blowing it up into a wall canvas! Maybe a Christmas gift?)

    It must have been a thrill for you and your sister to find your four times great-grandfather's grave! (My heart did a flutter when you said that he and his second wife lost all three of their children before they turned five. I can't imagine the heartbreak.)

    And yes, this July weather is a delight! Even here in Maryland, we have had our share of pleasant days!

    Thank you for "gathering" with me again this month!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Popping back in to say that I love the E. B. White quote...and I can imagine you saying it!

      Delete
  9. I can see why that is your favorite photo. It speaks of summer.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like a great summer researching, etc. The boys looks so cute in the water. That is sure an old cemetery. Also, can you believe this? We turned the heat on for a moment this morning as it was 63 degrees in the house.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love that photo of the grands!

    I'm sad about your gardens, but thankful you've had such mild weather!

    Deanna

    ReplyDelete
  12. Truly beautiful photo! It even brought me here to read this beautiful post :). Congrats on 7 years of blogging! That's really wonderful Vee. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Moments captured in a photo can bring back such sweet memories. I wish I could hear what the boys say when you show that picture to them in years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yes, that is one adorable photo of those grands...and how cool to find the grave of your multi-great-grandfather too! And I didn't realize you had been blogging so long...that's awesome...your posts are most enjoyable :) Have a great Thursday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hello Vee, I loved the part of the boys slowly venturing into some cold water. But how cute it was!!
    So seven years of blogging, I guess I need to see when I started?? Some days it seem's like it has been a very long time! I have so enjoyed meeting you and others through this method! One day we will all see each other face to face as we will see HIM...
    Always, Roxy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Vee, I just looked back and it was in May 2006, but it seems like it took forever to get it really out there! It was fun to see the actual time frame.
      Thanks for the idea to check it out!
      Me Again...

      Delete
    2. Wow! Eight years! That's really something.

      Delete
  16. What a great quote from E.B. White! The picture of your grandsons is so tender and innocent, so unplanned and deep. What a treasure! Seven years of blogging? Whew! The friends you have made because of it is a testament to your talent and heart. So glad to have "met" you! I don't often comment but I do read them all!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yes...that photo of the boys is a keeper! I think maybe we have been blogging about the same number of years. What an interesting and full world blogging has opened up for us. I hope August goes well for all of us! Blessings to you and yours dear Vee!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good old E.B. White, he hit the nail on the head didn't he? Love that quote! It's been downright Autumnal here with rain and highs in the 70's and lows in the 40's! What was that you said a couple months ago about the summer that wasn't? Well, I still can't complain. I don't live on a lake or sunbathe so cooler temps are fine with me. Happy last day of July!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love E.B.!
    Love that sea and siblings photo too. I think it would be great on a coffee cup; a hedge against winter gloom/a tribute to the joys of summer.
    I hit eight years of blogging June 1st. Think I got reading your blog pretty early on. I remember reading about your caring for your grandmother and thought your insights into that season of life were very much worth noting. Here's to what the future holds that will show up with photos on your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow, 7 years of blogging! What an accomplishment, dear Vee. Your blog is a beautiful place to visit and I hope you continue to blog for many more years :)

    Blessings to you on this lovely Thursday!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Vee!

    I love that picture too - looks like one that should be framed . . . just sayin'!

    July really did go quickly for me, such a busy month! I would take a few days of your mild weather! It has been really hot in the West, in fact most of July the temps were in the 90's!

    I love genealogy, and have been thinking lately that I need to do more research on a couple of family members. I think it's awesome that you found your, very old, great grandfather's grave! It's always nice to know where you come from. Good luck with the search for your grandmother, keep us posted!

    7 years! Keep up the great work, I love your blog, I think I found you through, Auntie, miss her, and often wonder how she is doing!

    Hugs,
    barb

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congratulations on your 7th year of blogging. Your blog is among the five or six I check each morning, after the weather! LOL. It's a wonderful blog, and I hope you continue writing for a long time.

    ReplyDelete
  23. sounds like you had a lovely July except for the no berries, beautiful grave yard photo, the shadowing is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  24. That is a great photo of the grands! The boys of summer...

    Gosh, you could have sprayed Sevin on the flowers to save them from being eaten up by the beetles. Perhaps you don't want to mess with pesticides. Such a shame though. Nasty little creatures. Knocking on wood here because I only saw one of two of the bugs and then nothing. No damage at all and we didn't have to do any spraying.

    Congrats on 7 years of blogging! I passed that mark this past January. Just getting ready to announce another blogging milestone on mine and will have a little giveaway. I hope you continue to blog! We'd all miss you if you ever folded up.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congrats on 7 years of blogging, Vee! I am behind you by a few months. Remember what a small blogging circle we had back then? So many have gone--glad you and I were able to keep it up and enjoy our blog friendship all these years!

    It is unusually cool here today, after a couple days of rain. Pike's Peak actually got a foot of snow! The weather should return to normal summer weather soon--the sun is finally out!

    I'm catching up on a lot of housework today --baking, vacuuming, dusting, laundry--taking advantage of the cool day!

    ReplyDelete
  26. A pretty good month for you.
    That really is a nice picture of the grands.
    This has been the coolest summer I ever remember. We haven't needed the AC at all!!
    I think I've been blogging 7 years as well. I'll have to go back and check for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  27. 7 years is a long time to blog! I think I've been at it for 6 or 7 years too but I've taken some long breaks. Sounds like you had a pretty good month and I like that photo of the boys too!

    ReplyDelete
  28. 7 yrs, is indeed a long time. I'm right in there with you..started in Oct, I think, of 2007. Wow...how can we keep blogging about things for that long...?
    Are you having any trouble loading a background to your blog. All at once, I can't...driving me nuts...it must be time to take a looong break.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Love the quote; I feel like that often! Congrats on 7 years of blogging! and I quite agree, the picture of the boys is beautiful. We have had a cooler summer too, and I for one love it! Love to turn the AC off and feel a nice breeze.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Seven years for you? That means I am not far behind! I see there are a few of those early bloggers still hanging out together over here at your haven...Pat, Jill, Ellen, Happyone, to name a few. It's been a good journey!

    I love your favorite pic of the month...maybe the year. Maybe always! Precious!

    It's blazing hot back home...but I'm not home just yet. It is also mighty warm in Alberta where we are spending the night. The good ole' summertime.

    Good quote ~ White!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Seven years is amazing. Keep those wonderful posts coming.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yes Vee I agree, I loved that photo when you first posted it, tip toeing into the cold water, encouraging each other but not quite ready to take the plunge!
    Amazing you tracked down your 4 times Great Grandfather's grave - was that very far from where you live?

    Love your faith, hope and love stones and the little mat they're sitting on!
    Meaningful moments for you in July.

    ReplyDelete
  33. There's my faithful friend, just where I left her...faithfully creating and encouraging and uplifting. How are you Vee? Nice to browse your posts this Sunday afternoon!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Your summer weather hasn't been the best Vee? We had a most beautiful July this year, the best in years! I'm fearing August will be the damper month though. I have noticed how the evenings feel fallish already. ;( I'm not ready for shorter days. I like the photo of the boys in the water and the old cemetery. Happy August to you.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wow - congrats on the anniversary - not sure how long I've been visiting, I've been on since 2008. I have loved every visit!!!

    Leann

    ReplyDelete

🕊
If comments disappear, please don't fret. A simple "hi" will do. The platform surely needs some maintenance.