Weekending

Well Hello There,

I'm having a bit of a late start this a.m. thanks to being in the dental chair at 7:30 this morning!  Not my favorite way to start the week...but, as it turns out, I had broken off a couple of pieces (small) of one of my molars.  No pain (thank God), but wanted to get it taken care of ASAP.  Dr. George patched me all up...but if it happens again, I'll be gaining another crown.  Aging teeth...what can I say?

Saturday was chock full of activity.  First of all, look who showed up for breakfast:

He (she?) was just the cutest...but her back side was filthy and I heard (from our vet) that a number of deer died last year/earlier this year from some disease with major diarrhea.  Poor thing.  He/she did manage to get some food:

I'm surprised I got this shot as the apple kept dropping down (too big for the mouth I suppose.  This fawn hung around for the longest time.  Walked right up to the edge of our patio and looked at me and didn't mind Tyg going in and out of the house.

Then it was time to take Tyg for his annual visit to the vet for vaccinations and a well check.  He managed to gain a bit of weight over the past year (just like me!) and he now weighs 12 lbs, 4 oz.  And ALL muscle (which is definitely NOT like me - lol).  His lips were swollen again - they get that way every summer.  It's some kind of reaction to heat or an allergy of some sort.  Once again he is now on steroids to bring that swelling down.  No signs of any ticks or fleas despite the vet not approving of the "natural" remedy we use on Tyg (basically peppermint oil).  Because he goes out we want to keep him protected, but I don't like the idea of all the chemicals in some treatments.

Anyway, Tyg couldn't wait to get out of there.  He went outside once we were home and ended up being out all day because Fletch and I were gone.  Luckily he is never much impacted by the vaccinations...and if he gets too drowsy, there are plenty of places for him to take a nap outside.

Fletch and I headed over to Colin & Mailing's around 10:30 or so.  The weather was kind of iffy, so we ended up driving from their place to the Farmer's Market.  We walked around and then went to lunch at Round Guys where I had an excellent brew (Russian Messenger with "hints of  chocolate, molasses and bourbon").  Fletch and I had lunch; Colin & Mailing just had some beer as they had gone out to breakfast with friends and were still stuffed.

After that we headed to Shofuso a Japanese style garden inside Fairmount Park.  This is where Colin & Mailing had some engagement photos taken.  Wow!  What an amazing place.  Very small, but packed with beauty.  Here are a few pics:

Click to enlarge.  There were many large koi fish in the water

There was also a statue in an alcove of bamboo where many folks had left coins.

There is also a Japanese style house on the grounds that you can go in.  We were able to walk through most of it, but I did not take pictures as there was a class going on and they had requested no photographs.  The whole place was just amazingly peaceful and gorgeous.  Even on an overcast day!  I'd like to go back and see it in the Fall and also in the Winter.

We headed back to Colin & Mailing's to relax a bit (everyone napped except me!  I knit!) and then have dinner.  Colin was grilling kielbasa (that he had picked up at the Farmer's Market) and from their CSA share we had roasted butternut squash, steamed green & wax beans and sauteed collards.  There was also a delicious dense loaf of whole wheat bread from the Farmer's Market...and a nice bottle of wine.

When Colin headed out to grill he saw this guy on his fence:

Fletch is pretty sure it is a juvenile Red Tail Hawk.  He (she?) stayed on the fence for at least 10 minutes - even with Colin going in and out of the house.  Amazing to see it so close.  My picture was taken through their sun room window.  The wooden fence is theirs; the metal fence beyond is their neighbor's.  Colin texted me Sunday that he was outside doing yard work and heard the hawk cry in the woods and then take off right behind their house.

We didn't stay long after dinner as Colin & Mailing had plans to go out.  But what a fun day we had!

Sunday had a few chores (minimal laundry, grocery shopping) and I made a "vegetarian sloppy Joe" mixture for dinner that turned out to be very good!  We watched the first episode of Ken Burns' "Country Music" which was very good.  (But...I'm not sure I can handle watching 2 hours of it 4 nights in a row...and then again next week for 4 more nights!)

So, how was your weekend?