Toggling weather and Jolly's first date!

 What does that mean? Yesterday I was wearing a flannel shirt and today it's a tank top and capris. 84! I did get in a good walk after 5:30 because the road was shaded by the woods. The Jolly Postman can't believe the heat. Luckily he had packed some summer duds!

The first couple of days we stuck close to home because of rain. However, we did manage to visit the wee baby chicks out in the barn. They were a little skittish, but they finally ventured near enough to get a picture. There are fifteen chickens and five guineas. (Micah added 5 silkies to the bunch after we took this picture.) Jolly seemed a little unsure.

Later, I took Jolly next door to meet Bandit the border collie. I know that he has a phobia of dogs, (cynophobia) but figured we might work on overcoming that. Bandit is very excitable and energetic. It was hard to get him to stand still long enough to snap a photo. But he is a kind dog. He even likes cats! Jolly did pretty well, though he sort of froze up when he got really close. Now we just have to work on his fear of bobcats and wolves! Just kidding!

When we were walking around the farm we saw some of the neighbor's guineas. They like to visit and eat our bugs. We are much obliged! Micah's guineas will eventually take over that duty. I hope they don't wander off like the neighbor's do!

Then Jolly tried to get a look at a pileated woodpecker, but they were being shy.

Well, the point of Jolly's tour is for us matchmakers to find some eligible bachelorettes for him to go out with, perchance to find a wife. I hear by the grapevine that he had asked Pom Pom if any of the hostesses might be interested in dating. Ha ha! Well, I'm one of the few singles on the list, and I believe I have one dimension too many to fit into a storybook! This is a shame, because I am quite the Anglophile and would love to live in a snug little storybook cottage! (Who wouldn't?) So, I've concentrated my "potential wife" hunting efforts on finding some nice two dimensional candi-dates. (Get it?)

The three ladies I've chosen are from three favorite books. I mainly chose these books for their beautiful artwork, and all three ladies are artistic in their own ways. They all love nature and beauty, and I think Jolly shares those interests. (As do I!)

Today we will meet his first date, Muriel. She is fifty-seven.

Quite outdoorsy, don't you think?

Muriel is an artist from Scotland. She loves painting with watercolors, and fly fishing. She also loves to knit thick, warm sweaters for the sometimes cool, damp weather. Because she lives in a remote area, she watches church online. However, she does get together with a small fellowship group on Friday evenings for tea and prayer. When she's not fishing or painting she loves to read cozy mysteries and Inspirational Regency Romances.

Through the magic of books she was able to step right into my house from her cottage in Scotland. After introductions and a quick cup of tea, she and Jolly decided to step back into her book (Muriel Foster's Fishing Diary) and go fly fishing! (Kind of mind-bending, isn't it?) Muriel loves the outdoors. She loves to draw and paint the fish she catches, the landscapes, her dogs and other creatures.

After fishing they returned to a warm fire in her fishing hut. Muriel has several dogs, which gave Jolly pause at first, but they were soon on friendly terms.

Some of Muriel's fishing buddies joined them later for a nice meal of venison stew, which had been bubbling on the back of the stove while they fished. There was also homemade bread with butter and jam, and more cups of tea, of course! Just before he returned to my house, she gave him a warm, brown sweater she had knitted herself. 

When we visited later, Jolly seemed quite pleased with his new friend. Her calm and pleasant manner seemed a good match for his own and they both loved fishing, a good fire, and good food.

Besides all of that excitement, the grandkids popped in to see if I might have any popsicles. Yes! (Remember, it's HOT out there!)

You might just be able to make out the sling on Audrey's left arm. Yes, she has broken her arm again! Apparently, she went sailing off of the trampoline, but didn't realize her arm was broken for a couple of hours. It was just kind of sore, and she could move her hand and wrist around. She broke her ulna and she'll go in on Monday to get a cast. That's her third broken arm. They know her by name in the E.R. (Well, maybe.) She fell out of her crib when she was two, and then fell off of the monkey bars at school when she was maybe eight. But she's a daredevil. I guess it comes with the territory.

I got a few photos of bird visitors. The gold finches just returned a few days ago. They used to be our state bird. Now it's the loon.

Then the crow had to squawk for a while before dive bombing down to grab some bread I had left for him.

It will soon be time to retire for the night. I hope you all had a good day. Blessings on your Sunday tomorrow!

Shalom!