More Cousin Fun

I got to watch my sister's kids while she and her husband had a weekend away.  The kids had a blast, including plenty of mud play:

And these little guys were great together the whole weekend:

It's always been so great how well the kids get along.  They love being together, and it was even more special right now, since Covid has limited social interaction.

At the end of the weekend, Lydia did step on a nail and had to have a tetanus booster shot.  It's been healing very well, though, and it only slowed her down for about a day and a half.  We spent this past weekend getting a few things done around the house, and Malachi had friends over for s'mores and D&D.  Gyunay had his after-surgery check-up, and his little arm has healed well, and the x-rays were good.  Now we are getting ready for his upcoming birthday!

Book Review - The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse

This book makes you wish there were lots of real Peyton Cabots in this world.  His character is well-written, and just so good.  I enjoyed this story, from the family dynamics to the setting.  The journey Peyton takes is full of interesting people and places.  The author describes the varied settings so well, and it felt like she has personal knowledge of the area.  I liked the 1947 setting and details.  I read this story over several days, but the characters stayed in my mind often.  Some parts of the story maybe came together a bit too well, but overall, it was an excellent read.  There is grief and suffering in the story, but the overarching tone is hopeful, and there is no better time than now to read a hopeful story.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.

Growth

The corn bed is coming along nicely:

To the left of the corn are Edmundson white cucumbers.  To the right are Dragon Tongue beans.  It's been really dry lately, and I've had to water, but this bed seems to be doing great.  The tomatoes are growing very slowly.  I do have some green cherry tomatoes, though, so hopefully, we will have a small taste of summer soon. 

We've been doing VBS (Vacation Bible School) with a few friends this week, and it has been so much fun.  The kids have really loved it, and we moms are enjoying ourselves just as much.

We've spread it out, so we did three days this week, and we will do two days next week.  That has made it less stressful and tiring, and it's a nice way to stretch out the fun as well. 

Cousins Part 2 and More Healing

Gyunay's arm today:

And we had visitors with dogs, so Lydia was very happy:

Nathaniel led the little ones in a game:

And Gyunay is even feeling normal enough for a light saber battle:

Naturally, we also enjoyed s'mores around the fire:

Book Review - A Dream Within a Dream by Mike Nappa and Melissa Kosci

I loved this book.  I read the first two, and I was looking forward to this one coming out.  It did not disappoint.  I recommend reading the others first, but it could be read as a stand-alone.  The relationship between Trudi and Samuel makes so much more sense when you've read the first two, though.  As always, the connection to Edgar Allan Poe is appealing and fun.  The book has plenty of action and suspense.  I read it in one day, despite the 400-page length, because I didn't want to put it down.  The plot is engaging; the characters are memorable.  The ending was perfect but not predictable.  I have loved this series, and I hope it's not the last book about Trudi.  I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.

Healing and Cousins Part One

Gyunay is healing nicely.  This is when we first took off the smaller bandage:

Most of the really dark coloring is gone now.  It still has some bruising visible, but not too bad.  

And we got to visit with cousins.  First up, we went to see my side of the family, and we were treated to viewing my youngest nephew eating spaghetti:

We were also really happy to see Mamaw.  We sat outside with her for a nice lunch.

After lunch, the girls decided to dye their hair with kool-aid:

And we went for a walk along the river:

Lettuce

This year, I finally had some success with lettuce!

This is 7 ounces of leaf lettuce. 

I've grown some lettuce before, but generally, I get distracted and don't remember to plant enough in succession.  So, I will usually get a pot or two of leaf lettuce and then be done.  This year, though, I planted quite a bit in a shady section of the garden, and it's been doing very well.   For the first time, I didn't have to buy any at the farmer's market, because I actually grew enough for a family salad.  Maybe I'll get brave and try to grow some head-type lettuce next year.  It can't do worse than my many attempts at cabbages.

Gyunay's Surgery

Gyunay had surgery on his little arm Wednesday.  It turns out that an extra bone piece grew out of his little arm bone, and it would keep growing (through the skin) and could get infected.  Also, it is the reason his little arm has been so sensitive these last 2 years.

He hated having to wear the gauzy bandage.  He really hates having anything "trapping" his little arm.

Today, we took off the bandages:

We still have the smaller bandage on, which is water-resistant and antibacterial.  Gyunay says it looks "creepy".

The doctor assured me that if we let it grow through the skin it would look "really creepy".  

As you can see, his little arm used to be mostly rounded at the bottom:

Over time, it took on more of a point, but we had no idea why.  Although we had taken him to an orthopedic hospital for a consult shortly after we brought him home, we were not told to look out for this.  Actually, they said a prosthetic would not be helpful (due to no elbow), and that we shouldn't need to see them unless he wanted a fake arm for show.

Over the years, none of his regular pediatricians knew to look for it, either.  (He has a main pediatrician, whom we love, but he has also seen other pediatricians in her practice over the years.)  Everyone thought it was fine.

This picture from last summer shows the point pretty well, although it had grown even more since then, and it had two tips.  One tip had a tiny bit of bone visible on the end.  (It looked a bit like a tip of a fingernail, but was actually bone.):

In February, I mentioned to our pediatrician how very sensitive the tip of his little arm has become.  She referred us to a wonderful specialist in Louisville.  Our appointment was for the last week of April, which ended up being the first week such appointments were again allowed due to Covid19.  She took one look at it, and the x-rays, and said he needed surgery within the next couple of months.  So he had surgery this week, and it went well.  He will probably need the same surgery more times as he keeps growing, but hopefully not for several years.  The main thing is, it shouldn't hurt anymore, after it heals, and that will be so great.  

Bob the Salamander

Lydia found a salamander today.  She named him Bob.

Lydia wants to assure you that he is even cuter in person.

May Harvest Totals

Carrots - 12
Eggs - 175
Lettuce, red leaf - 2.2 oz
Oregano - 4 cups
Pea Pods - 2 oz
Radishes - 65
Turnips - 3
plus dill, chives, sage, mint

I wanted a big harvest of radishes, and I originally intended to ferment a couple of jars of them, but that didn't happen, since they all got eaten fresh.  Gyunay has declared radishes to be his favorite vegetable, and he ate most of them, although Lydia and I also claimed quite a few.  There are more growing, so if they don't bolt, he will get more.  And maybe, just maybe, I will get to ferment a few.  Malachi and Gyunay polished off the pea pods nearly instantly, but luckily, we are just at the start of the pea pod harvest.  There is a lot of red lettuce ready to harvest, too.  More plants are sprouting and growing every day.  The late cold snap has delayed some plants' growth, but more things are hopefully going to start maturing soon.