Happy Fourth of July!!!

This beautiful floral arrangement was a birthday gift from my godchild’s family. John Adams thought that July 2nd would always be celebrated with parades, sports, speeches, bonfires, and illuminations for generations to come. (The Second Continental Congress declared our country’s independence from Great Britain on the 2nd. John Hancock signed the Declaration on July 4th as did Charles Thompson the secretary of the congress. The other delegates signed the document on August 2nd when it returned from the printer.)

Because I had the closest birthday (July 2)  to the 100th Birthday party last week, I came home with this floral centerpiece which will be on my table this afternoon when some friends come for our hot dogs, potato salad, strawberry shortcake, etc.,  get together. I had been with my friend Cathy at our other friend Marilyn’s home last night for dinner and later the “Night Before the Fourth” parade in Randolph. Today they will be here at my home along with another friend. The Randolph parade was a typical fun, hometown parade, and the weather was perfect.

I had spent a few hours on Thursday morning tackling my large garden, and I am making progress. A number of readers identified the purple plant growing along the side of my garage as a harebell, a member of the bell flower (campanula) family. Thank you to all who provided this information.

I spoke too soon about my turkey problem being over. The other afternoon there was a different turkey in my backyard with six very tiny babies. If that isn’t enough, I feel as if I am living in downtown Bunnyville. I had friends come for lunch on Wednesday, and they saw a number of my cottontail visitors.

Now a somber note . . . readers know that I enjoy watching quilting, gardening, and crafting videos on Youtube. In particular, I follow many flosstubers. These are people who show what they have been cross stitching and perhaps what they have been purchasing in the way of charts, fabrics, and floss. 

Another favorite channel on Youtube is “  Freisian Horses.” The videos are posted by Yvonne, a trainer at a stable in the Netherlands. I stumbled across this channel back in March of 2020 during lockdown and have followed it ever since. Her short videos featuring these truly magnificent horses have brought moments of peace and happiness. The channel has a huge worldwide audience. We have all come to know the dedication of those who work at the stable, the various horses, etc. In recent weeks we have seen the births of new herd members. We have also come to know Yvonne, a lovely young woman and her family. New videos are usually posted every few days, but there had not been any for a week. I had hoped that there was nothing wrong, but sadly there was.

Her husband posted a short video,  “Update on Yvonne’s Health.” He does not speak much English, but he had used Google translator to help him deliver the sad news. On June 21 while out riding, Yvonne was thrown from a horse. She was unconscious when found and med flighted to a large trauma center. She had suffered a serious brain injury. Her clearly broken hearted husband fought back tears as he struggled to tell us that she had been in a coma for a week. When she woke, she recognized people but struggled to speak. The full extent of the damage has yet to be determined. To give you some idea of how many people care about Yvonne, since his post on Wednesday there have been over 11,000 comments from all around the world offering prayers and support. Besides her husband, she has two boys ages two and four. If you can find it in your heart, please keep her in your prayers. Her future is uncertain and she may face many challenges on her road to recovery, but I am certain that thousands of “Freisian Horses Follow the Herd” followers worldwide will be praying for her.