Hello Friends! How are you all enjoying summer? I know everyone is probably too busy doing things to write but hopefully you will enjoy reading about the Tinsleys. Wedding season is slow for Nate this year so he's been able to do fun projects around the house. Check out the garden fence we built! We've been enjoying lettuce, spinach and radishes. The slugs have been enjoying pak choi, Brussels sprouts and basil. The sweet peas are just coming out. Carrots and beets are on their way down. Tomatoes, beans, zucchini, pumpkins, coriander and cumin are on their way up! Nate has even started preparing a patch for a wheat crop. He also has plumbing and car repair projects going! Busy guy.

Anna is on summer vacation for one more week before summer school starts. I'm exhausted!! I keep thinking I feel like I'm getting sick but I think I'm just really really tired! We try to give her structure and routine during the day because she is so much more calm when she knows what's coming. But how many activities can you do in a day? I'm so thankful they both still nap or have a quiet time.

Nate's parents are coming home for a month's visit in late July! It will be a busy but fun time. Seth was out of work for 11 months and now has a good job. We are all relieved for him, his wife, and baby. Heather and Jason are looking for their first house in DC. Ruthie was just hired by the NIH where she had been working on a short term basis. And Grandma Tinsley is receiving her summer visitors with regularity. We hope she will spend most of the winter with her daughter Dawn in Vermont, instead of in her home alone.

That's all I can get out before nap time is over! We miss you all. Talked to a woman yesterday who had just come from Rochester and a flood of memories came back to Nate and I.

New Photos!

I finally managed to upload a few shots, so enjoy! The others are on Flickr.

It's hard to believe Noah is 18 months. So far, he's on a growth curve all his own, by identical to mine. Each doctor's visit he measures and weighs in at the exact same height and weight as I did at his age. He's a peanut.

He's also fearless. The kid freaks me out at times, but I'm glad he's up for new things and shakes off a fall quickly. I'm hoping those are two traits that stay with him.

In other news, we finally have a second car, so Noah and I are now mobile. We bought a little Toyota Corolla, and so far I love it. It's a very spritely car, although it doesn't have a name yet. It's been great to go out beyond walking distance when I want to, even if it's to the grocery store. Noah is enjoying it, too. I think he likes to be able to do new things for a change.

I finally have a garden. That meant digging into the sod, getting a load of dirt, spreading it, putting in the plants (mostly perennials from my parents) and then spreading a load of mulch. It's been a long week. I'll see what does well where and move things around next spring. I still have a trench to dig along one side of the house to separate the yard from the garden, but I'm hoping the ground will be soft enough to do that next week. If not, it will have to wait until fall.

I have a crazy alien sweet pea growing on the front poll that I'll have to post a photo of when it blooms. It came with the house. Last year at this time it sprouted and I thought it looked like a bean, and let it grow just to see what it was. By August it looked like it was about to devour the front yard and had sprouted hot-pink pea pods. It cracks me up. I have three shoots starting already.

I've also planted 12 foot sunflowers on the back corner of the house. We'll see how they do. I know they won't look too classy, but given the starting point of the garden, I figured I should have a bit of fun with it.

Sorry this is so short, but I'm exhausted. I could easily go to sleep now, but I'll try to stay up a bit longer and read. 'Night!

Texas BBQ

So just to give you an idea of how BBQ is rated down here, Texas Monthly (our state magazine) rates the top BBQ joints every year. This year, a little place called Snow's BBQ, an hour east of Austin, won hands down. Apparently they are open one day each week, and only open until all the meat runs out.

See the fun video.

So my friend Jeff and I are already planning a morning trip out to Lexington. Texas Monthly wouldn't lie.

y'all.