Summer of Surprises!

say, and the adage is true. No special order or ranking, although there are a few that stand out.

Gurion, our nearly thirteen-year-old grandson was here for five days and nights. Five siblings were left behind! Lew's journal records the joys, the accomplishments and the surprises. Three concerts - one on the Chester Green with a Lisai's bulkie. Then "802 Experience" St. Luke's church musician Jacob McLaughlin's performance. Food shopping. Gifts for the boy from Staples. Menu planning. Shrimp twice. Family Center shopping for games. Picture taking. Story editing. Doll leg stuffing. Fireman face design. Model airplane building. Time line work. Engagement with doll shop visitors. Two visits to the town pool, one better than the other because of old friends, yes five girls, were there. Built a trellis for morning glories. Scrabble games. Celebrating national ice cream day. Last concert!

We returned our guest to his parents at the Gifford Medical Center lawn in Randolph where they made their debut as Jennings and McComber (yes, like them on their Facebook page), a Green Mountain indy duo writing most of their songs and accompanying themselves on a myriad of instruments. They were a hit. And the 17-year mark in their marriage was made memorable and unforgettable. We were very proud.

The call from the Guilford Welcome Center was a big boost. They were nearly out of our fantastic brochure that was "flying off the racks." Done. Plans in place for Tuesday/Thursday Grammie Tea Parties with Silvio and planning our writing stories event at the end of August.

One of my cherished customers, Bobbie, accompanied by Jack came to pick up her Saint Nicholas. When I was out of the room for a moment, Jack decided that Nick's bride, Clara Claus, should go home with them to Connecticut. She was the last sale doll of the old bunch because NH friends took Molly away! So now we have an astounding deacon's bench full!

The three great P ladies popped in on me a couple weeks ago. The eldest, 98, was visiting her Vermont children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Thank you again, Caroline, for suggesting years ago that I sign the left leg of every doll and maintain a registry. Lovely to see my old friend Nancy and her brother-in-law's Nancy who may have gotten hooked. We shared more than ninety minutes worth of stories. I didn't even feed them.

Another family of women showed up one day with their grandma from Minnesota and three of her five daughters all K's like ours, one of whom just moved to close by Andover. The littlest joy (that was her name) was grabbing lots of hugs from her grammie. Very familiar scene.

Then a couple week's ago travel writer for Maine and Vermont and author of the 2008 Yankee Magazine article about Christmas in three Vermont towns (her favorites and ours), Christina Tree surprised us with a visit to update our information for her VT travel guide. We agreed it is harder to find the genuine Vermont experience nowadays. Too many visitors bring their virtual world with them instead of experiencing ours. We have engaged the bikers on four VBT tour stops with that genuine Vermont hospitality.View image

Our Historical Time Line event is perking. We figured out the process, designed the board, sorted the decades and got through 10 years of the sixties and seventies, the latter on a pink ribbon noting the births of three K's. Gurion created a sweet Fairfield Processing truck image and we stuck Polyfil on it before posting it on the timeline. The best was the recollection of the six miracles on a July 1981 night--and Mrs. Donnis' evening primrose miracle. Sweet surprise, Grammie finds the rubber bands hidden under her pillow after the teasing tween shopper went home.

Surprise us. Summer isn't over yet!