Summer Roundup

I've noticed a disturbing trend.

It's substantially darker now when I rise at six AM, and I'm reaching for sweaters and capris. Not a slip dress. I'm not so cool with this, as I happen to be at my best on endless sunny, vitamin D enriched days. So, to spare you my whining, here are some Summer 2012 highlights:

Our first ever graduate. There aren't enough blog posts in the world to begin to work through that one, so I'll let it age in my grey matter until it spawns something hopefully eloquent.

It must have been pretty special though. Arianna managed to talk Micah out of his royal blue crew neck t-shirt; and into a button up dress shirt and vest! It was a profound moment.

My parents. Who made it to my daughter's graduation.

I always worried as a child that my parents would be dead before I ever had children, and now they're still around when my firstborn is an actual adult! Will the wonders ever cease. Did I mention that daddy turned 90 this summer? yes, indeed, he did. Another highlight. (aren't they the cutest?)

Moving along.

 

Enjoying my Jane with her oldest friend in the world. What music to hear them laugh together. Makes me wish that summer days at the beach could last forever.

Speaking of the beach.

Reading.

And reading.

With brief intermissions of bird droppings. While I was reading; "When I Am Old I Shall Wear Purple".

(doesn't my friend have the best hands?)

 

Exploring.

 

Which in my world involves finding previously unplumbed thrift stores. (It has plumbing. What I mean is that the potential and depth, breadth and possibilities of these thrifting destinations need to be properly excavated. By me.).

It behooves me to stress how much stuff I left behind.

Soooo much.

Brian. Working his butt off. Every day, day in, day out, in the basement. Fueled by Kokanee, tunes, and the joyful anticipation of a finished basement, with a second bathroom. At long last.

(I'm so proud of him, and grateful. Did I mention a second bathroom?! I meant to. Its been nine years, four kids, a million little kids, and one bathroom. I can't possibly overstress this enough.)

Coffee.

Consistently rewarding, always delicious.

A highlight, no matter what time of year.

It's my plan for how to survive another winter.

In my new basement, that's going to have a bathroom. Have I mentioned that?

Treasure. I found some doozies this summer, so I went on a tiny rampage, roaring around the city picking up awesome stuff in the ancient family half ton truck. And I sold a bunch of stuff that were other year's treasures because I'm not an actual hoarder. Oh no, I'm not.

Seriously folks. Awesome treasure.

 

My kids. At summer camp.

 

 

hanging out at my big brother's cabin.

I do so little when I'm there that I think my biological clock actually goes into reverse.

Its not a bad thing.

Our apple trees this year. And all the crap apple jalapeno jelly I've cooked up. I'll be on the "cream cheese, crackers, and jelly" diet. All winter. With some of that BC Growers strawberry and rhubarb cider on the side. Should be an all right winter, after all.

Seeing Brian in his butterfly shirt. He took a two day course on monarch butterflies, and opened all our eyes to the wonders of that aspect of nature. Plus, it isn't just any old guy who can really wear a butterfly shirt. I happened to get one of them.

A new baby in the family. Yummy, yummy baby Macie, my sister's first grandchild.

Another great-grandchild for my mama, and the first ever niece for my niece Linnea. I love the circle of life.

We've all kind of taken on baby Macie as our own.

And as a final highlight, I'm excited about a new possibility for bags4darfur. It's ok to let things go fallow sometimes, and just watch what grows anyway.

Summer is so intense and fabulous and packed full that I usually only write mental blog posts. But the sun is shifting in the sky, the walls are up in my new basement, the mornings are growing chilly, and Sam's school supply list is laying on my kitchen counter.

Its good to pause, and just take a little inventory before rushing off into the next set of immediate realities: Arianna going off into the world as an adult; Jane entering grade 11, and planning her next Europe trip; Micah and Sam back to swimming and piano lessons, Brian heading back to the classroom, and me. Anticipating some bernina energy, welcoming all my sweet minions back, and learning.

Always learning.

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