Garden Work

Today was "clean out the vegetable garden and tidy up the yard" day, and here is part of the results:



We all had a great time, and doesn't her playhouse look lovely?

Home Again

Seattle did not disappoint. The weather was nicely cloudy. There were ample opportunities for family "reuniting." It was wonderful to get to know my sister-in-law better. It was great to meet Scott's friend and companion. Personally, I loved the chance to be with all of my grandchildren at the same time. The time spent with Allison was special. At 15, she's not going to want to hang around too much longer. James is funny and refreshingly blunt. I hope we don't have to wait for another 80th birthday to do it again. Christian and Mackenzie got to experience new things and loved every minute of the trip.

Mom, I hope you got what needed from this trip. You've raised a bunch of decent people, I think. We still bicker (and I'm the worst), and harbor sibling rivalries (and I'm the worst), but we love and respect one another, and any opportunities we have to be together are precious. Love you, Mom, and we hope you have many more happy years.

The Adventure Begins

We're off to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. We'll all excited and eager to be off. The airport alone will be a big deal to the little guys, and I think we have enough diversions packed to keep the plane ride calm.

Can't wait to see you all!

Updates - Swimming, Knitting and Books

We did swimming lessons in June, and as you can see, Mackenzie is a water baby!

I've finally finshed the Whisper Cardigan that mom gifted me the yarn for. It was the hardest project I've done yet, but well worth it! Now to find the perfect outfit to go with it.



And now on to the next project - a shawl from Folk Shawls using yarn from the infamous Senior Stash. I love this book and may do every pattern!



As to books, I have not stopped reading, but I'm caught up in listening to a book by Deborah Harkness called A Discovery of Witches. I'm listening to it because I'm #222 on the list for the book at the library and the audiobook fell right in my hand. Denny, I think you might reall like this. I would say Mike too, but it gets a little romantic. Anyway, it's 24 hours of listening.

Summer Starts!

It's been a long time since we had a grade school kid getting out of school for the start of summer. I remember now that the rush of freedom isn't just felt by the student - it's a whole shift in the family's attitude. No early morning schedules, no rushing out the door, at least not for a week or so. A whole day of possibility ahead of us!

We celebrated the end of school with a beach dinner and milkshakes from McDonald's. It was obviously the right choice because they want to do it every day. If only.

The Vegetable Garden

...is really overgrown. We have a lot of stuff in a little space. The peas and beans are funning wild. Next year we'll just do beans because no one seems to like sugar snap peas. There are lots of lovely green tomatoes, but not enough sun to ripen them yet. We will not be harvesting pumpkins or watermelons. I think they're too squashed. And four of the corn stalks have tassels. Does that mean something?

Maybe next year we'll just do successive plantings of tomatoes!

Oops, I Think I Get It

I just finished Joanna Trollope's The Daughters-in-Law. I've read a few of her books over the years, and pretty much liked them. Some speak to me more than others, and this one had a big-time message - moms don't have to be in control. In fact, after a certain point, they shouldn't be. I don't think I ever thought I would have a hard time separating from my kids, but I was obviously wrong. Sure, circumstances have been such that it has been necessary for us to stay very involved, but we would all benefit if I could maintain a little emotional distance. Just a thought, and a goal.