Summer

It really is summer now, isn't it? Summer always comes with it's quirks, and I have extra work dealing with them. First of all, it seemed like the season would never come this year. My garden is definitely stunted because of it, but looking pretty good otherwise. Each year, I find myself growing ridiculously fond of my little garden. I get a little too proud, and a little too protective. The dog will carefully skirt the edges, showing she knows exactly where the borders lie, yet I will randomly find her standing in the middle. I shriek and charge, and she suddenly turns into a squirrel, dodging this way and that, while I wave my arms and frantically try to herd her out.  I am obsessively peeking out the windows to make sure that the cats aren't traipsing through my beautiful bounty, and when I catch a feline such malicious intent, I run screaming through the back door to scare them away. I even have a BB gun that I shake at them. Yet for all this, it has become a game- I can see it in their faces. They mock me. Just the other night, I was startled by a deer standing in the driveway about 10 feet from our door. I brought the family over to see, and we all admired her before she trotted away. Then I realized how dumb I had been! I should have sent the dog out to chase her, or done something scary. Now she thinks our place is nice and peaceful, and full of tasty vegetable sprouts. The mosquitoes are doing what they can to try to prevent me from weeding. Sometimes it works. Those things are aggressive  up here. I certainly remember getting plenty of bites down in Rochester, but up here they full on attack. I really would prefer to use all natural bug spray, but it doesn't phase them a bit. If I'm not drenched in DEET, I'm advertising free blood. Evening would be ideal for weeding, if not for those pests. Another reason I can't weed after high noon: Junebugs. Do those terrify you the way they terrify me? June is really the month from hell. Lucifer himself must slither up some craggy crack of the earth and set loose Junebugs and woodticks, just to torment human beings.

Despite my very own animals toying with my mental health, and having a fear of stepping outside after dusk, I am enjoying summer. I know, it doesn't sound like it, but I am. The kids are so fun to be around that every day is interesting. There is so much to do! We love swimming, taking Shael for walks, going to the park, having picnics. Olivia and Genevieve have enjoyed sleeping in their tent a few different nights. They know that even though I say they have to go to sleep by X time, that I'm too afraid of Junebugs to step outside and make sure they've put away the books and flashlights. I've heard what sounded suspiciously like giggles well into the night... The girls and I are still making it through the "mom-summer-schooling," although little brother makes it quite difficult for us. We do what we can while he sleeps, but there isn't much we can manage while he's awake. That boy is go-go-go as soon as his feet hit the floor in the morning! I love Shawn's work schedule, because he leaves while we're sleeping, and is home before 3pm every day. I'm sure he would like to sleep a little longer in the mornings, but he very much enjoys his job at the nursing home.

 I had grand plans of stuffing this blog entry full of cute pictures of the kids, but my laptop died and we haven't been able to transfer the pictures on to the new one yet. Stay tuned for some sweet pics of the family!