Entries in summer (155)
Just like that
Not every day can be perfect. There are, in fact, whole weeks that go by that seem to take my patience and sense of well being right along with them. My communing with the mama robin yesterday was a way of reminding myself of the promises I made when we chose to embark on the journey of parenthood and, later, homeschooling. Some weeks those promises—like not to yell, to give space, to be patient, to go with the flow—are easier to remember, and to keep, than others. But the rough days don't last, and neither does the headache that goes with them. I fully expect days when things like lack of sleep and an overheated house will drive everyone in the family over the edge, and a child's need to test boundaries is also to be expected. And when all of those things happen at once it's just time to take a step back and breath for a moment and replenish the well.
There is a bigger picture. This week may have been about butting heads and arguing for the sake of hearing one's own voice, but the bigger picture has always been dominated by love and respect and pure unadulterated joy, and a few rough days can't diminish that. It always comes back.
Just like that.
Rolling Sculptures Auto Show
It's that time of year again. Jon and I have been feeling a little out of sorts; besides the strange weather throwing things off, we are missing out on three summer staples this year—Top of the Park, The Townie Party, and the first day of Art Fair—and that leaves a big hole in the middle of our season. There are still other events to be had, of course—we'll be catching a Friday Nights in Dexter one of these days, and last night was the Rolling Sculptures Auto Show in Ann Arbor.
It was warm, but not a bad night to be downtown. Calvin had asked for a redo of the scavenger hunt we took to the NAI Auto Show in January so we worked that out together and he looked for things like pink cars, glittery cars, a variety of engine make-ups, and even a rumble seat. I was disappointed that the old fire truck was not there this year (someone else is missing their summer staples, I see) but the fairy car was there to serve as an alternative fueled vehicle (because nothing is a more alternative fuel than Vernors).
We enjoyed shakes at Frita Batidos, and later had dinner at Grizzly Peak—some old stomping grounds and some new. We went with Gram and Grampa, we ran into some friends, and we got a call from Jon, who had been in New York for two days, saying that he'd been put on a different flight and would be home before bedtime, and that equals a good day.
The future is electric!
Austin-Healey, the happy car
Being the car...
Isetta, the other happy car
Discussing the oddities of the Isetta
Smart selling, at my favorite book store
community, cool stuff, family, summer, traditions milkweed
We came home from the western side of the state to a garden nearly in full bloom. It can't be in full full bloom because we've carefully planted so as to have blooms throughout the growing months of the year, but the summer blooms are now out in full force. Bee balm, yarrow, cone flowers, daisies, in pink, red, yellow, white...even the milkweed finally bloomed this year. I still remember, the first summer we spent in the house, sending Jon and my dad into the field behind us to dig up a milkweed or two before the mowers came and plowed them down. Digging up wild flowers is against the law in Michigan, but they were about the mow them over, so I think nobody probably noticed. Digging up milkweed is not as easy as one would think. This one had a rather developed root system, a huge cluster of tubers, that required hacking much more than digging. I nursed the three pieces in buckets of water to encourage them to send out new roots, and I carefully planted the two that survived. I was ecstatic when they grew the following year, and again the year after, but this is the year they've finally decided to bloom. Look how happy I am over a weed.
milkweed
Pink yarrow
red yarrrow
true phlox, and a coneflower in the background
We were gone for just two nights, but getting back to our routine is going to take at least that long, or maybe we just don't have a summer "routine" to return to. The library was closed on Monday so we sorted today instead. Piano, journaling, games, and the garden all called to us. And some quiet time laying on the floor with books during the hottest part of the day, watching birds visit the feeders and letting what breeze there was wash over us. We're hoping for rain tomorrow, or else we might be playing in the sprinkler yet again, but that's what summer is all about.
Dragon's Milk
Though the weather feels more like a week in late May, it turns out that July is just a couple of days off. That happened while I wasn't looking. There is just one day left in swimming class, and less than a week until Independence Day, as Calvin is calling it now that he's been reading up on the Fourth of July. Our vegetable garden is really enjoying the sunny, cooler days, and because we water it's not overly concerned about the drought, either, so it's looking a bit like a miniature rainforest. The June bugs are out and bashing themselves into the windows making, such a ruckus at night that the cat won't sit down. Warm sun, cool breeze, long days—not bad, but it seems like not much is going on, either. I think we're waiting for summer to start.
Calvin went to Dangerous Dudes story time at the library today. He colored dragon pages, listened to stories, made a knight, and had cookies and lemonade for snack. And there was a bit of a snafu over the lemonade. The librarian had labeled it "dragon's milk" which in our house is a favorite beer from the New Holland Brewing Company. This was a sans parent event, so I was sitting outside the room reading and occasionally watching events through the glass wall. Because I could hear slightly I'd caught the drink name, and I wondered what family secrets the boy might be telling when he was conspiratorially whispering in the librarian's ear as she passed out cups of the questionable liquid. Turns out he was just telling her he knew it wasn't really dragon's milk because "there is no such thing", a response I think to the girl across the table who was entirely grossed out by the concept. Considerate of him to keep such knowledge to a whisper, huh?
