Ramblings

Oh my. I miss blogging. It relaxes my brain. But alas, there isn't time. Soccer is over and dance too. Only gymnastics remains. And we added swim lessons--a summer ritual. But the last lesson was today. And then there is Honduras.

I hadn't realized how crazy it really got around here until we had three nights in a row where I actually cooked and we all sat down together to eat. It had been so long! Even though cooking and the subsequent clean-up top the chart of my least favorite household tasks, I like the peacefulness of being together, playing, eating and not going anywhere with hastily packed sandwiches.

And I love the summer fruit. I love to serve cherries or watermelon or nectarines and then hope for the perfect juicy one. I wish I didn't have to count how many I ate. Oh and the green beans. I like them raw, crisp and snappy. Hadley and I are counting the leaves on the bean plants in the garden. And personally, I am hoping not a single one gets ripe before our return in mid-July. I know I can't even hope for such luck with the peas. And last night we had our first garden salad. The peppers and cuke where from the store of course. But the spinach (two kinds), Swiss chard, lettuce, and romaine--from the back yard. I think they got enough water this year to not taste bitter. Simple pleasures.

And preparations? A week left. The shots and meds are taken care of. All of the girls in the family are sporting new, shorter styles in preparation for 105 degrees but I haven't time to post a picture yet. The luggage is open and stacks of things are accumulating to insert. Neighbors and friends are in place for watering the garden, mowing the lawn, housesitting, fish feeding--but the instructions have yet to be given. The newspaper has been stopped. I still have a list of things to buy at Walmart: anti-diarrhea meds, more potent bug spray, something for bug bites (Bite Off I'm told is the best..but where do I find it?), packets of electrolytes in case of dehydration, and some gluten-free treats for Kass. Oh and then there is an article that needs to be finished. An article that is killing me because the pieces won't come together per editor's orders and the "experts" won't call me back. But one by one things get checked off.

I am hoping to avoid a last minute panic. If only everyone here would stop eating and getting things dirty starting oh let's say tomorrow, it would all be so easy. I should just make rules---Sit still all day, don't even think about fighting and absolutely no mess making. Oh and please just eat for pretend. I don't have time to cook and clean up the mess of real food. Those are reasonable, right?