Summer days

 I have a love/hate relationship with summer.

I love a more relaxed schedule, long days, sunshine and GREEN.  The freedom to pack up and go somewhere without dealing with kids and school schedules.
Not that that happens very much, but just knowing it's an option is lovely.

I love being able to have my grandkids come spend some time with us.  I love being able to go visit our kids.

I have realized tho that I'm really not so fond of hot, hot and HUMID weather that comes along with summer.  I would really prefer about 75* and a nice cooling off in the evening with a breeze that keeps the mosquitoes away.
Eh? You think that's too much to  ask for in this fine state of ours?
Yes, unfortunately I suppose it is.
I've been lamenting that I can't have relaxing lazy long days of summer and get anything accomplished at the same time.
The heat and humidity zaps my energy and keeps me from accomplishing most of what was on my "summer" WANT to do list.

Bother.

I hate it that the days and weeks of "summer" go so quickly, and that my calendar of events is a little too full of things that I have to do, leaving less time for some of the things I WANT to do.

In Jan-March I dream about Spring, planting gardens & what I could preserve.  We often have cool, rainy, stormy springs and it seems to delay getting my garden in.  Until the end of May.  By the time the middle of June hits & things are starting to come up, then is when I want the stuff, but it isn't matured.
By the middle of July it's HOT and the weeds have taken over, and I have no appreciation for gardens or desire to work outside.  I'm wondering what on earth was I thinking!

(Oh yeah, never mind the 4 children that live here & the fairly steady stream of other company and extended family meals I make that I need to have the food for)

One of my friends wrote a couple recent blog posts on "Valuing the process, and loving the moment"  Oops--Very guilty of not doing that. It's human to want instant gratification on our projects. It's easy to wish things different or complain instead of just appreciating each day for what it brings.  Time goes fast enough & the weather is not going to change to suit our wishes or plans.  I just need to change my ideas and plans around to suit whatever the days & weeks bring.

The chickens are growing.  They've been in movable pens outside, and we need to get the chicken house finished (yesterday!) so they will have a inside place to roost.
Last night a bit after Kara did the chores she looked outside & said "Oh no, the chickens are out".  So she and I (being the only ones home) got our exercise shooing them back in the pen.

 Back to the first part of July, & grand-kid time

 The porch made a good playroom.  Shade from the sun, and kept the toys out of the (SMALL) living room.


Derek came over on Saturday with 3 more kids, and the cousins all had a day together.  Navaeh wanted to stay over that night, and after a long hot day of play we stuck them in the tub.  Serenity wasn't about to be left out, so we had....

 

  THERE WERE FIVE IN THE TUB.......

 AND THE LITTLE ONE SAID.......

 MOVE OVER, I'M COMING IN TOO!