Hot Summer

This has been a HOT SUMMER ~ and, as August
comes to a close and school starts, it's hard to keep

Gerbra Daisy

my garden going like it's May and just beginning.  A few posts ago I posted a picture of a Daisy starting to bloom, and here she is ~ standing tall ~ in the BRIGHT August sun.
So I've got week one of school under my belt and as I look week two in the eye this Sunday night, I see lots of soccer and football and marching band on top of homework and lesson plans.  Here's to the end of all day gardening (well an hour and then time enjoying).  It's been a great summer and I look forward my fall garden days when I can transplant the things I want to.  That's what I love about my gardens...moving and changing and anticipating next spring.

Reason # 128

Why I love my husband #128

I really am cheap. I don't tend to shop for myself too much. (Although I've gotten better at it as I've started to make more money!) Usually when school starts I try to purchase one or two new outfits to replace the stuff that's worn out, but this year I kinda thought I'd skip that and just save my money. But yesterday, the Last Summer Sunday Mike says to me, "Want to go school shopping?"

He is too sweet. We went to Kohl's and I got a skirt, pants and 4 or 5 new shirts. So exciting to have new things to wear for a new year. To brag about my husband a little more ~ he is the best shopper. He picks stuff out and wants to see each thing I try on. AND he's honest about how things look ~ without hurting my feelings!

But the BEST are the shoes I got for $4.99.

Very cute ~ and fun to wear! Let the new school year begin!

Big Day

8/19/2010 ~ The day Patrick turned 15 1/2.

He had Band camp and Soccer from 8 until 3 ~ so I picked him up at 3:00 and off to the DMV we went. I remembered his Social Security Card and his Birth Certificate and they checked him all in. Then they asked him to take the vision test. He couldn't see row A2 or B2 or C2 and then he says, "Oh, my right contact fell out during band camp. But I can see with my left." And he passes the vision test.

He is off to the computer to take the official driver's test...and he is kicked off at question 35 with a 75% passing score. He has his temporary driver's license.

But he couldn't go drive right then (Hello, route 20 is REALLY busy) because we had to work the concession stand at the football game...from 4:30 to 8:30....somehow the time wasn't mentioned to me when they asked me to work. So at 8:30 he drove around Square's Acre ~ past Judy's House ~ which seemed kinda nostalgic to me.

It was a very surreal feeling to hop out of the driver's seat and into the passenger. He went nice and easy and then I said, "ok, you're going to take a left turn here. Put on the blinker." and he had no idea where the blinker was. How silly of me not to go through all that!! We stopped and looked at all the buttons. He managed to push the tow package button and I couldn't remember where it was to turn it off! I don't think I've ever used that one.

He did very well, except that he tended to drift to the right and I would leeeaaannnn left...

After our Square's Acre circle we switched places back and I drove to Bluestone and we switched again. He drove the last mile home down a dark and rather busy Middle Ridge Rd. He turned into our curvy driveway and started to pull into the garage.

Conversation:

me, "Are you sure you want to pull into the garage?"

P, "Sure"

"Really, I hit the thing like once a month and you're ready to do it on your first day?"

"Point taken." And I parked the Yukon :)

I did VERY well and I was proud that I didn't scar him on his first experience!

Let the driving begin.

Garden Geek

I can't help myself. I am drawn to my flowers. They are a reminder of what is beautiful in this world.

These bloom so beautifully every year ~ despite the fact that no matter what I do, the leaves get powdery mildew. I'll keep working on that one, but I'll enjoy these blooms as they come.

Impatiens remind me of my mom. She always planted them along the front walk and in planters. They were at the center of one of the three times I've ever heard my mother swear. It was the week before my wedding and Mom was out mowing the grass. She comes stomping into the kitchen madder than I'd seen her in a long time and she says, "Damn, mower." My world was rocked. Grace swore. It must have been a horrible disfiguring accident caused by a lawn mower. "The steering went and I mowed over all my impatiens." Granted, she would not have been as upset normally, but THE WEDDING was in a week. I searched all over for good looking impatiens to replant them ~ not an easy task in the middle of July. I think I found some, and she replanted them and it must have been ok, because the wedding went on.

These Blanket Flowers are really interesting. I bought these once, and they reseed and regrow each year. They are not quite weeds, as they don't always do well when I relocate them ~ but they come back each year and bloom all summer long. (and they do ok when the dogs run them over too)

And finally, after a few weeks of no Gerbera Daisies, one is blooming. What a beautiful sight.

Stuff Breaks

Mike went down to the basement yesterday to put softener salt in the softener. While there he noticed the water tank was only about half full. This is rather odd because our well keeps that thing full. We go to the Cassidy's for swimming and lunch and when we get back Mike checks the level again. Still about half full. Oh No. Water is not coming in from the well. Luckily we have a "back-up". ~ (much like Jacob playing Up and Down the River) ~ Mike turns on the timer for the second well, and it brings in some water. We decide to take very short showers and not use any more water than necessary ~ who knows how long it will before before we can get this figured out. Worst case scenario: it's run dry. At this point I'm looking up in the sky to see if that black cloud is back...

This morning it wasn't much fuller than the night before ~ so we figure the "back-up" isn't really going to keep us in the water we'll need. Mike manages to get a hold of the well guy that the Cassidys used when their well went bad last summer. He was able to come around noon.

Luckily the well had water in it ~ but the pump was bad ~ broken shaft. So we spent $830 on a brand new well pump. Aren't you jealous you don't have a new one too?
Stuff breaks...and you have to fix it.

August Beauty

"I most often find

that happiness

is right where

I planted it."

0% chance of rain

Yesterday was the Old Fashioned Days kick-off parade. All week long, looking at the weather forecasts had shown a great chance of rain on Thursday. But Thursday morning we wake up to wet ground and the Holly Strano telling us that it was going to clear in the morning and we were going to have a beautiful, less humid day with no chance of rain. Great! The band had 4 days of practice and was ready to march. At 5:15 Jake picked up Patrick and Mike and I left the house to pick up Jacob from football practice. When we got to the corner of 528 and Middle Ridge we see that the traffic is backed up heading into town. We make the decision to not come back that way after we get JB. As far as parking, we don't have many options if we don't go 528, but it's a beautiful evening and we decide to park at Amy's house, about 1/2 mile from town. As we're walking toward town, I realize that 1/2 mile seems a lot shorter when I'm running! It was quite a hike to the parade.

The parade was it's usual hour long, but with much fewer twirler/dancer groups! Maybe only 8 or 9. The band was great and I think the whole town was there. I ate my cheese-on-a-stick and funnel cake (with powdered sugar AND cinnamon sugar) and the boys had their lemonade. As the parade was ending we see a blackish cloud descending from the northwest. We tour the square and make our way to the dunk tank to meet Tammy and figure out how we're getting the boys to their campsite. When I meet Tammy it's starting to drizzle just a bit. We figure out the logistics of travel and head our separate ways. We're walking back to our car in the slight drizzle when we see it ~ "Oh, no! It's a WALL," Patrick says. Sure enough, a WALL of rain is just feet in front of us. We just get SLAMMED with water. It was just like a movie...water coming straight at us. It's swirling and coming sideways like buckets were just being thrown at us. We all start to run, trying to keep our phones dry! Mike gets really ahead and I stop under a tree to wait for JB who is really far behind. A lady opens her front door and motions for me to come up on her porch. I do, how nice! and wait for Jacob. He shows up asking why we didn't wait for him! Finally Mike and Patrick pick us up in the truck. It was UNBELIEVABLE! WE WERE DRENCHED!

The Scar

Over the weekend we went to the Gabor's property for their annual picnic/vacation celebration. The kids all had their tents set up in the woods. (The girls on one side of the pond the boys on the other.) That Sunday afternoon the kids were playing hide-and-seek tag. They played for quite a while and Mike and I went for a hike. When we came back we see Patrick has clotheslined himself ~ ran into a tent rope ~ hit him right in the throat. He's got a pretty good rope burn up his neck. He said he saw one rope and ducked but got the second rope.
Then we see Jacob. He too has been clotheslined...right across the eye. He was so lucky that it didn't get his eye. He put some ice on it and continued to have fun. When we got home I catch him looking at it in the mirror. He's making sure there's still blood showing ~ and he says, "I think this part (pointing to the left of his eye) is going to scar. Cool."