Summer's Here

Doesn't it just make you want to say, "You look MAH-VELOUS, Dahling!"?

And she does. This is Miriam, enjoying a day at the pool at MeeMaw's new condo. It was excessively hot that day. We're thankful that summer has reined itself back in a bit as far as temperature is concerned.

Summer for us this year is rather old-fashioned. We're focusing on time at home together, swinging in the backyard, swimming whenever we possibly can, and celebrating birthdays in a much more normal way than we've often done in the past. Just a little cake. Maybe some ice cream. A slumber party or small gathering. A trip to the park. And so on. Three birthdays down and one to go. (Watch for new images in a week or so.)

The rest of the time we prayerfully try to coax some signs of life from our desperate little garden spots. Yesterday Emma and I got 11 blueberries, 1 cherry tomato, and 3 green onions. It was quite a haul for us! The heat and cabbage moths devoured Miriam's little cabbage patch. ("Look, Mom! Mine is all eat up!" she said.) So we plugged it with three extra cucumber plants and a watermelon vine. Maybe that'll work.

This is about the only type of car we can afford to drive these days, so we won't be planning any long vacations this year: gas is too high, income is too low, and there just aren't enough work days in the year under those circumstances to let us take off a string of them in a row. So instead we're trying to see the forest despite the trees. After all, we live in one of the most sought-after vacation spots in the U.S. It's time to rest at home and enjoy the opportunities and beauty around us at a slower pace than the other 9 months of the year.