Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Summer So Far

We're on week three of unscheduled days and so far, so good, I guess.  We've had more than a few moments (read:  hours) of Parenting with Love and Logic scripts gone awry, time-outs that degenerated into Annie, held captive in her room, whipping a zippered sweater at her bedroom door for the satisfying "clank" sound it makes, yelling "Jemma's poopy!" while Jemma holds my leg and insists, "I Not Poopy!"  We're all tired at the end of the day in a way we weren't just a month or two ago.

And yet we're getting into a routine, too.  Mornings, I push them in the jogger and sometimes stop at Starbucks after my run.  We play at the park for a spontaneous hour here or there, have a picnic in the front yard, bake a chocolate cake for no good reason.  We run through the sprinkler or take a scooter ride (Annie is unbelievably quick on her Razor).  We reapply sunscreen.  We feed the tadpoles.  We grill.  We eat popsicles and wait for Jason to get home.  I am seduced by the late-night light and stay up way too late, reading Dandelion Wine like I do every year in June.

We've been gone the last four weekends in a row, and we're headed up north this weekend.  So the suitcase sits, open, on our bedroom floor, and anything I packed for last weekend that didn't get dirty remains inside, on call for the next trip.  I do laundry constantly, and there is always a swimsuit hanging to dry over the edge of the tub.  The Red Wings announcer's voice floats out from the living room.  The herbs in our garden are tall.  It's really, truly summer.

"It was a quiet morning, the town covered over with darkness and at ease in bed.  Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow.  You had only to rise, lean from your widow, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer."
-Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

2 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post, Steph. You have such a way with words...with making your details come to life. So many of them resonated with me, which should come as NO surprise.:)
    "We're all tired at the end of the day in a way we weren't just a month or two ago."
    That one about summed it up for me...
    The open suitcases with unused clothes, ready to be packed again...oh, and the POOPY talk. We chatted about that...so you know my feelings on that subject already.
    Have a great weekend--let's plan something when we all return home!

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  2. I love your blog!! You really need to write a book. I check on your blog often. I am a parent also so I laugh and cry at your posts because i have been there.

    Keep up the good work. where did you find that book you got your quote from? My local library does not have it. I really enjoy what you are reading i have gotten most of those book and have enjoyed them.

    Looking forward to reading!!!

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