summer summer summer....

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Spontaneity. Love that word, love that concept.

2. Free time.

3. Not being quite sure sometimes exactly what day it is.

4. Soft ice cream.

5. Walking out my back door and stepping into that pool.

6. The beach.

7. Having the kids around, which if of course really #1 on the list.

8. Cooking on the grill. I made the best chicken last night....

9. Barefeet.

10. Exercising out in the yard in our "gym".



Our outdoor gym: weights, boxes (for box jumps, or in my case - box "steps"), mats, and the climbing rope, which I do not climb. It is out under the trees, and it is so nice out there in the morning. Not many cars drive by....and hey, the neighbors probably think we're crazy anyways.

Weekly weigh-in results: down half a pound from two weeks ago. blah. I did not weigh last week because of vacation. After vacation, I was up like four pounds. So I got a bit more serious, and lost it again. I hate playing that game, but the alternative is to just pile it back on. So overall, I am glad I am back down.

Mali and I DID sneak away to the really good ice cream place yesterday though, I must admit. The chocolate/vanilla twist there is so yummy and creamy and good..and she ordered sprinkles on hers, so I asked the girl how much sprinkles cost...fifteen cents. Okay, I would like some too. Dang I am hopeless! Yet, I shall not give up! After all, I have lost over 65 pounds now. More than half way there!

Mali and I were out and about all by our lonesomes because she had to go to court for the ticket she so nicely received from the state trooper at the scene of her accident. Driving too fast for conditions. Fine: up to $150 plus $85 surplus that goes to the state of New York, to replace their old gin tumblers, according to Mali. Anyway, if she just plead guilty and paid the fine, she would have up to 3 points on her license, which means higher insurance premiums...so she plead Not Guilty, and is taking it up with the District Attorney. The judge was super nice though. As he called us to Approach The Bench, he said to me, "you must be her sister". I said, "I am her Mom, but thank you." Of course I dressed in my Going To Court clothes...very respectful and motherly...not without teasing Mali ahead of time that I was going to wear stretch pants and my Mickey Mouse t-shirt. No, I don't really own a Mickey Mouse t-shirt. Or a Tweety Bird one. No offense to any middle aged women who actually do wear these kinds of things out and about, but...never mind.

It is a lovely day here in central New York state. Warm and sunny right now. Slight chance of rain. Our pool is clear and sparkling and just the right temperature to be refreshing but not too cold, not too hot. What is on my agenda today? Nothing. I would like to visit the outdoor gym in the front yard, and take a few swims...but other than that, nada thing.

My two little princesses woke up at 7:15 this morning, and blah, I wanted to roll over and doze back off...my bed was comfy, and hey, I stayed up past one finishing another library book. I know, I shouldn't complain, 7:15 is not that bad. The puppy was barking, so I took her outside...then cleaned up the little mess on the newspapers, wiped up a pile of pee with disinfectant spray, cleaned up the kitchen a bit, took Suri outside a second time, gave the princesses a nice bath, then breakfast, threw in a load of laundry,....then when Jonathan and Sonja K. woke up, I went on my walk....

I love my walks. I can think without interruptions, I can figure things out, I can
re-motivate myself to eat better and exercise harder. I like to watch the changes in the flowers and the growth of the corn, and see the critters bolt when I come stomping down the road. I heard wild turkeys the other day, but I haven't seen my little skunk friend lately. Oh, that stupid skunk would just sit there and watch me walk by, and I would hope hope hope it was still stupid. Ha, I guess I was pretty stupid too. Anyway, I love my walks.

Kitty Kitten hasn't had her kittens yet. She is getting huge! And she is so funny. She is not one bit afraid of Suri. She just lies down on the floor a few feet from her, and Suri leaves her alone. Because she told Suri with a few hisses and bats from her paws that SHE was the boss. Suri gets it. She plays all over the floor, always leaving a half a foot or so distance between herself and Kitty Kitten. It is like Kitty is really smart, and knows that Puppy is dumb. Kitty loves having her tummy rubbed, and being pet. The baby kittens are moving around in her, and it is so weird, but the kids are fascinated, especially Jonathan. He takes good care of her, and speculates endlessly about how many there will be, and what they will look like. Last night when he said his bedtime prayers, he asked God to look out for those kittens, and help us make sure they went to good homes where the owners were good to them.

Well, off I go to do not much. And I love love love it!!!!