so long, farewell....I'll miss you, summer....

Yesterday...the last day in the pool for the year....wah. It was nice and warm out, but the water was chilly. I pretty much made my three homeschoolers get in and take a "gym class" with me, but they didn't last long. The sun was yummy but the water...brr. Our recent cooler nights...last night was clear, and the moon was gorgeous. Living out here in the country, the stars are amazing on clear nights.

Anyway, I decided to be done for the season...I mean, why keep the pump running, why add the chlorine tablets...when the water is going to be so cold even if the weather pattern changes and we get hot days again? The swimming season is too short here in New York state. I think it's time to plunk down the cash for a rec center membership again, so we can swim in the winter. It's rather necessary, for homeschooling kids I think. And for me, ha.

We had Miss Lydia here last evening...she is adorable. She walks around gibbering and talking, loves Goldfish crackers, and has such a long attention span with toys. Miss Char and Miss Cam are wonderful with her. Last evening, the big kids were all gone to a youth activity, so Paul and I were here with just the girls and Lydia...and the puppies. Duke is old and can be a little cantankerous, so I keep a good eye on him with little ones. I don't think he'd bite, but he gives his growly warning. Then there's Sunny, who is all bite-y and jumpy and happy...I couldn't let her jump on Lydia...so it was like a three ring circus, until Sunny settled down for a nice nap. At least once she fell asleep, she was totally relaxed...our late sheepdog Rosie was always on the alert with small children around...she kept one eye open, and couldn't be trusted...thus she went into her crate when they visi

I do remember that back in the day, things were crazy... Because back a few years, Emily was 8, Abigail 6, Benjamin 4, Mirielle 3, Joseph 1, and Aaron newborn...Paul brought home a little Lab puppy. In the winter time. With a newborn baby. Em and Ab both went to school, so when they got on the bus every day, four year old Ben was my oldest child..., with Mirielle turning three at the end of February. Anyway, in January, (Aaron was born in December), Paul brought home a puppy, Meg was her name. That was a crazy winter, me running down the deck steps with her day and night, housebreaking, with a potty-training toddler and two in diapers...talk about hither tither and nigh.

The sad part is that by the time I had that dog housebroken and partly tamed, she died. We were never sure what happened to her, but we took her to the vet and she died during the night...it might have had to do with ingesting glass, our small children decided to have a glass breaking party, throwing an applesauce jar onto the cement stoop, and delighting in the sound...this party was quickly brought to an end, and children scolded, but we think poor Meg may have gobbled up a piece or two of broken glass. Yes, where was the mother, and all of that, don't even go there, I have enough guilt. If you believe it, I WAS there...it happened so quickly, they got that jar and threw it, and shrieked in glee, and WHAT THE H are YOU KIDS EVEN DOING???!

Anyway. We're not sure if that's even what happened, she got really sick and lethargic, so we took her to the vet, they gave her I.V. meds, ect, and she just died really quickly. :(

Today is cloudy and rainy and chilly and pumpkin spice coffee matches the weather...the stores rush the seasons and I was so glad to see my favorite coffee on the shelf at B.J.'s, I bought some when it was still summertime, and Joseph opposed drinking it while it was still hot out.

The puppy is awake again, time to carry her down those deck steps to go potty...she can climb up them now, but not down yet....