waterlogged!

 

Cam took this while I was driving, on our way home from physical therapy.

These are from Sunday...lots of family in the pool...Benjamin makes the water seem quite shallow!

Ahh, hot muggy mornings...yesterday I had to sweep and mop, and clean up the kitchen, and oh dear...do that with no AC, and you'll understand why I had to take a swim before getting dressed to go to physical therapy with Miss Cam.  

We got home, and I gathered some things for our camping trip, then...back in the pool, oh poor me, right?

Dinner:  I cut up a five pound package of chicken breast, into little chunks, and marinated it in pickle juice.  There just happened to be a big jar of pickles that was 2/3 gone, so it could spare most of the juice.  This chicken had soaked in that juice in the refrigerator for hours, I thought to dredge it in salt and pepper flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and air fry it.  Well.  About a tenth or less of it fit in that air fryer, then it was sticking, and getting way too crunchy....I knew what I had to do:  get out some olive oil and canola oil, and fry up the rest of it in a frying pan...I didn't submerge it in oil, but still, I stood there for an hour, frying up batches of that chicken.  I cannot tell you how hot I was.  I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't pretty.

But, the chicken was really really good, better than Chik-fil-a.  

After dinner, it was time to go to the activity club swim gathering!  I got into my suit, and out the door, all by myself.  Oh those kids are fun.  One of the little girls liked to swim up and scare me, little did she know that I'm so jumpy, half those screams were real ha.  

Home...ah, home.  I stayed up too late with the girls watching silly shows.  We have an AC unit in our room, and turned it on for bed time...ahh, so nice!  So nice until the thunder storms rolled in and the power went out in the night!  Oh my it got hot in there, not even a fan to blow hot air on us!  

So, I'm a little tired this fine morning, as I head out the door to a knee appointment at the orthopedic dr. for Camille, 24 miles away.  After the appointment, we're headed yet further north, to do some painting on an apartment, so we can get it ready to rent.  (Believe me when I tell you:  we aren't getting rich from this.  We bought these houses several years back, and sparing the gory details, it hasn't gone well.  We're trying to turn them around, get renters who actually pay their rent...we still have to pay the mortgage, and the taxes.  We're making them as nice as we can, but it's a lot of work...)

Then, home...and packing for camping, because tomorrow, we go camping!  

splashing in the sunshine...

 

Grant, Wulf and Tennyson, baby Rhys...four of my grandchildren.  

Rhys fell asleep in my arms out in the pool, I made my way to the steps, she still slept.  She was mostly shaded from the sun, but I thought she was getting waterlogged....so I eventually made my way out of the pool with her, and dang it, she woke up!  But she slept for about half an hour, and was happy when she woke.   What a refreshing way to nap!

I wish I had taken more pictures, of Achilles and Ruth, and Sonja, Charlotte Claire and Camille, and Margaret, and Kathryn, and Grace.  It was SO hot out, but the pool was so nice.  

By one o'clock, we were done in the sun.  Margaret came over with Wulf and Tenny, Grace came over with Grant and Ruth.  Ruth went in for a nap, so I got out the Little Tikes Waffletown blocks for the boys. That kept them busy, but Grant was tired, so he went in for a little nap, then when Ruth woke up, Tennyson had a turn napping.  It was a relaxing afternoon, and since Margaret works from home, she was busy working while the kids played.  She helped me make a nice taco salad for dinner, always good on a hot night.  

When they left, Sonja and Jonathan, and Charlotte Claire joined me for an evening swim, Cam just visited at the edge of the pool...then they all left to go to a youth gathering.  Paul and I are rattling around here in the quiet, while the whole-house fan drones and the oscillating fan blows hot air at us.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid nineties, with high humidity and sunshine, phew.  You think you don't mind the heat, but when it gets suffocatingly hot, well, you find that you DO mind the heat.  Paul actually got the old air conditioner out of the basement and put it in our bedroom window.   It feels so refreshing in there, I am not going to want to leave my bed tomorrow.  Too bad I have to bring Cam to physical therapy....ugh.

Thursday she has to see the ortho doctor again, then we're going camping on Friday.  I should start packing a little.  Sonja and Charlotte Claire are leaving for Norway on Saturday, Jon is leaving on Sunday.  Camille isn't going camping with us, she's staying with Kathryn and Darius and the kids.  But, lots of the other kids are either camping too, or visiting on Saturday, which Kathryn plans to do with Camille.

So I have to start gathering the camping stuff, planning the menu (I'm thinking burgers and hot dogs on Saturday, but that's the extent of it for now).  I like to keep things simple.  I've told the kids that if they want brekky or lunch, bring it, Paul and I don't usually eat it, if we snack it'll be on pistachios or peanuts or maybe some pepperoni.  

It doesn't seem like summer has really started yet, but it's half over.  It's way too short, I would like a longer summer, please.  My feet like the warm floorboards of summer, the grass, the hot deck.  I like going days at a time with no coat or sweater, and I like the summer evenings with the crickets and the fireflies and the tree frogs singing.  

I cannot make it last longer, but I can enjoy the heck out of every single minute.

just a-broilin'!

 Here in the northeast, we aren't frying as hotly as some other places in the country and in the world (I heard 104 degrees forecast for England!), but we can still complain about it.  We have humidity too, ugh.  But we also have sunshine, and today, we are going to our church pool.  Some of my grandkids will be there, some of my kids.  I have snacks and towels and floats packed, but the girls are still sleeping.

Yesterday was PT for Miss Camille.  She lost so much muscle in that surgery leg, with that brace on for so long.  She is weaning off of it, and is a little unsteady.  Her leg is weak, and yesterday she felt like her other knee, the one she dislocated recently, and is in the immobilizer, was buckling when she was walking.    She does her exercises several times a day, but it's slow going.

We did go to Target on that nice rainy afternoon, and there was just too much good stuff.  I found a lovely sweater half off, and I love cozy sweaters.  The girls found a few things, then a really nice lamp for their room, for a fraction of the regular price.  I got another swim float for $3, and some underwear for myself, in my size, in my style (not thongs, ha!), for super cheap.  Of course they rang up wrong, and while I'm not embarrassed to BUY huge underwear, bringing them back because they rang up wrong?  I think I'll just save myself the humiliation, because I KNOW they'll hold them up, wave them around, maybe one of the pairs will fall out of the cardboard band, and it'll be like a big flag.  

I did return two pairs of shorts yesterday, very reluctantly.  Sonja accompanied me for moral support.  I wear XXL Target shorts, and not because I like them extra baggy, that's actually my size.  These shorts are the comfiest, light weight, cool, loose-fitting, perfect for hot weather.  Once I found they fit me and I felt okay in them, I ordered them in two more colors.  Well, one pair ripped last week, in the waistband and in the pocket, not even stress-fracture rips, they weren't too tight.  Then the other pair ripped in a random place.  I imagined me bringing them back, with a long line of tall thin soccer moms behind me, and the cashier holding them up too look at the rips, and oh my goodness, even $15 a pair isn't worth it.  But Sonja said she would come with me and pretend they were hers, and that I was ridiculous.  

I wasn't ridiculous.  The cashier did indeed hold them up.  She didn't say into her walkie I've got some huge ripped shorts here, loud enough for the entire front of the store to hear, but she did hold them up to fold them.  Why do ripped shorts need folding, and why do they need to be held up first?  The ladies behind me didn't seem to even notice, so I worried about it all for nothing.  

Do I REALLY care what anyone thinks?  Apparently, I do, something to work on.

We had too much fun though, and stopped for a coffee on the way home.  I enjoy these outings with my girls.  We also stopped at a grocery store that had ground beef for buy one get one free....$6.19 a pound, but that makes it $3.10, which is good these days, for 85% beef.  (15% fat).  I was a good girl, got one package of asparagus, and the beef, that's all.  

So it's time to leave for the pool, yay!!!!

wonderful rainy morning...

 After the busy sunny warm days, this rain can stay all day, and cozy me up.  It's delightfully dark and dreary.  I'm suitably tired today, Suri woke me up repeatedly last night.  She had to go outside, then I thought I was home free to go back to my delicious bed and snuggle back to sleep, but as soon as I got comfy, she was whining again.  I do not know what her problem was, but I was awake for several hours, let her out a few times, got her water, let her into our room, where she just walked around every few minutes until Paul shooed her out and closed the door, and I finally slept.  She's fine this morning but:  I found the box which had the rest of the donuts and some cupcakes in it...on the floor under the kitchen table.  I have no idea how she got it, but this is getting ridiculous.  We're bad pet owners, and we try so hard to put things up out of reach.  I think we were so tired after the busy party yesterday, we left it on the table.  The kids were playing The Settlers of Catan with some of their friends after most everyone else went home, and the box was on the table with them...ugh.  No WONDER she wasn't feeling well last night.

I went to Aldi yesterday morning and got a watermelon, there were only two left.  Cutting it up with cantaloupe is time consuming, but it's so good with blueberries, grapes, strawberries in there!

Cousin fun, Lydia was holding Rhys, Elise with Ruth, and Anya...Margaret in the back with Tenny, Adrian, Ophelia with her mama Molly Rose, and Jonathan stretched out enjoying everyone.  I wish I took more pictures.  36 were here, and the pool was open, it was quite fun.  

Margaret made Jonathan's favorite, chocolate with peanut butter frosting, and chocolate with buttercream.

The giant chocolate chip cookie cake was amazing, I took a little taste, and it was bakery-licious.  I had forgotten she was making the cupcakes too, I was going to make a huge-0 batch of chocolate chippers to go with the cookie cake, but it was too hot, so I bought the donuts...we had too much dessert here.

But we shared with some friends, and Em brought some to a co-worker, then Suri finished them off.    (It makes me feel sick, it is NOT the dog's fault, we need to do absolutely better, never have stuff in her reach)

Miss Camille....with Orange Guy.  Cam is hobbling around, doing her best.  She's not supposed to swim, but she's determined to enjoy summer, so she gets right over to the pool ladder, takes off the immobilizer (the knee that dislocated a few weeks ago) (the surgery knee is mostly un-braced now, but she has to be super careful), she takes off the immobilizer, and steps into the pool with help from one of her sisters or brothers, keeping the recently injured leg very straight, then she just floats upright in a round float, letting her legs just relax....she isn't actually swimming, but it cools and refreshes her.  

There was plenty of food, by the way.  Mariel made macaroni and cheese, two big pans of it.   I hope you all understand that I don't want to ration the food,  not at all.  I want everyone to have plenty, I truly want to bless them, but there is just always this niggling that there won't be enough.  When I was growing up, seven kids in our family, my mother used to have us leave the last one, just in case someone didn't get one.  It became a joke as we were adults, that we just couldn't take the last one of whatever it was.

Random things:

Today, I have to bring Miss Cam to physical therapy, it takes about an hour and a half, and she insists I go in with her.  I work hard on just enjoying the time, not sitting there thinking tick tick tick goes the day.   Of course it'll be easier today, in the rain.  But when that sun is shining...

My hip has been bothering me, and I am almost at the point of calling the doctor.  Right where the leg bone goes in the socket, it feels like something is broken in there, like a shard of something, extremely painful sometimes, especially when I first start walking.  I have to hold onto something, sometimes it's unbearable.  I've been swimming and working in the pool, but it's not getting better.  It's been on and off since like January....ignoring things usually is a good cure, they just go away, but sometimes...ugh, call the doctor.

The tendonitis in my arm still acts up in the night, but it hasn't been too bad.  I painted a few days last week, but took a break yesterday.  This afternoon, there is more painting to be done.

My knees are about usual, click-y and not so stable, achy.  They need replacing, as per the ortho dr.'s suggestion several years ago, but they still work.

I know losing more weight would really help with these issues, so that keeps me out of the donuts.  I didn't have any, but they smelled heavenly.  

Sometimes I really get tempted to be super bummed out about my body, I want a new one, but then...I HAVE a body, and I can walk!  I want to be thankful for this, and work with what I have.  There are lessons to be learned too, in it all.  

I feel like an old lady, if you ask me how I'm doing, and I make you regret the question, with my whole plethora of aches and pains.  

It's also on my radar to get into the ob/gyn dr. and talked about genetic testing....the breast cancer in the family is rampant, and with my sister, her daughter, my mother, her mother, my mother's sister, ect...if I have that BRACA gene, my daughters need to get tested...

I have to get my car inspected.

We are going camping this weekend, so packing for that, again, but it'll be quite fun.  Emily, Abigail, Mariel have a site, and Sam and Grace are going.  Margaret and Adrian have a site and are going for at least one night, and Kathryn and Darius will come up to visit us, along with Molly and Josh.  Benjamin has a site, but is just coming for the day, as new baby Declan isn't camping material yet.  

This afternoon, we are going to finish painting the apartment we are working on, but Jonathan asked me to go shopping with him, as he needs things for his Germany adventure.  

And, the most random thing of all:  I might have a job.  I will be training to assist Abigail in her book keeping business.  I do not know a thing about it, but I am good with numbers, and I did take accounting in high school, like 40 years ago.  It'll be a whole new thing, and I'll be busy.   

So not much is going on, yet so much is going on...just how we like it, here in BusyTown...(Richard Scarry, from the 80's)

on a Sunday morning...

 5:58, on a morning I don't have to get up.  The birds were singing, and my mind started whirring, ticking off all the things I have to do today:

Go to the store for a watermelon

Bake a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies...wait, it's going to be 90 and humid today, and we don't have air conditioning...so how about if I go to the bakery and get donuts?

Start the pulled pork in the crock pot

Clean the house

Make sure we have plates, seltzers, drinks

Then I talked myself down, decided that NO, I shall go back to sleep, after a few late nights and early mornings, more sleep would be lovely.  When you're old, actually being able to fall back to sleep is rather a small miracle, an anomaly.  I'll be all relaxed, then I'll be like, wow!  I'm actually falling back to sleep!  Then I'll think of something else...

But anyway, this fine morning, I was torn, get up at 5:58 or try for that elusive morning sleep?  So I tried.  I was actually dozing off, when ROOF ROOOF. ROOOF!!!!  Suri started barking.  oh dear.  6:20.  dang.  She needed to go out, and I'd rather let her out than clean up who knows what.  As I let her out, and Sunny too, there was evidence as to why she would have an urgent call of nature in the early hours:  she got into the bag of s'mores supplies, AGAIN.  She ate an entire package of graham crackers, and some marshmallows.   I thought that bag was high enough, but apparently that dog stands up like a people during the night, her paws turn into hands.  

Anyway.  The pork is in the crockpot, and I'm leaving for the bakery and the store soon.

Did I ever mention the panicky feeling I get when I'm having lots of people over?  Will there be enough food?  Did I forget something?  Will someone step in dog poop?  

That last one actually happened recently, we had JUST cleaned up the yard, too...ugh.

Anyway.  I think it's from having so many kids, this undercurrent of worry there won't be enough.  I have this thing, when the first people are taking their food, that they'll take too much and some people won't get any, therefore I have to have an extra extra lot.  When the kids were little, we made their plates, and as they grew older, I encouraged them to always check out how many people there were in relation to the food offered, and take a small amount, come back for more if there's lots, when all have gotten some.    Simple common sense, but in the real world, lots of people don't actually know this.  They'll be first in line and fill their plate, and wait a minute....what about us at the back of the line?

There'll be 30-40 people here today....we're having the pulled pork (over 6 pounds, that should feed 24 people 1/4 lb servings), cheese brats, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese (Mariel's making it!), watermelon, and some sliced veggies and dip.  I'll put out some chips, and lots of drinks.  

I can clean up the house when I get back from the store.  I do want to get into the pool at some point...ah, I love my pool.  

Some of this stuff I could have gotten done yesterday, but yesterday was full enough with yesterday's stuff.  Paul and I went up to one of the apartments that's empty and did some painting.  I painted doors and trim for 4, almost 5 hours.  I do sit down when I do lower things, but it did aggravate my arm and hand a bit, it flares during the night.  I like painting though, it's relaxing and the results are satisfying.  When we finished up, we had to get some lumber to replace the decking/steps, then finally, we headed home.  It was five o'clock and shady when I got into that pool, and I was hungry, had eaten a protein bar at around four, and coffee...and water.  

Evelyn was here for a visit, and Paul made dinner.  The girls had already eaten, he made us scrambled eggs with chopped onions, bacon, peppers.  We turned on the fire table and the girls roasted some marshmallows.  It's so cozy!

They left to go to Emily's house for the evening, Paul and I were all alone here...I tried to make myself do some cleaning, some baking, but no sir, my comfy chair was the place for me, no way no how was I going to do anything else.

Oh, did I forget to say what we're doing today?  It's a Going-To-Germany Goodbye Party for Jonathan!  He's leaving next Sunday, and we won't see him until next summer.  (We're going camping on Friday, so that's the last time we'll see him for the year). Some of his friends will be here today, and our kids and their spouses and the grandkids and some friends of ours.  

Off I go, to the bakery...and the grocery store...

a dry spell....

 The days and weeks of summer still stretch before me, and I find myself lulled into thinking they will be relaxing and blissful.  But those days will fill up, and life will happen, and before I know it, the brisk winds will be blowing leaves around again.

Oh, aren't I a ray of sunshine this fine morning?

Life IS happening.  We're working on cleaning out and renovating another house/apartment, which is a lot of work.  I bring home all the heat register covers, wash and spray paint them black, makes them all spiffy again.  Today we're going to do some painting, this one was left in decent condition.  

Yesterday, Cam had physical therapy at 11:30, we didn't get out of there until after one...into town we "ran", stopped at the bank, got a coffee because my free birthday beverage was expiring, ran into the hardware store to get a bag of salt for the water softener, into the little store for ice cream as I planned to make ice cream pies, to the apple lady to get sweet corn and tomatoes, then home, ahh home.

Suzanne and her fiancé were coming to dinner!  Jon is leaving next week, and they wanted to see him before he goes.  Well, their plans changed last minute, but Joseph and Bethany were still coming over.  I grilled the chops which had marinated for two days in lemon juice and seasonings.  I peeled and chopped sweet potatoes, tossed in olive oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, and put them in the air fryer.  We peeled the corn and put it to boil.  I took the remains of the sweet potato oil and added hot sauce, bbq, and brown sugar, and used it to spoon onto the chops as they grilled.  

mmm.  Pork chops here, on sale, are usually two dollars or less a pound.  I'd rather have a steak, but that would be triple the cost, so unless I run into a really good sale on beef....(we ate all the steaks from the 1/4 cow we bought), pork chops will be fine.  It's all in the marinade and cooking method, so they don't get dry.

We have to leave in ten minutes, Camille's ortho dr. group is a 48 mile round trip, but from there we will head to the house we are working on, bless my girls' hearts, they are helping me on this nice sunny day.  Getting an early start and working hard, we will try to save some of the afternoon for a swim, although we do have to mow this lawn too...

We will have fun though, and enjoy the day, as much as possible. 

Paul returns from Colorado tonight, midnight airport run, wah.  I stayed up too late last night and got up too early, but it sure was fun...Joe and Beth here with their two pups, and Jon, and Sonja K., Charlotte Claire, Camille...we watched Porko Rosso (Miyazaki movie, watch it!!!!)...

Ah well....time to fly out the door since I blogged until the last second!

barefoot in the garden, simple joy

 

The jungle of tomatoes...

squashes...

...that morning sun on the pool!

A little baby watermelon...

The days go by too fast.  Yesterday, I decided to rearrange the kitchen/dining area, so that involved cleaning and vacuuming and sorting, and the day was getting away from me.  The sun taunting, the pool out there sparkling.  I had to leave at two to bring Paul to the airport, he's in Colorado for the week for work.  

As it got closer to one o'clock, I decided I NEEDED to swim a bit, it's necessary, right?  All by myself, out there doing my exercises...then floating around, ahhhh.  Paul joined me for a bit before we had to get dressed and leave.  You think that summer is just endless opportunity for fun, and shh, it kind of is, but you have to make sure you stop and smell the roses.

Camille went with us, and after dropping Paul off, of course we had to go to Target.  We tried on a few things, her dress was too big, mine was too small, and the jeans I tried on:  wishful thinking, and a bit sad. I didn't look bad standing up, but I sat down on the little red stool in the change room, and the muffin top, well, I didn't start complaining loudly about it, ha, but the waistband was so snug, it hurt, so they were a NO, even though they were clearanced to $8.99.  I want to be comfortable, and not look 9 months pregnant, is that too much to ask?  

But life is more than how you look, thank goodness.  

Camille hobbled her way through the store, we bought kettle corn for the microwave, a few 35 cent notebooks, a few clearances toys for grandkids, and spent $19.  The grocery store next door, we bought the 8 pack of fried chicken, it's so terrible and so good, and so easy, and you smell it all the way home, and you're happy because you're singing, I don't have to make dinner, I don't have to make dinner!

We had so much salad stuff left from the day before, it was such an easy dinner, and so yummy.  

This morning, I cubed up some chicken breast, and marinated it in lemon juice and ginger.  I'll make orange chicken with it later.  I also put some pork chops in a lemon juice/garlic/rosemary marinade for tomorrow.  

I do tend to stay up too late when Paul's not home.  We watched too many episodes of a stupid show last night, but these days with my girls are so precious, and we laugh and pick apart the plot, it's worth being tired.  

Camille has physical therapy today, then we're thinking of going to the thrift store to drop some things off, and of course look around for anything we really need, ha.  

Jonathan is leaving next week for Norway, then he's going to Germany for a year, a church youth program.   I am happy for him (he's so excited!), but sad for me.  I do not want him gone for so long, but I would never tell him that, you have to let them go.  It'll be so very good for him, he'll make lifelong friends and have fantastic adventures.

Wreaths:  I ordered a beautiful wreath for the front door from Joann Fabrics, for $14.99.  I thought the order didn't go through because I didn't get a confirmation email, so the next day, I ordered two more.   Then, the first one I ordered arrived, then the second two, oops.  One on the front door, one on the deck door, and one for Margaret, it worked out fine!  (I always say:  when a package comes when Paul's not home, it's a good day:))

When Margaret and I went to the beach the other day, we saw a young beautiful mom just reaming out her three kids...I came to the beach to visit, not to run you back to the car every five minutes, blah blah blah...she was pointing her finger in their faces and doing that quiet yelling thing that moms are so good at.  I commiserated with her, I am her, I just want to do what I want to do with no one bugging me.  But.  When you have kids, life turns upside down, and your own happiness comes from being a sacrifice to make them happy, to an extent, anyway.  You have to find a happy medium, where they respect your need to relax a bit, respect your need to maybe take a nap, but momming is frustrating when you're constantly trying to have things your own way.  The kids need to be respected too, and treated as the precious gifts they are, straight from heaven.  We all get frustrated and impatient, but we are not debtors to the flesh, and we do not have to give in to it.  When we fight against all that sin in our own selves, then our kids don't have to suffer because of OUR OWN issues.  Goodness can come instead.  THAT is the good fight, and God blesses it, strengthens us in it.  

Yes, the first ingredient in a good life is patience.  Most of us don't have enough of it, and we need to suffer though our impatience to get more of it, but it's so worth it.

Anyway, can you tell that there are no young children here today?  We've had grandchildren living here since April, now they're all moved out and it's quiet here...so I'm a-bloggin' away, sorry!!!!