rich but never rich...

Rich in blessings!  Fun, full, busy lives here...(remind me to write my We're Not Like The Duggars post, too!)

Can you believe that all eighteen of us lived here not too long ago?  Rich.  Extremely rich.

Yet, we'll never be REALLY rich, money rich.  For one thing, having cars and a house: money pits.  Our septic system, ugh.  The distribution box is being replaced, for a mere $3500.  There are cheaper ones, but not for this sized house.  But only five of us live here (soon six, as Jonathan will be home), I whined...  But alas, the rules is the rules, and we have to have a box that matches the septic, which matches the size of the house.  

I cannot complain though.  I was driving home from dropping Miss Char off for her very last test of the year (yay!!!!), and I was thinking about this newly dropped bomb, the unexpected expense of a brand spanking new, shiny fancy distribution box.  The company installing it is so nicely offering to take payments, and thankfully we'll be able to pay it.  It's not what we WANTED to buy, but it's life.  

The camper I'm dreaming of seems further away than ever, but oh well.  I was driving this morning, and I decided to count my blessings.  I never get very far without being filled to the brim, overflowing with thankfulness.  My life has been rich and good.  I don't want to waste one second wishing for more.  

I got home, and puttered around in bare feet, on this longest day of the year.  I planted the sunflower we bought the other day from the Mennonites, in the front box.  I watered all the flowers, then the garden.  Yesterday afternoon  Miss Charlotte Claire started planting the new plants we bought, with Achilles helping, when we heard a scream.  We pretty much knew it was a snake, and it was.  We have plastic sheeting down to cut back on the weeding, she lifted it up, and out came a garter snake, it reared up and stuck out it's tongue before slithering off.  slither.  yuck.  Nope, do not like them, but:  they do eat mice and bugs, right?  

So Char decided she was done.  She said she'd go back another time and finish, when that snake was gone.  She got the lettuce in, so I went out later and planted the cantaloupes and melons and acorn squash.   I was looking for the snake the whole time, but I think Char scared him away.  :)

So I watered the garden and all the flowers, hosed the cut grass off the sidewalk, and now here I sit.  I need to sweep/vaccum, and do some other housework, and soon go pick up Miss Char from her test.  

Yesterday I brought her to get her senior pictures done, then we went to buy the plants.  Walking through the greenhouse and choosing flowers is so much fun, but  I don't know much about these things.  The labels are ambiguous to amateurs,  indicating a specific variety, but not what the plant IS.  I mean, I recognize tomato plants, but if something just says juicy ruby, am I supposed to know it's a watermelon plant without  googling it?  (googling it was Char's idea).  I do have an app that identifies plants, it's come in handy, because shh, I've questioned whether the sweet little green things coming up in my flower box were the flower seeds I planted, or weeds!  

Anyway.  After that yesterday, Kathryn picked me up and off we went, to the store quick.  We only brought Achilles, the girls here watched Rhys and baby Jamison.  We dropped off Kathryn's cold things at her house, she grabbed their swim stuff, and we had a nice afternoon.  

It wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, but it mostly was ha. Our house may not be a palace, nor our yard fancily landscaped, but the backyard is so private and the pool is just lovely.  

I skipped my water aerobics class today, because I plan to exercise in our pool.  It's not quite as effective, as it's not so deep, but it'll be sufficient.  

Summer...ahh, summer.   It's going to be a different kind of summer.  Sonja and Charlotte Claire will be working doing landscaping three days a week, and Camille has a babysitting job for two days a week, so they'll only be here on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Camille on Wednesdays.  I'll be doing a lot of driving, or letting them take my car.  We'll still have physical therapy, too.    

I miss the crazy busy days.  On the first day of vacation, the kids full of excitement, we would make our plans for the summer, our bucket list.  We never did all the things we wanted to do, but we did go berry picking and hiking and camping and to the beach.  Packing up everything and hauling them all to the beach, oh my goodness...but we had tons of fun.  (then bringing the sandy tired kids back home for showers and clean jammies, ahhh....)

Ah well...now we have 12 going on 15 grandchildren, so our quiet days will be intermittent...:)