...is how my dad always started his around-the-campfire stories. Perhaps that's why I love camping, my father was usually in a good mood. He would tell us about the stars and the galaxies and their distances. He would tell us scary stories, and stories about when he was a kid, and they were poor.
Anyway, not too long ago, I had small children. The other night, I had a dream that they were small again. I was trying to gather them for a photo, and Evelyn was little, with freckles sprinkled across here cute little face, her distinctive blue eyes full of mischief, she was not cooperating. I said, in the dream, I don't know why I keep telling people my kids grew up, they are all still so little!
One of my girls was telling me how she set her alarm for six a.m. so she could get up and work out, and unload the dishwasher, but her two year old woke up at 5:40. Oh, honey, I feel that pain. When Camille was three, back in 2010, Emily was 25. Cam was three, Char was four, Jonathan was 6...so things were slowing down, and I had a bit more time...never mind that I had kids 23, 21, 20, 19, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12, 11, 9, and 8...(nine kids getting on the bus every morning! Nine kids that also got off the bus in the afternoon, wanted snacks and help with homework, and then dinner, every night!...then showers and bedtime and getting out clean clothes for the next day...projects and appointments and new shoes!). But the point is, by this time, I will concede and say I wasn't quite as busy anymore. That makes 25 years straight of crazy busyness. Of not having a minute to call my own. But shh, it was really more like 35 years.
Anyway. I still haven't gotten over the wonderful-ness of a quiet morning, of heading off to the pool all by myself, of deciding what to do, and doing it without fifty million interruptions. This is all mixed up with nostalgia, of course, and longing for those little ones who have grown up on me. I would do it all again in two seconds flat, no regrets, but ahhhhh...I do enjoy my quiet time. It hasn't worn off yet.
Right now, I have a purring kitty on the arm of my chair. She has been extra clingy lately. I don't go out to the garden alone, she's always there. I go out on the deck to water the flowers, she's there. She keeps pawing me for pets. She's Old Kitty, she had lots of kittens, and she's an old princess now, she knows we have a lot in common. She doesn't care much for children though, all the movement and the noise and she gets that look in her eyes, if they bother her, she has no problem taking a swipe at them. Yesterday, two granddaughters were here, fully warned multiple times to leave her alone, the older one was jumping up and down and patting her and ruffling her fur backwards and she got a swat from Kitty. Kitty tried to warn her, her mama tried, and I also chimed in, but she didn't believe us. :). (Sunny does not swat at children, she just gets up and moves when she gets tired of being bothered, so I make sure the children leave her alone at that point. Yesterday, she was harassed quite a bit, so I had to put my foot down...poor Sunny!) (They were lifting her ears and talking into them, and lying on her, and hugging her around the neck...okay, enough:)
Anyway. This fine morning, I went with Sonja to her dr. appointment, baby is due in two weeks! Then we went to Costco. Ground beef is $5.49 a pound now, making a package of it $36. That is a lot of money. I did get a package of frozen chicken strips, and some chocolate chips, and toilet bowl cleaner, and seltzers, and some of the coconut UnReal bars, for $5 off a bag. Croissants because grandchildren are coming over on Saturday, and they love them. Somehow this added up to over $200! I was careful! No steak, no prepared foods except for the frozen chicken, and a bag of pierogies for Camille. ouch.
Ah well. I need to go out and water the garden. We are not getting any rain here. Just north of here got some yesterday, but not us. The tomatoes need it! But oh, the warm weather has been amazing. I went for a swim this afternoon with Kathryn and Darius and their kids. I love when it's so hot the pavement burns, and the water isn't even chilly. Fall weather is just around the corner, NO! I like fall, but oh the hot weather has my heart. (It's so dry, the leaves that have fallen off the trees already smell like tea leaves, like autumn....)
You all have a really good day!
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