Summer, denoument (with chickens!)

Twenty minutes til go time.   That is, twenty minutes til I need to go to bed so I can get up early to go to the gym and go to work and get going on this new year.

I am trying to adjust my mindset.  I am trying to think of the beginning of the year as a celebration, a time of potential and joy and new beginnings.  In some ways I am succeeding-- for instance, I do indeed celebrate the stash of brand new Papermate Flair pens neatly arrayed on my desk at school.

But coming off of a summer like this one?  It is very difficult to see tonight as anything other than an ending.   This summer has been so full, with so much travel and so much sunshine (really, we've had marvelous weather this year), so much family and water time and relaxation.  I can hardly believe everything we've fit in to these two and half months.  It's hard to say goodbye.

Our family been rather insanely busy this week, maxing out our summer break with plenty of sleeping in and time with friends, a little bit of house cleaning, and a lot of the County Fair thrown in. I went in to work a few times for some tutoring, but spent most of the week studiously ignoring reality in every possible way.  

There's a lot of reality to ignore just now.  The start of the year/ return to reality, and the impending exhaustion it brings.  The fact that my firstborn is turning eight (!) and going into the mad rush of testing that is third grade.  The fact that my baby is starting school and is becoming too independent to handle.  My dad has moved into a nursing home as he nears the end of his journey with cancer and lung disease.  Our dog is getting old and struggling more and more. Time is racing racing racing and the speed of life takes my breath away and I am frozen with the fear of running out. I don't quite know what to do with my emotions right now. There are moments where I am so happy that I feel guilty for my abundance.  Sometimes I am overwhelmed with melancholy and nostalgia and uncertainty.  This week I've been dealing by looking the other way.  Keeping my face to the sunshine and all that, right?  Studious ignoring. 

You know what helps with that?  Scheduling your week brim-ful with summer activities.  And bringing home four chickens and a bunny.  (I highly recommend the bunny.  Eight ounces of fluffy, portable stress relief...) And soaking up the goodness of this present moment, right now, in your city, with your family.  And being grateful for each moment you've got. 

Anywho.  Here's our week.  In brief and in pictures, because it's go time. I'll check in again when I come up for air this weekend...

County Fair visit #1:

Lots of time spent getting this coop ready.... Successful planning board meeting Wednesday night meant pick-up day Thursday!

 But first... visit #2!

Look how big Jack is on the Happy Swing!  And how he is helping his sister...

Sooo... the bunny.  We went back to the chicken farm and enjoyed talking to the nice people.  We snuggled some bunnies.  Our resolve had been weakened by two days of exposure to the rabbit barn at the fair.  It couldn't be helped.  Ivy couldn't be happier. 

 This is Jack and Maran, the big chicken, looking at each other on the way home.  You can't see the chicken.  But Jack can.  He LOVES the chickens.

 Ivy's more of a bunny girl.

 Here are more pictures of chickens and bunnies cause that's pretty much what we've been doing for 3 days.

 We've been trying to love on this girl a lot, to reassure her of her place in the family.  She is terrified of the bunny, which is hilarious and also a little sad.

Also Ivy went to Kindergarten Kickoff.  Gah!

Also we had an excellent potluck picnic with Hiram Alum families. In the absence of a big birthday party for Jack this year (5 boys for a sleepover, instead.  End of an era...) it was nice to have a reason to shine up the yard and gather a big group.

  The assembled group of surprisingly large children had a wonderful drama involving opposing forces (boys vs girls of course), spies, knights, princesses, and chalk drawings on leaves.  Children actually used the teepee and the treehouse!  Hooray!

  Children also enjoyed chickens and bunnies.

Our final day of vacation-together (I say this because my children still have two weeks of summer left.  not that I'm bitter...) was a stunning, blue-sky Cleveland day.  So we went to a festival.

Well, more of a Market really, but it was festive!

And topped it off with some Lake time.  Love me some lake. We all swam together out past the breakwall at Rocky River.  Relaxing, warm water.  Boats everywhere.  Sunshine.  Floating with blue sky above.  Glorious.

And now-- Go time. See you on the other side.