Somehow we are at the end of June. I am not sure how that happened but maybe it had something to do with the endless stream of perfect, sunny days that have strung together, one into the next, blue skies blending into one long summer day.
So, I'm not complaining.
Our daily routine this summer: Wake up around 8-8:30. Sit on front porch with coffee, breakfast, phone and paper to make a to do list. On days with no tutoring, go for a run in the glorious sunshine. On tutoring days, work with a couple of cute kiddos over the computer from the comfort of the spare bedroom. Do some housework. Allow children to sit on screens in various states of undress all morning. Force children to get off screens and get dressed around noon. Make lunch. Play with the kitten. Go to a pretty outdoor location for the afternoon. Make dinner or get takeout. Eat on the patio. Maybe read on the swing bed. Or, enjoy a happy hour on Zoom with Hiram friends. Allow children to stay up far too late. Stay up even later watching TV. Repeat.
I love summer vacation with a mad passion.
Some events from the past week:
Black Lives Matter march in South Euclid on Tuesday. Organized by local high schoolers. I am so inspired by these young people and their energy and passion. They are showing us the way.
Cute animals everywhere you turn. Moments like this one make up for the fact that the kittie has been peeing in random places in our house. She's back on restricted free ranging with a litter box in the room and we've purchased 3 more litter boxes, a feliway system, nature's miracle and peppermint oil. We are not messing around.
At least she's cute. (here she is falling asleep sitting up after playing like crazy with her cat grass)
We've moved our remaining spring chickens outdoors...
... into their new coop! Some improvements have been made since this photo was taken, mainly putting a coat of paint on the disintegrating garage wall, which really makes it look almost like a new garage. We're looking at replacing about 8 boards across this wall, putting in a new doorframe that is not missing the bottom 2 feet of wood on each side, and getting a new garage door. Maybe even running electric and getting an opener! Woo hoo!
(in the above photo Jack is sporting his new hairstyle, compliments of his dad, and also Leghorn, our favorite of our new chickens. She is fearless and assertive yet remarkably calm once you're holding her)
Beach day! We arrived just in time for the sun to drift behind the clouds and so we sat around kind of cold for about an hour before warming up enough to enjoy ourselves. But sitting around kind of cold next to the lake is pretty ok.
Back to the lake for sunset.
The park was crowded so we modeled wearing masks. We were among the few, sadly. People were playing volleyball on the sand courts, frisbee on the lawn, zipping around on scooters. There was a delightful group of young people who looked like they'd just been practicing some sort of acrobatic dance, and then headed en masse to view the sunset, all lithe exuberance, climbing up on the pillars and cheering when the sun dipped below the horizon. Watching them, I remembered being 19 and full of that same joyful energy... If not for the whole pandemic thing, it would have been just plain wonderful to see so many people enjoying Voinovich Park and the luscious evening and each other's company. In this covid-19 world, though, any enjoyment is tinged with fear of contagion. This pandemic steals joy in so many ways.
But the city looked like a postcard! Pandemic or no-- I love where I live.
Stopped on the way home to visit a new sculpture over by Case. It's my new favorite.
Every time I have run my Forest Hills loop this week, this has been my view. See what I am saying about the endless blue sky days?
Also we have this momma deer with twins in our neighborhood and they bring me joy every time I see them.
Today we had a most lovely afternoon with our friends in the Cuyahoga Valley.
Went creek walking with our friends and few of their friends and these girls had the MOST fun.
The grownups did too! Just with less sliding and catching of tiny fish. It was grand to sit and talk with multiple friends, in person, in the soft air and the gentle water. We saw an egret playing in the creek and had black-winged dragonflies hovering around us for much of the time.
It was grand. It just felt so good to see the kids having so much fun together...Of course, pandemic-world doesn't let us just enjoy it. We are left wondering if our lovely afternoon was a terrible mistake, but we are hoping that sunlight and outdoor air offsets the near-contact among our children. For now we are crossing fingers and focusing on the joy.
