Continuing our journey through June...
Another happy "Back to normal" this summer-- Tigershark meets are back in person! Which means our Saturday mornings are now dedicated to sitting on random pool decks around the Cleveland area, in weather that is invariably too hot or too cold, waiting for the 2 minute intervals when our kids swim.
It's better than it sounds. :) I actually really love the waiting around and chatting and cheering for our sweet little team.
This particular meet was of the "too cold" variety, with temperatures in the low 60's at the start. I sat there in sweater as my kids jumped in the pool. They are tough.
Lunch out with mom! I'm so grateful for the care she gets at McGregor, and her wonderful friend Kirk who keeps her company and looks out for her always, so that we can travel without worry-- and enjoy seeing her, happy and well, when we get home.
Porch fire with friends! Have I ever mentioned that our porch-fire is my favorite. I think maybe I have. :) We are considering purchasing a second fire table for the pergola so we can host more people wiout having to sacrifice our current porch ambiance.
Becahing a minimum of 3 times a week. That's how we do summer.
My Fair Lady at Playhouse Square- a make-up performance from 2020. Great sets and costumes but wow, I don't think I was ever really aware of the deep misogyny of this show when I sang along with the soundtrack as a kid. Oof. I just wanted to shake Henry Higgins.
More beaching- this time with friends!
Bike ride to Forest Hill. All the gosling families are growing up...
We had the last minute opportunity to attend the Ben Folds concert at Cain Park- made it for the second half and enjoyed every minute. I'd not been too familir with this musician but he put on a great show.
Whenever we weren't busy with the above-mentioned activities, we were at the Bedford house, cleaning and touching up paint and landscaping to get it ready to put on the market. After 15 years of renting, the time has come to let this property go to someone else. It was strange to think this used to be home- I've not been inside of it for many years... As of this writing, we are under contract with an offer for our full asking price, with a closing date of August 19th. May it all go through! We are hoping to take the proceeds from this sale and put them into an income generating property in the Heights, if we can find one to buy. It's been nerve wracking and busy but I feel like the finish line is in sight with this.
Hey look! More beach! We were gifted with the most utterly perfect weather for the second half of June, and we did not waste time in appreciating it.
Because you never do know when the world is going to shift. One June 24th the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, undoing federal protection for abortion rights in America. By the next morning women were being turned away for abortion appointments. Days later the Supreme Court overturned EPA protections, and hinted at more disasters to come. The very thing we feared in November 2016 has come to pass- a far-right Court with virtually unchecked powers, that seems hell-bent on targeting exactly the people and issues I care about most. I knew this was coming, that night six years ago. I wish so much that I had been proven wrong.
So the last week of June was this roller coaster of loving the summer sunshine and being mad. as. hell.
I am feeling so very powerless in the face of this tyranny, living here in a blue bubble trapped in an increasingly red state. It is easy to despair. I have been trying not to, seeking solidarity and ways to take action instead of covering my head (like I want to). I've signed up to volunteer for democratic candidates at the state level - the part of the system you can touch is the part you can change- and I've been to two rallies (and counting! I have lots of energy to keep shouting). I have not yet found a way to actually burn our current system of government to the ground but I am mulling it over. I've met some new friends who are ready to rally and burn it all with me and in the face of all this fear, friendships are a lifeline and a joy. For a few days I wallowed in guilt over feeling joy during this time. But I read something helpful that reminded me that joy is a radical act of self-care, and self-care is vital to the revolution. Got to keep our energy up.
So I go to the beach. And enjoy cocktail hour on the porch. And go out for drinks after rallies with my new radical feminist friend and my childhood pastor and revel in the unlikely connections we can find in this world.
More joy and rejeuvenation, gathering for gaming and drinks and smores with our friends...
(and snuggling babies!)
More beach time! This trip was for a meetup to get Jack a new phone-- on the way home from Crocker Park where we picked up Ivy's new phone. Consumerism-- another joy, sigh. (The kids are viery happy with their new-to-them devices).
During our two weeks at home Ivy spent as much time as possible with Violet. Pictured here was Violet earning her keep as Ivy's friend by helping her try on and select new shoes (something that never ever goes well when Ivy and I try to do it on our own.) Bless Violet's heart. Such a sweet, patient friend. (Another joy!)
Snuggly pets. More joy.
Jack is a bit more absent from our end-of-June photos due to the fact that he HAS A JOB. (Since when is my baby boy old enough to have a job??) He is enjoying his work at the Bexley Pool, where he works the front desk and sometimes the waterslide and gets to hang out with many of his friends. It's a different sort of summer, working around his schedule, figuring out the carpool to transport all these not-yet-16 young men to the pool, not having him home all day. It's exactly what he should be doing, and exactly how it is supposed to feel, but like every other step on this whole mom-journey it is a bit of a surprise and an adjustment. This year its really been hitting me, missing my littles being little. But having this tall, capable human in my house (even occasionally), with his wry sense of humor and his great hair and his wonderful hugs... another joy for sure.
Find joy, dear ones. And also be ready to stand up and fight.
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