Random Summer Musings...Just a few for now...

1. Summer here is always too humid and rainy (this year), too chilly (last year) or too short (every year).

No matter how much attention I give my flowers, the above mentioned weather either floods them, freezes them, or fries them. Each year I vow to plant less, and this year I actually did. I've spent many walks around the neighborhood patting myself on the back, while chuckling at the neighbor's water logged flowers...is that bad?

{These were this Summer's all-time favorite for me!}

2. Sweet corn, Caprese salad with crusty bread, and kabobs on the grill will always be my favorite Summer foods...preferably served with a good Riesling.

3. Having a pool means major renovations, submerged pool furniture, and very little swim time due to torrential rains. Every September I vow to keep it closed the following year...and every May I make sure it's opened on time.

4. Seeing the school supply aisle at Target in late July always makes my stomach flip-flop. It reminds me of when my children were in grade school and although they were driving me nutty at home, I really didn't want them to go back to school. Of course my children are grown, so I really shouldn't feel this way anymore. But some feelings just linger in this Mother's heart.

5. This Summer has welcomed a variety of wildlife here in Chicago and also in Florida. I've noticed a trend here. Not all these creatures belong where I've found them!


There's been geese spooning on my roof...{that's not all they did up there}
They also pooped.

A baby doe resting in my yard...

Ducks wading in an unopened pool...

A gecko resting on the kitchen table...

Deer running amok outside my kitchen window...

And my all time favorite...an Ibis, roaming my lawn for hours, intrigued and very interested in the wheels on my car...

7. Summer is nearing an end, and thoughts of another new beginning are starting to take root in my head.
The New Year for me never began on January 1st, at least not when I began having children. The start of a school year has always been the New Year for me. I thought this notion would change as my children got older, but two of my children are teachers, so the thought continues. And even though Molly is entering her third year of college, I still have the same feelings I did when she entered third grade. Although I'm no longer looking for erasable pens and Barbie backpacks. 




And... 


8. Why does June, July, and August fly by, when December, January, and February stick around like unwanted relatives?


We all know the answer to that.


It's this...

9. Why do I continue to live here?

It's those darn kids...always.