Houston, We have liftoff!

My friend Lisa has described the feeling of leaving the house, leaving the children, being off on one's own as being like a helium balloon - once let go, one drifts up and away feeling lighter and lighter.




Today as I bid both boys adieu at the gates of school, the feeling was more like a rocket had launched from my chest. and e x h a l e . I had been looking forward to this very moment often (remember this gentle reader?)

I now have some time and space alone for myself. Before now I could probably count the number of times I've been in my house alone on one hand (and Smith clicking and gabbing away in the home office is going to be ignored right now for sake of argument.) It feels good.



I ran into another person who was having the same feelings, but she was feeling guilty too. Somehow I am not. It can be painful to watch them grow up and away from me, but I am happy for my kids - they are going off on the next adventure of their lives (albeit with much less ME in it.) It is good for them. And I am happy for me, for I too am going about the next adventure in my life!

What I did this summer

We are nearing the end of summer and I have to admit with giddy glee that I'm glad that school is soon. GLAD! I'm not counting days or anything, but okay. I am. Jbird starts school too this year and he is SOO ready for it. It is also a wise person who chose the boys to be in different classrooms, if this summer is any indication as to how they get along in the same room. Since we moved to the new house at the start of summer, I allowed some time for settling in, transitions, etc., before the throes of summer camp and running here and playdates there and vacation absorbed all that free time. Well. Note to self: these kids do not need a lick of settling in time. In June I looked longingly at the camps and swim lessons that were earmarked for July and August. And the swim lessons? Totally fell through - all 4 of them. SO. Yeah. School's starting soon.

~~~~~~

The bright spot of our summer ended up being a bit of a surprise. And I feel guilty admitting that it IS the bright spot --- because it was my grandfather's funeral. My amazing grandpa passed away in July at the age of 94. He lived a full life, more able-bodied and able-minded than any person I know. At his memorial service, my aunt reminded me that it was only a year and a half ago that Grandpa was up on the roof, trying to figure out that funny noise (my aunt quips that he probably heard the ghost of my grandma telling him to get off the roof...) To be honest, he was perfectly comfortable up on the roof. He was a telephone pioneer - installing the very first telephone poles and telephone service throughout New York state. I also remembered he they had the first "mobile" phone; sometimes on the way somewhere, Grandpa would get out of the car, climb a pole and "dial in" to phone ahead to let whoever know they were coming.




So we went to my hometown, to say goodbye. And there was room for us to stay out at the lake. This is the lake that I spent many sunny Sunday mornings; the topic of my stories to the boys after lights out and they beg me to tell them stories about when I was little. So it was very cool for them to actually be there. We shared the lake house with a whole gaggle of my relos - from all over. So at any given moment there was at least 3 adults to amuse the children - who needed no amusing since they had a LAKE to conquer from their beloved pirate float - complete with an entire artillary of water weaponry. (shh. don't tell our montessori friends!)

Our day:
Smith would arise at the crack of dawn to kayak around the lake and take pictures like this:





He'd come back and make coffee and eventually the rest of us would drag ourselves from bed and somebody would make breakfast. And here is where I should mention that one of our hosts is a chef. so. yeah. yum! and the eggs? bought from the farm down the street... the carton full of feathers fresh.

And then we would swim for awhile. And then sail for awhile. Or gather wild blueberries for awhile. And then take the boat out and swim in the middle of the lake. And then we would scrounge for lunch from the fabulous leftovers from the night before and swim some more. and play games. fabulous games! because the other host? my cousin? used to have a game shop. And sells boats! so boats out the ying yang. Then we'd make cocktail drinks for "elegant hour" and sip and nibble as we made the rounds of the lake as slowly as possible. Then dinner and up till way late playing games and telling stories by candlelight outside.

We also made a family outing to a place called Salt Springs. I remembered it as being a wonderfully cool place when I was little so I wanted to see if it lived up to grown up splendor. Yup. My first discovery was some jewelweed/silverweed/popweed/touch-me-not. There was no consensus on what we actually called it. I guess I called it popweed because when you touch the tiny pods of these plants, they explode. Nature's bubblewrap. So I found a patch of them and let the kids loose. Next we walked up to the creek and began our hike through the creek and up the 3 waterfalls. My memories are full of the happy feelings of splashing and climbing through waterfalls, they did not disappoint. Everything was so green and lush and I sent the boys off ahead - free from the fears of fire ants, scorpions, snakes and lurking nasties that make me cautious back home. I heard later that my cousin spotted a snake on the trial after us and they high-tailed it out of there. Maybe it was just a little garter snake, because in my gentle mind, that's all there could ever be out there in those beautiful woods.






The trail back is along the banks of the creek where we discovered pennies hammered (?) into the rocks. tons of them. who knows why?



Me and some cheese. Who doesn't love cheese?





So it was good. And all at the same time, so sad. To say goodbye.





The squeaky lounge - in all her uncovered splendor.

Deep Throat

So. I've been having this throat thing happening. When the boys were younger and the squirmy masses would be on my lap or held, I would inevitably get whacked in the face or neck with somebody's massive head. ouch. I swear officer! It wasn't my husband who gave me the fat lip - it was my kid!

And I'd wake up with a sore neck - as if I'd been grabbed or whacked in the throat and it would be a little sore to swallow. This happened regularly. Only lately? I realize that my little squirming babies are not whacking me in the face and neck anymore with their heads. And I'm still sometimes waking up with a sore neck/throat. (neck on the outside, throat on the inside.)

Yes. I've gone to a doctor. now two. Both assure me that if I had some sort of cancer, I would surely have had a flurry of other symptoms since I've had this happening for the last 3 + years. And my neck has certainly been well checked for any sort of growth or lumps (gasp. cough. gasp.) My ears/nose/throat gentleman decided to scope down my throat for a better look. So I open wide, but no! He's getting out the long scope; which really looks like a long, flexible knitting needle with a tiny flashlight on one end and a giant head-strapping eye piece on the other end, to go through my nose! The very nostril peering at you from my masthead. (I've had two babies, I can handle this... I've had two babies, I can handle this...)

So after a gentle spray of numbing agent in my nose, down goes the scope. Where can one avert their eyes for this procedure? Since I am an avert-your-eyes sort of patient, I was planning my visual escape route with little success. Closing the eyes is the only option really. And that makes me dizzy.

So strange to cough when something is so clearly in your nose...

and so strange when the numbing agent starts to wear off... not quite like the dentist. for awhile there, it felt like my two front teeth weren't there at all.

It appears that the very very back of my tongue looks enlarged. Why? Shoulder shrugs. Maybe an infection?, so we'll start there with a round of antibiotics and some steriods. The warning labels on both prove that the next 2 weeks will be bitter-pill indeed. Oh! And an added bonus on the steroid is "edginess." Both my doctor and the gentle pharmacist mentioned it. So. When I'm posting at midnight over the next two weeks, you'll know why!

Crafty Babies

I went to a baby shower recently and look what I made! Just because I thought they would look cute! Just some felt stitched onto a plain old onesie. And no. These are not the onesies I'm selling through Krisalis. But maybe someday...

The Olympics, being Amish, and the best play on words I've ever seen from a 5 year old

Like the rest of the world, we have Olympic fever. The boys sailed up in their "boats" to get front row seats to the opening ceremony:



You may notice something funny about the TV? Yeah, well, that wasn't any photoshop trickery, that there is just a plain old TV set. Usually? we don't watch TV. We rent from netflix and watch on the laptop all cozied up in bed. Saturday mornings might get the occasional viewing of the Biscuit Brothers. But it wasn't until the Olympics that we realized what a sad sad state our TV is in. And this is our "upgrade" from the 12 inch. Our being "behind the times" sometimes gets us the moniker of being Amish (hey - that's an easy group to slander on the internet, huh?) Guilty. I still remember the cable guy in Vancouver coming in and taking one look at our meager set and remarking - "I guess I won't be talking you into a dish..."


And one funny from our summer - it's "Fire Chief! (get it?! maybe you can't see the fringe well enough to "see" the native american-esqueness of it?) and his sidekick fireman!

Guess Who is THREE?

and got a shiny new (albeit not red) wagon for his birthday?



(psst. it's the short one.)