Summer finale

Summer is almost over? How can that be? Didn't it just begin? I know it's not officially over until September 22nd, but it always feels over to me, even though I no longer have kids in school, when August ends. I never am ready for that to happen. With a wet and cooler than usual June, our summer didn't seem to begin until July. Once it got here though, the weather was perfect. We had some hot days but the evenings were always pretty cool. Our first rain since late June, at the farm, came August 30th and was welcomed.

Summer had some wonderful whole family together times. We have more hay in storage than we often have which is good for winter although the animals are eating some of it now as they always do by late summer when the fields, even with irrigation, dry up some. Our fences are in pretty good shape, but we bought more fencing to further increase their security.

Disappointments, I had a few like not getting to Montana (yet anyway), but that was made up for by those family times, one at Klamath Lake but twice with our two oldest grandchildren spending a week at the farm which meant the two youngest had more time here also.  Living about two hundred miles from here, the oldest are not at the farm a lot; so when they are, it's special for them, their cousins, and us.

Another plus for  me was starting to paint again. I am enjoying it especially when I can be outside and paint right from what I am seeing. For now, we set up a space outside, right off our bedroom with a new easel that is portable. I am not remotely where I want to be with painting but just doing it is going to get me there faster than not.

One night, of the last 'grandparenting/ week, we had all four grandchildren sleeping over whose ages range from almost 12 to almost 3. That was interesting to say the least. The youngest has not spent a night away from either daddy or mommy with just us, and he didn't this time as they came back here, after the event they attended, to spend the night also which helped some with him but not totally.

At one point in the evening, before they all went to bed in one room, he let out a screech, the likes of which would send all coyotes running for cover. It was a mix of horror and anger, and turned out he had not seen our long-haired black cat before (BB hides when anybody arrives). When he did this time, it was with BB and Blackie (the short-haired black cat) seeming to attack him-- in his mind anyway, as they tried to get down the hall to our bedroom while he was coming from the opposite direction. I tell you that kid has a yell that could be bottled!  BB will spend a month recuperating from the fear of it and it set him back years from thinking kids are really okay after our granddaughter has spent hours cajoling him into trusting her.  Youngest grandson soon forgot (seemingly) although we kept BB and him apart the rest of his stay.

I always like it when my own kids are sleeping under the same roof with me, but in this case it meant our son and daughter-in-law would be returning late. Deja vu as it felt like when they were teens again and arriving after midnight. I only slept well after I saw the headlights turning into the driveway. I don't care how old they are. Some things never change.

While the two oldest grandchildren were here, they had the usual mix of activities with some fun and some work like helping move irrigation pipe, herding sheep as Farm Boss sheared two more lambs and a ram, blackberry picking, and this time they went out with Farm Boss and fired my .22 for a little target practice. When I was twelve, I got that gun because of dogs attacking our sheep and now my almost twelve year old granddaughter was pretty darned good with it. Now that's a pleasurable thought all its own.

The great thing was when they left, as much as they had missed their folks, they would have liked to spend another night. Can't ask for more than that, always leave them wanting so that they will want to come back. I know these days won't always last, but it's sure nice while they do.

Yes, today, I am tired and at the same time feeling a little let-down from so much youthful energy and now it's so quiet. All the laundry is done.  The house is restored to just us and two cats. I must admit, this was all a lot easier in my 30s than in my late 60s. But it's a good kind of tired. We did it. It was important to do, and we all survived. Now I just have to adjust to summer being over... That's not so easy either.


I wish I could share grandchildren photos here; but if you have Facebook, want to add me, and use your real name there,  you can see them there. I simply cannot put the kids' photos into this blog where so many come anonymously, and I don't feel it's fair or safe for my family. 

The photo of me is August 31st from the webcam here at my computer. It's the new one for the blog and for the first time using Facebook to take it for the profile there. It seems like every season I want to change them, if they last a season.  I did like how the Facebook software used my webcam to size the photo. I liked it better than what I generally get from my own computer software. I liked it for fall.