Goodbye July

It's difficult for me to believe that July has ended and we've had all of two or three days of hot weather. The rain has been incredible, simply non-stop, and I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever get a break. I don't mind the cooler weather, it's the rain the brings me down, everything is so wet, though it inspires us to stay inside and play with Legos, which is a great thing, even if we lose the use of our rug.

Getting out and about, however, can be a bit challenging. The other night we went to pick mom up from yoga - she usually walks to and fro - because the rain was so heavy, and we were early, so we waited in the car and because the rain was so heavy, we couldn't leave the windows open. The car got so hot and steamy and uncomfortable, I kept thinking, "Man, we need some sun." Sorry to whine.

With the first day of August comes the promise and optimism of getting lots of projects done, and there are many. I chickened out, in the interest of time, and took the lawnmower in rather than attempt to rebuild the carburetor. That may never happen with me, but if it does, it is for another time. There's too much going on and our lawn is a complete disaster. I've learned the neglect only exacerbates the problem, and by not mowing it, the weeds will only thrive. The grass in our yard is most definitely a long term project, but the sooner I get on it, the better. The rain isn't helping.

This month, and hopefully this week even, I've got to get the homeschool administrative stuff together and get it in. The main priority is enrolling the kids for the 09-10 year, but also getting together portfolio materials. And let us not forget the standardized test coming in Fall.

I finally got to meet the legendary NT, S's mom and town resident extraordinaire. Such a neat and interesting person, it was nice to finally meet her. She actually wrote the play that the kids in town performed a few years back, and I asked her if she'd do it again. She hinted she might, but we shall see. I'd be happy to help her, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The reason we were over there is because A's guitar lessons are at her house, her teacher KR is renting a room over there. It seems like an interesting place, lots of people coming and going, and a really unique location. They are also holding kids survival camp (NT's daughter H is running it) and I initially wanted to have our kids in it, but the timing wasn't great-right on the heels of their Montshire camps, and I tried and tried to get more info but nobody returned my calls. Oh well, what are you going to do.

Anyway, when I dropped A off for her lesson, the kids were on their last day of camp, and A got to see some of her friends. They had built a cobb oven and made pizza in it, and I thought how cool is that? Just the sort of thing our kids would get a huge kick out of, and the camp is so close it would have been nice. I asked if they were doing it next year and H said yes, so we'll look forward to that and plan our summer camp schedule a little better, though it can be really crazy. Part of me, however, had this fear that I'd see YKW there, or at least YKW jr., but fortunately it wasn't the case.

We spent a nice day at home, with the weather being so poor it's good just to hang. The kids did spent a lot of time amusing themselves with playdough and legos, and then they moved onto the hardest puzzle I've ever tried - mind you, I never indulge in puzzles, so it doesn't take much to challenge me. We received a puzzle from the National Geological Service that is a topographical map that's been made into a puzzle. It's cool, but amazingly difficult. Over the course of the last month, mom and the kids (and occasionally dad, though I tend to be a bit of a liability) have been pouring over it, and the kids really get a kick out of trying. Could be a good future endeavor for the family. They actually finished the thing yesterday afternoon, and I was so proud of them. They really worked hard on it, and as I mentioned, it wasn't easy. Unfortunatlely, we're missing one piece, which are currently searching for. It's not too distressing, because it adds a little character to the thing, and it doesn't diminish the effort and achievement of the activity. Such is life.

We also restrung A's guitar, which is kind of cool because it's one of those things that you don't think you can do by yourself and in the end is not rocket science. Plus it gives her a sense of coolness that her instrument has new strings. Maybe it's time I did mine?

Their interest in the BBC typing game has been rekindled, not sure where the inspiration came from but they can spend hours on that thing. It's nice because it really challenges them and encourages them to take the proper steps to learn to type, and it shows. It worked out well because while they were typing, my mentor came by and we talked real man stuff. The project of a lifetime is moving forward, and I need to be prepared.

Finally, I got to speak with our good friend, LD out in SF. She's not been feeling so great lately and I regret that I haven't kept more in touch, but now that we've bridged the gap, I'll make sure that doesn't happen again. Besides, her man is one of my best friends, not to mention one of the people I respect the most in this world, even if he acts like Peter Pan.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.