LOTS OF THINGS ON MY MIND

I don't use my blog as a "journal" really, but today it might seem like that.  I just have a lot of thoughts jumping around in my head, and this is as good a place as any to express them.  Go ahead and comment, because these are things I want to be in conversation with others about.  Some of them are probably not that important to most people, but oh well, they are what I would talk to my friends about.

The photo above is one I took yesterday in an attempt to create an invitation to the groundbreaking for our new school - the project about which my job is primarily focused at this time.  I had so much in mind with this photo, and tried several complicated things, but as usual, the simple approach turned out to be the best.  Do you find that?

We had a huge hail storm today - broke three windows at the school, and caused major dents to my car.  Pretty dramatic!  Unfortunately, it also probably destroyed the flowers in my flower/weed garden. 

I so wish I had time to get out and tend my garden, but these days I just don't.  So, my flowers are all coming up amongst weeds, and my veggies are still surviving in the little containers waiting for a clear patch of ground to go in.  A sad situation!  But for the veggies, being in the little containers on the porch probably saved them from being killed during the storm today.  That, I guess, is a good thing.  I wish I could say the same for the little tiny baby apples on the apple tree - I haven't had the heart to go back there and check to see if any of them are still on the tree.  I want a good crop of apples this year, and since there was no freeze while the blossoms were out, I had some hope.  But golf-ball-sized hail and even some baseball-size hail do not bode well for apples in the fall.

This boy is away at camp this week, and I miss him.  I miss his encouraging words to me.  I miss his need for me.  I miss his funky sense of humor, and his hairbrained ideas.  I'm glad he'll be home in just two days. 

And, just for the record, I did not get all the things done that I thought I would be able to do because I didn't have to meet his needs.  I think I was less than realistic about what projects would get done without him around interrupting and asking for attention.  So, I cleaned one closet - not that anyone would notice since most people do not inspect my closets.  And I weed-wacked in the yard.  But, that is about it.  I did not do tons of art.  I did not get the guest room cleaned out.  I did not clean out the fridge and start healthier eating habits and make-over my bedroom and do all the finishing touches on the bathroom I painted earlier in the month.  It just didn't happen.  Instead I went to work and I came home, and poor Andy was lucky if I got a decent meal made for him - actually, I did do meals for him all except one night.  Oh well.  I guess I'll just have to keep working on it.

Having a week of evenings with my man (above) has been pretty special.  When J is home our evenings are not filled with adult conversation and doing projects together.  I like times when we can just be together doing stuff around the house.  And meals where we can eat late and sit and chat about everything from aging parents to politics to work issues.  It's been a bit of a treat.

There is so much more on my mind - like:

• we're going to eat dairy free for the next month to see if we all feel better. 
• it is funny when I tell some people that we're going off cow dairy they say something like - oh, and you won't be able to eat eggs.  HUH?  Eggs aren't dairy, and they don't come from cows but several people have said this to me.  I think people are lazy when it comes to thinking through what they say.
• we are invited to no less than three 4th of July celebrations, and can probably only go to one.  Sad to miss the other two, but feeling honored to be invited!
• I went outside this evening at 10 p.m., and there was still an orange glow on the western horizan from the sunset.  Amazing how late it stays light here!