Summer Fun

Good morning son!  How the heck are you? Life is good here. Summer is here. The temperature was 70 degrees when we went to bed last night at 11 pm. This morning the sun is out, the birds are doing their usual fighting on the front porch and there is a delightful summer breeze pushing it's way into the living room. Jamison and I are in our usual Sunday morning spots on the couch. Me? I'm stretched out with the computer in my lap writing and Jamison, well, he's draped over the other end wistfully looking from me to the outside. He'd much rather be on the other side of the window. The flowers that I began from seeds are now beginning to bloom. Here's a time when I wish my mom were closer so she could tell me what I had planted. I had them all carefully marked and between the wind, squirrels, birds and believe it not, chipmunks I don't have a clue what is where. Yesterday as dad and I were sitting here having a soda after our arduous trip to the grocery section of Walmart and 2,358 steps in the store, not counting the other 2,000 steps to load and unload. But that's neither here nor there. Any hoo, as we sat here having a cold one dad started laughing. He said he just watched a chipmunk climb into one of my planters and one minute there was this beautiful flower and then next minute, zippo! That little sucker, in one gulp had eradicated one of my flowers. He was a feisty little guy too cause I stood at the window not 4 feet away from him and banged on the casing and nothing. He just sat there and looked at me. Not until I opened the front door did he scoot. Little devil!

I do believe I hear thunder rolling. We have a 30% possibility for the next several days. They don't last long though and they do help to cool things off.

Poor dad, he's in the shower and I'll bet it's a cold one right now. One of the kids upstairs has just turned their shower on. Oops! That's been happening for some time now. All Tom, the landlord says is, "it shouldn't do that". Duh, like it takes a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

I can't begin to tell you how having the sun and some warmth has helped everything. It's so great to be able to sit outside and work on "fairy furniture"; to work in the yard; to have flowers and a mini garden, to be in flip flops again!!!

Josie was over a couple of times this week and we did much of our usual, fairy gardens and birdhouses. While she was working on her fairy garden I made her a chair and a bed for her fairies. She decided the fairies would need blankets on their bed to keep them warm so she gathered leaves and we covered the fairy bed in leaves so the fairies would stay warm. She's really in to fairy gardens. I do believe if I gave her a container the size of a truck bed she will fill it up. See what I mean! This time she painted two purple, turquoise, and make sure you get the terminology correct for the color, it is NOT aqua or blue, it is TURQUOISE. I had recently made a fairy garden for someone else and had included a tire swing and a bicycle. She had seen it and so we naturally had to make a tire swing and get a bicycle for her purple fairy garden. She wasn't thrilled with the color of the tire and bike I had so she had to do a little of her own color inspiration. She didn't care for the color of the "tree" I had (a natural branch) and so added her own preferred brown color. That girl does have a mind of her own. Poor thing, does come by it naturally though.

That was one day. The next afternoon when she arrived she wanted to build another fairy house! But after some discussion we decided it might be better to work on some houses for the birds. So, she painted and "buttoned" some bird houses. The really came out cute. And, it's not like we don't have plenty of buttons. Needless to say though, I need to make a trip to the hobby store for more paint. I seem to be running low on purple, pink, TURQUOISE, and silver!Later that evening she was doing anything she could do to stay awake. Usually the first thing she will do is get out the sharpies and color. She had them out but had no interest. She finally pulled out a couple of books for us to read. While we were reading dad had called to wish your

Uncle & Josie reading

grandma a happy 84th birthday. As he passed the phone to me I handed him the book so he could finish reading to Josie. For a split second I didn't think she would, then she grabbed up a couple of books and away she went. Outside of one other time when she was very little, I don't think she's let uncle read to her. Needless to say, they had a super time, reading AND singing if you can imagine that. And I know you can. Especially since all the books they were reading had been yours. They had a great time for over an hour until Jon came to pick her up.

Tuesday while Jamison gets another summer "haircut", dad, Josie and I are going to the movies to see Epic. That's something the three of us have not done so it should be a lot of fun. Wednesday her mom will be home and so she will be totally consumed with hugs, kisses and squeezes. 

As usual, the summer is going to be full and fun. 

Dad is able to drive again. He's been released from his "grounding". His new glasses come in last Thursday and has transformed his life. His reading glasses should be in Monday and so once again he'll be able to read without a full page magnifying glass. My eye appointment is July 3rd and I'm so looking forward to being able to read once again. I know my eyes are in good shape because she told me that last year but I can't see to read worth a darn and I'm so ready some afternoons to just sit back and read a good book.

Corey is in Texas doing an internship for her classes. It's not been an easy time for her because she's a mom that loves being with her kids and with Jon. But, it's something that has to be done and there will be more of them so all we can do is send her off with hugs and kisses, send her tons of messages and pictures and help with things here on the home front. It won't last forever and as your grandma always says, "In view of eternity, this is nothing."

Well, if I want to get to the hobby store and pick up the things for wreath making with Josie for Tuesday afternoon I'd better get off here and get finished with my gabbing. Oh, before I go though, I forgot to show you this picture. This is "Aaron's Rock" up on the hill where dad and Jamison walk every day. This flower appeared just about a week before Father's Day. We've never seen it before, or since. It was a good reminder that you will always be with us. 

 Until next week, be Aaron, love mom