Holy heatwave!

Baby, it's HOT outside.

And humid.

It's the kind of heat that makes my little girl's ringlet curls come back. Which is sort of cute because I miss those ringlets. But that's about the only fun thing about this heat. Otherwise, I am not a fan.

I've gotten much more tolerant of the heat as I've gotten older. Not that I'm old. But I remember when I was a kid and my grandfather painted a green mark at the 80-degree point on his outdoor thermometer. That's when he considered it comfortable.

I thought he was crazy.

Now I think 80 degrees isn't so bad. Except for on days like today when it's been pushing 90 and humid all week and the weatherman says "this heatwave is going to break on Thursday" so you wait with some serious anticipation for Thursday and Thursday comes and it's 78 and still humid and you'd swear it feels like it's 103.

This heat makes me cranky.

Or is it the humidity?

Whatever.

Thank God for air conditioning.

And pools.

And margaritas.

Best summer ever.

There was one particular summer during my college years that always sticks out in my mind as my best summer ever. It was the first year I was out on my own which meant lots of responsibility and at the same time, no major responsibilities. Steve and I were dating. It was a crazy hot summer. We spent lots of time at the river, swimming upstream then floating down to the landing. I hung out with friends every minute I wasn't working one of the four jobs I had. I sported a sweet tan.

My heart and mind have compared every year since then to that one amazing year. There have been many that turned out pretty awesome, but none that made me feel as free as I did or love life as much as I did that summer.

But this summer is coming pretty close.

It's been a long time since I felt so good about where I am in life. That's not to say life hasn't been good to me or for me lately, because it certainly has and I have definitely felt good about it and grateful for it. It's difficult to put into words how this feeling is a little bit different. It's not about our social status or our economic status, or about having minimal stress or having cleared lots of clutter from our lives. And because I am married and have children and a lot more responsibilities than I did that summer *cough*fifteen*cough* years ago, the things that make me happy are now very different. Now it's all about making memories with my children. I want them to look back on this summer and remember it as one of the best summers of their lives.

Shoot, who am I kidding? I'd be happy if they remember any of their childhood summers with a hint of fondness.

I remember certain summer days of my childhood that still influence how I interact with my kids. I loved those hot summer evenings when mom would tell us to load up in the motorhome and we'd pick up Chinese takeout (back when Chinese takeout was still new and fun in our small town) or pizzas and pop (back when Pizza Hut had those drink coolers they'd refill really cheaply - or was it free? - when you brought it in. Anyone remember that?) and she would take us to the dunes on Lake Michigan where we would eat, then run out into the water and swim until dad met up with us after work. Or there were the days when mom would pack lunches and all the beach gear and we would meet her girlfriends and their children at the beach and swim and play all day.

There is nothing like the kind of exhaustion you feel after you've been in the water and sun all day long. I still love that kind of exhaustion, and I love what it does to my kids. It's like a sweet, happy fog rolls in and everybody falls swiftly into dreamland a little earlier than usual, toes still sandy and hair still damp.

That happy dreamland is calling this evening and I can't wait to get there.

Today was a good day.

The deck: before and after.

Before

Beginning deconstruction.

Goodbye ugly old railing!

New surface, new steps.

Building stairs leading to an uneven surface? That was interesting.

Done!

I'll have to sweet-talk my husband into removing the very big, very heavy chunk of old concrete that used to sit at the bottom of the old steps (seen on the right in the picture above). Also, at some point this summer I will add hand rails in those front corners. And eventually, someday, hopefully (please! please! please!) we will fill in the yard with some black dirt and plant new grass seed. Baby steps! For now I am more than happy with how this turned out and I have already enjoyed sitting out there and watching the kids play in the yard (now that the railing doesn't block my view from the deck).

Oh! And enough of the old lumber was decent enough to save and cut down to build a small porch outside one of the back doors. 

Maybe in a few weeks.

Like, after I've recovered from this venture. 

Whew.

Busy summer days.

What a beautiful morning today. I think it was right around 50 degrees when I stepped outside to take Sam to school this morning. It was a little chilly, but the sun was shining and the birds were singing. A perfect summer morning. Except that part about having to get up with the alarm clock. But at least the reward of the world saying "good morning" was worth it.

We've been pretty busy around here these past few days. Translation: I've been falling into bed at night, exhausted and with sore muscles from lots of physical activity.

I'm rebuilding our front deck.

Wait. That makes it sound like the deck fell apart. It didn't. Well, not completely. Some of the spindles had fallen off the railing and they were too warped to screw back on. The railing itself was a little wobbly, though I'm sure it hadn't reached safety hazard status yet. Some of the deck boards were splitting or peeling.

It was just plain old and ugly and I wanted a change.

So with the help of a friend (and at times, my children), I dismantled the deck and we are now in the process of rebuilding it. Instead of a new railing, we're building steps running the length of each side. So far we've replaced the top surface of the deck and we have the steps off the front. I love it already. It's amazing what a little spiffing up can do to completely change the look of our home. I'll post pictures when we're done, or at least closer to being done.

In the midst of all this, Steve is pulling up stakes and moving camp. He and his crew are leaving Pennsylvania this week and heading to West Virginia. We're not sure at this point what it means for the holiday weekend and whether he will get a chance to come home, but I'm excited about the opportunity to see another new place when the kids and I go out there to visit him again. I do hope he gets a chance to come home soon, though; if I keep finding things to do to keep me busy while Steve is gone he might not recognize the place when he finally sees it again.

A good-for-nothing day.

What I mean to say is it's one of those days good for doing nothing.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

I love Saturday mornings when I wake up easy. You know those mornings when you just wake up because your body decides you've had enough sleep, and you really have? You wake up feeling rested and not rushed. Quiet, not crazy. No kids fighting over which Saturday morning cartoons they're going to watch (thank you grandma and grandpa). No place to be, nothing on the calendar, no schedule. Plenty of time to stretch, pull on an old t-shirt, and meander around the yard watering the flowers in the morning sun.

I had plans to do a few things outside today, but it's too hot to do any more than sit in the shade with a cold drink. I'm staying inside through the heat of the day and happily using my share of the grid as I run the dishwasher, the washer and dryer, the air conditioner and a fan, and my computer for some tunes to keep me motivated to at least fold the clean laundry.

Oh, and the refrigerator is keeping my beer cold until the sun gets a little lower in the western sky. Then maybe I'll head outside and do a little work in the yard.

Or maybe just sit in the shade and enjoy an easy Saturday afternoon.

Life is good. Happy weekend.

Summer school.

It's not so bad, apparently.

In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if Sam actually ... *gasp!* ... enjoys going to summer school. He gets out of bed relatively happy in the mornings and every day when I pick him up from school he seems to be in a pretty good mood.

I feel like I'm holding my breath. This isn't what I expected at all. I was certain he would fight me tooth and nail every day. Oh, he has made little comments about not being able to do such-and-such during the day because he has to go to summer school (Eeyore voice, anyone?) but I have a feeling he appreciates the schedule and knowing what to expect out of each day.

One more week.

Then it will be the 4th of July.

Then we'll have nothing to do but chill out for the rest of the summer.

And then in the fall? Middle school. Ack! I'm not going to think about that right now.

Back to the grind.

Well hello, Monday.

We're back to the usual grind today, whatever that means. Our routines seem to change right around the time they become routine so I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing for a mid-June Monday.

I make a phone call to set up an appointment.

I take a look at the household budget.

I add a couple of items to the Goodwill box.

I think about making a grocery list.

I went to bed early last night with the intent of getting plenty of sleep and hitting the ground running this morning. After I tossed and turned for two hours I got up, wandered around the house, surfed the 'Net for a few minutes, then went back to bed and tossed and turned for a while longer before finally falling to sleep. So much for my good intentions.

The weatherman says we might get some rain this afternoon and that wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit. Rainy afternoons are perfect for napping.