Life is Good – 2/2/2013

It’s that time of year that I knew would inevitably come, when winter feels as if it’s been here long enough already and there’s no end in sight. This kind of winter is what I know, gray days and bone chilling cold at times. It’s not the season itself that really bothers me so much. It’s what I let it do to me. When I can’t seem to stay warm, I slow down. I stay inside, doing still and quiet things, like reading books or watching movies. My motivation  to get these muscles moving fades away. I can’t seem to get enough sleep.

These aren’t bad things, when I allow them in moderation. And lucky for me, I always seem to recognize when enough is enough. And this has been that week.

I’ve been guiltily joking about falling off the exercise bandwagon lately. Sure, there were contributing factors in the past couple of months – varying illnesses and a back strain that left a weeks-long ache in my hamstring muscle. But those things have long subsided. I said I couldn’t run outside. It was either too cold, too icy or too snowy. And as for the treadmill in the nice warm gym, it was getting boring. And the gym was packed with new bodies anyway. I felt crowded by all of those enthusiastic exercisers hell-bent on honoring their new year’s resolutions. And each day that’s gone by without any attempt by me to keep my body strong has gradually added to my pile of guilt. The guilt became too much this week, but I knew I needed something new, something to make me enthusiastic again.

I’m exploring the world of yoga! Thank you, Cable T.V. for your on-demand fitness programs that are tailored for everyone from beginner to advanced. I am once again starting the day in a healthy way. And don’t worry. I’m not giving up running – just taking a little break.

The good mojo seems to have worked its way into my work life this week too. I’ve found myself steadily busy and productive, just the way I like it. There’s been no word from the CEO about the headline contest, but he did send me another assignment yesterday. Seems he wanted a press release for a new product that’s up and coming. He gathered all of his thoughts and ideas on the subject and spewed them into an email which he then sent to me. He asked me to give it a good work over and “tighten it up” and I found myself with company approved time to just sit and write.

Things are all good with the family. Our winter laziness has at least inspired Mark and me to do a good amount of home cooking, which feeds right into my ongoing goal to eat better.

Brad received his college diploma this week and sent me a text message to let me know. “Turns out I graduated after all,” he said. The day of graduation, he was joking that he might be cutting it close and wouldn’t know for sure until days or weeks after the graduation ceremony. I never doubted it though, and I told him so.

Kacey texted me several times this week from school. Once was to let me know that two of her friends had mentioned they were craving some soup that I’ve made on several occasions. It’s nice to know that my cooking skills are adequate enough to generate requests for a repeat performance.

Kacey also texted me to let me know she and her friends have signed up to do the Polar Bear Plunge – a fundraiser to support Special Olympics Minnesota athletes. Kacey and her team will be gathering pledges and in order to collect on them, they’ll be taking a plunge into Lake Calhoun on March 2nd – which means they’ll be taking a plunge into a hole cut into the ice and dipping into the frigid water! I think they are brave, and I am proud!

And I actually saw Jake this week and spent time with him for about an hour, while he was wide awake and in good spirits. He’s been working a lot, so time with him is often hard to come by.

And this morning, after a long, dreary, cold week… it is still cold, one degree outside as I write this. It was snowing as I left work yesterday afternoon, big, fluffy, lazy drifting flakes. The snow continued into the evening and left the landscape clean and fresh. It’s the weekend and the sun is shining.

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Temperatures are predicted to rise up into the teens today. It’s better than single digits. I’ll take it. Life is good!

Single Digits

The mild temperatures of the past couple of days have faded away. As the sun went down on Saturday, a fierce wind announced itself. It rattled the windows and made the dogs nervous. A deeper kind of cold settled in, the kind that makes it hard for me to keep my finger tips and toes warm, even while staying inside. I put on extra layers and wore slippers over my socks.

Sunday morning arrived and I could feel the change in the weather outside. I gazed out the patio door and could almost see the air snapping with the intensity of the cold. The dogs stayed out in the yard only as long as necessary and I didn’t dare move far from the door. If I wasn’t ready and waiting to let them back in they howled in protest at my inattention.

Kacey is happy for her brand new, made-for-arctic-cold jacket. And all of the kids are happy that Santa thought to bring them hats to keep their ears and faces warm when the real winter rolled around.

Lucy wants a closer look at Jake’s new hat

Kacey and Connor sporting their new hats

Monday’s high promises to be sub-zero. We’ve added yet another layer of blankets to the bed. I know I won’t want to come out from under the blankets when the alarm goes off in the morning, but I will. It’s just another Minnesota winter and days like these come with the territory.

Someone please wake me when spring arrives

The days feel so short this time of year. It’s cold outside and the sun’s appearances are rare. All I seem to want to do is sleep. At the end of the day, I can’t wait to change into my fleece pants and a warm sweatshirt, then retire for the night under the usual bedding of  two blankets and a quilt,with an extra layer created by my fleece tie-blanket spread on top of it all. Add in a couple of dogs curled up next to me and I’m happy. It feels like my own personal cocoon and I love it.

I’m not entirely sure how much Mark loves it, though.

Come morning, the sound of the alarm clock is a most unwelcome intrusion, even for a morning person, such as me. I slept much later than usual this morning. I went to the gym last night, so I gave myself an extra hour on the alarm clock. And when the alarm sounded this morning, it was just so warm and cozy in my bed that I kept delaying the inevitable. I hit the snooze button and burrowed deeper under the covers.

“My feet are cold. And so is my belly!”

Eventually, I knew I could no longer avoid greeting the day. The dogs always follow me right out of bed and I lead them to the back door to let them out. They’re not big fans of the cold first thing the morning either, especially when it’s still so dark outside. But I encourage them to go do their business so they can come back into the warmth. Bella is sneaky. Or lazy. Or both. She meanders around the deck, sniffing and acting all non-nonchalant. She’s trying to avoid going down the steps into the snowy yard where I’m sure it feels even colder on her little feet.

I look at her with a stern warning on my face.

“Bella,” I say through the crack in the door. She looks at me like, “Huh? What? I’m not doin’ nothin’!”

I point to the deck steps and say, “Go potty… Down THERE!”

She hangs her head and looks at me sadly before her short legs carry her down the steps. If I’m not careful, she’ll sneak in a pee on the deck.

I drove to work in the dark, with wet, dirty snow spitting onto my windshield, the only scenery a sea of tail lights ahead of me. It can be hard to find motivation and energy in the midst of these gray, cold, dreary days. The dogs know it and so do I. Sometimes you have to look really hard to find sunshine and light. But it’s out there. I found it as I was leaving work.

The pond behind the office

I was happy to see some rays of sunshine, if only for an hour today.

Jackets

Since yesterday afternoon, it’s been alternately raining, misty, foggy and raining again. So obviously, it’s been warm enough for rain. Feels really strange to have rain in Minnesota in January. But this strange-weather roller coaster seems to be the new wave, so we accept it. Besides, we got enough snow back in December to last for a while. There’s still a good layer of it on the ground and it’s weathering its second steady rain with no sign of retreating.

Still it is January in Minnesota, which means the cold isn’t ever far away and it is scheduled to return this weekend, in full force. And Kacey has been letting me know that she’s in need of a new winter jacket. And since she’s heading back to school this weekend, to the city that is the self-proclaimed epicenter of the flu epidemic in Minnesota, I feel inclined to do all I can to keep her warm and healthy.

I suppose it is time. The last jacket we bought for her was her high school letter jacket. Letter jackets tend to have a shelf life that ends on high school graduation day. So Kacey has reverted to her previous winter jacket which we bought when she was a high school freshman. Since she’s now a college sophomore, it’s probably time for a new one.

We went shopping last night and were quickly frustrated. The department stores don’t have much left in the line of winter outerwear. The local sports and apparel stores still have a decent selection, but the prices haven’t dropped. And I guess I was a bit shocked by the cost of jackets.

I guess the last time I bought a winter jacket for one of the kids, they were probably still growing. Which means there were pricing limits in place. I’ve only ever been willing to spend just so much money on something that might only be worn for one season. I guess I haven’t shaken that mindset just yet. And it must have rubbed off because even Kacey was put off by the prices, not even bothering to ask if I’d consider some of her choices. She came home jacketless.

As I was touching base with Mark today on the phone, I was explaining my frustrations over the jacket situation and quoting the prices we’d seen on some of the jackets that had appealed to Kacey.

“So just get one,” he said! “I don’t want her walking around campus without a decent jacket. Just spend what you need to spend.”

I think that’s all I needed to hear to realize, he was right. She’s done growing. She needs a decent jacket and she’ll be able to wear it for more than a season or two.

And besides, since she’s been on break from school, she’s been so helpful to me, with holiday preparations, and things around the house, and then putting all the Christmas decorations away while I was sick. So I guess she deserves something nice, like a new jacket. We went out tonight and picked out a good one. I earned a good chunk of points on my store rewards card!

And when we got home and Kacey was happy as a clam, she told me that she and her room-mate had been talking about jackets recently. “Andrea and I totally agreed that if it were acceptable to wear your high school letter jacket in college… we totally would.”

Well. Good to know she appreciates her stuff anyway.

The Aftermath of a Snowstorm

What beautiful scenery is created by a big snowstorm! The world is blanketed in white and there’s magic in the air. It is such a contented feeling to sit curled up in a chair with nothing but an entire weekend ahead, wrapped in a cozy blanket, just basking in the glow of the twinkle lights on the Christmas tree while fluffy, white, frozen flakes float to the ground.

I love a big snowstorm.

Except when it comes time to leave the house.

Monday arrived in the wake of our first major snowfall and I knew I had to get to work. Not going into the office after a big snow is considered a sign of weakness. We Minnesotans pride ourselves on our ability to function in extreme weather. I woke up extra early and took a look outside at the driveway that had been snow-blown and shoveled several times the day before. More snow had fallen and blown over in the night and the driveway was covered yet again. The plows had come by overnight and left a crusty, knee-hi snowdrift across the entire width of the driveway. There was no way my eight year-old Impala was going to make it out the driveway, much less all the way downtown.

Luckily, I had my knight in Chevy armor who laughs in the face of snow encrusted streets. Mark came home in the morning after working the night shift, barreled through the wall of snow that enclosed the driveway and honked for me to hop in. He welcomed the chance to throw his pick-up truck in four-wheel drive and chauffeur me to work. I got to sit back and just be the passenger instead of stressing over traffic gridlock and the fear of spinning out or crashing. Almost as an afterthought, I grabbed my camera to document the aftermath of a good snowstorm.

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And I made it to work safe and sound and almost on-time. That’s okay though. Tardiness is acceptable as long as it is the result of braving the weather.

I ran into my boyfriend, Blake Shelton at the Minnesota State Fair

He’s kind of got a big head,

…but he’s Blake Shelton, so I guess he’s entitled.

You’d think that seeing Blake would have been the highlight of my visit to the fair, but oddly enough, it wasn’t. The highlight was my new sticky roller purchase.

No refills are needed, ever and, as promised, this sticky roller removes short, wiry red dog fur from my navy blue love seat like none of the other sixty-odd fur removal products I’ve tried. Comes complete with telescoping handle and a handy purse-sized roller for those embarrassing times when you realize you are out in public with dog fur stuck to the butt of your black dress pants.

They don’t call the state fair The Great Minnesota Get-Together for nothing. I think we were all there today.

Scary high swings!

And there is so much to see! We went inside the Education Building only because there was a huge line of people waiting to get in when it opened. I never did figure out what the big deal was, but we got good free stuff in there. Many of the Minnesota state colleges and universities were represented there. We got bags there! You know, the eco-friendly kind that you can take shopping and reuse again and again. And we got drawstring back packs there. I use those to carry my shoes to the gym. We filled these with all kinds of free things that were available all over the fair. I must have been in a healthy state of mind. I kept picking up flyers on good nutrition and recipe booklets and one on the benefits of flax seed. (Yeah, I’m not sure what that was about, either.)

And we ate. I don’t even want to admit everything we ate. But I will, just because the fair is an exercise in excess and so I’ll admit to doing my part. We had deep-fried cheese curds for breakfast. We had shrimp on a stick. We had turkey jerkey, Sweet Martha’s cookies, an apple pie pocket ala mode. Mark had a foot-long hot dog. We had gelato!

We saw big stuffed animals.

And artwork made out of plastic cups, forks and spoons.

There were a few things we just looked at and said, “Hmmmm. No thanks!”

Mark checked out new docks for his parents’ cabin at the lake. We both checked out motorcycles at the Harley Davidson shop. I sat in a black Cadillac SRX at the Cadillac dealer. A sales girl got in and sat in the passenger seat and tried to sell me one. I said, “Maybe in the next year.” But shhhhh… I don’t think a Caddy is in my price range. It was fun to sit in it though.

We saw strange people. We ran into old friends. We learned to follow people with strollers when trying to make our way through a crowd. People get out of the way for strollers. Mark pointed out the Cutco booth. We just bought a knife set from Cutco. I looked over to the booth where a young man looked at us expectantly. I gushed, “Cutco! I love you guys!”

We proceeded to talk with the young salesman and tell him how much we love our new knives. I bought a new ice cream scoop from him and he asked if we could just stand with him all day and continue talking about how much we love Cutco products. But we had so much more to see and do, so we said goodbye.

I bought a concoction to turn wine into a frozen cocktail. They were giving out free samples! It was good!

Mark checked out a “shack” for ice fishing.

Hell, if this is what ice fishing is all about, I could do ice fishing!

After six and a half hours, my feet hurt and my stomach was full beyond full. The sun had come out and I could feel my skin beginning to burn. There was nowhere to turn to escape the smell of sweat. So we headed for one of the fairground exits , sweaty and tired, but happy that we’d experienced the fair for another year.

Loungin’ at the Lake

We love our friends from the Saturday night bowling league. They are such generous, kind, welcoming and fun people! And we miss each other over the summer months when we don’t see one another so often. So it was decided there should be a “weekend.” This weekend was to take place at Paul and Megan’s family cabin, which is “up north.” (Everything more than an hour north of the Twin Cities is considered “up north.” The cabin is about two hours north, which makes for a good weekend get-a-way.)

There were five couples able to make it to “the weekend.” Three of them arrived Friday evening. I, being in desperate need of a change of scenery, really wanted to go on Friday, but Mark and I just couldn’t make it work. Word has it that the Friday night couples stayed up all night long. I’m not such a night owl. Maybe it was best that we got a good night’s sleep and arrived fresh and energized on Saturday morning.

We arrived in the late morning, just as the all-nighters were coming back to life. Jodi wasn’t looking so lively. She was sitting quietly in a lawn chair in her sweats and a sweatshirt, looking like she could use another few hours of sleep. The rest of them were dressed in their bathing suits and before I could set my purse down, there was a Bloody Mary in my hand. Mmmmm, it was good! I really must learn to make a good Bloody Mary. Before I finished my drink, I went inside to put my suit on too. Then we all convened around the picnic table and Bonnie insisted that everyone must have a tattoo. They were fake and glittery tattoos and everyone ended up with several. I was informed that no pictures were allowed during the weekend, but I managed to snap a few that no one could be opposed to being published here.

Mark never cooperates for pictures. Can you see his tattoo on his face? Can you find Dori’s tattoo?

After everyone was sufficiently tattooed, we piled onto the pontoon boat for a cruise around the lakes. We brought plenty of food and drink and the sun was gracious enough to shine for the majority of our cruise. The moon was spotted a time or two as well! We crossed paths with many other boaters, always asking the fishermen and women how many they caught. There were other boats full of families and friends out enjoying a fine day as well. We were a friendly bunch and shared many laughs with many other “lake people.”

After our boat cruise, it was back to the cabin for some yard games, more drinks and some music. Sorry, but I’ve been forbidden to post pictures of us dancing on the picnic table to ABBA’s Mamma Mia! Suffice it to say that everyone was feeling pretty good by this time. Can ya tell?

Pauly, feelin’ good!

Some of us prepared dinner while others played cards in the gazebo or played bean bags out in the yard. Then together we enjoyed a delicious meal of hot beef sandwiches, tortellini salad, sweet corn and an assortment of other side dishes. Afterwards, we were so full we could barely move. The guys congregated outside while the girls relaxed on the porch. Bonnie insisted on giving all of the girls a foot rub. And let me just say, I would pay good money to have one again!

Mike, enjoying a cigar!

Someone had made sure there was a good bonfire burning and after dark, we all circled around it, talking, telling jokes and stories, playing games and laughing until our stomach muscles ached. Somewhere near midnight, the all-nighters began to lose steam, which was fine with me. Being the early riser that I am, I don’t make a very good night owl.

I slept like a baby on what was described as “the marshmallow bed.” I guess the beds in your typical lake cabin don’t tend to be of the highest quality, but it made little difference to me. I was tired and didn’t get up the next morning until after nine o’clock. Sunday morning was overcast and cooler, but perfect for a leisurely breakfast and coffee out on the deck. We all lounged around until well after lunch time, leisurely packing up this and that and preparing to head home again. Everyone seemed reluctant to break up the party.

“We need more time,” they said.

“I wish we had an extra day,” they said.

“I have a hangover,” someone said.

“Can’t wait to do it again next year,” someone said.

Like all good things, it was over too soon. But I have a feeling the stories will live on for years to come.

IT’S SO HOT!

These are the dog days of summer. Here in Minnesota, you’re required to proclaim now and then that, “It’s not the heat. It’s the humidity.”

It has been very warm for these parts. We’ve seen upper nineties and even a hundred degrees these past couple of weeks. That’s pretty hot for people who are used to trying to stay warm, not cool. Factor humidity into the equation and it gets pretty uncomfortable. It’s been so humid that lately, when I return home from a morning run, my sports bra is so drenched with sweat I could almost wring it out. I’ve sweated so much that Mark has actually looked me up and down, crinkled his nose and stated, “Ick.”

I’m not offended, trust me. I can smell myself after those runs and he’s right. And no shower feels as good as one taken in an effort to wash off all that sweat and stink.

There are two camps of people when it comes to these dog days of summer. There are the ones who’ll tell you to stop complaining because after all, it could be winter! And then there are the ones who say if they wanted to live like this, they’d move to Texas. For the record, I belong to the former.

Just like the cold, though, the heat gives us something to talk about. A complete stranger in the elevator this afternoon struck up a conversation with me about the heat. I reminded him that it could be twenty below and snowing. He asked, “Aren’t we really just looking for the happy medium?”

Are we? I don’t think I am. Here in Minnesota, we get all four seasons. And part of the draw for me is that none of them lasts too long. Except for winter which last nine months. And we’ll get our happy mediums. They’re called spring and fall.

I like summer and I’m not about to wish it away quickly. I happen to like the sun when it’s so hot I can feel it soaking into my skin. I like to catch some rays and get a little summer tan. And I love to be in the water when the heat is so intense that all I want to do is escape it. And not only the weather, I love the sound of lawn mowers and air conditioners running. I like that there are summer foods; tomatoes and corn on the cob and sweet, juicy watermelon that taste as good as they do because you just can’t get them during the rest of the year. I like that people come outside in the summer and the way it always feels like there’s something going on and something to do. I love that there is color all around and that it’s so bright all the time and the way the world feels a little smaller in the summer.

So, yes. It is HOT! But I’m not complaining.

Pretty Weekend

This was one of those picture perfect weekends. Yesterday morning I was awake early with Miss Lucy Pie. Since she just had her hip surgery, she needs our help getting outside, especially because of all the steps in the house and the ones on the deck that she usually uses to get to the back yard. And because she doesn’t know to be cautious, she needs to be on a leash even in her own yard so that she’s not tempted to run and cause damage to her hip. She’d doing amazingly well, by the way. If it weren’t for the huge shaved patch of skin and the ugly stitches, you might not even realize she’d just had a major surgery.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sky was clear blue with sun shining so bright that it felt as if the air was sparkling. The air was comfortably warm, even so early in the day. Lucy and I strolled around the back yard with no hurry to go back inside.

It was a mellow weekend for us. We chose to stick close to home to keep an eye on our canine patient, only making quick trips here and there when one of the kids was home to keep an eye on Lucy. I picked up a few more flowers to finish planting around the yard.

It seemed like everyone in the neighborhood had the same idea. Everyone was taking advantage of the gorgeous weather and prettying up their yards and gardens for the summer. Sometimes I look around the neighborhoods in our area and feel as if they are going downhill. Twenty-four years ago when we built our house on what had recently been a farmer’s field, everything was fresh and new. Now homes have changed owners several times over. Some of them have been “let go.” But a mature neighborhood has a little something over those sparkling new ones. It has character. It has seen the benefit of time. Some of the residents, like us, started out as young adults, with young families and limited budgets. All these years later, we’re more established. We’ve made improvements to our homes and yards little by little over the years. Our homes have personality.

I looked around this weekend and saw that personality all over our neighborhood. Everything is so pretty right now. I love this time of year when there’s so much life and color all around us. My own flowers are in various stages, some of them already past their prime, like the Irises. Some of them are at their peak, like the Clematis. And some of them have yet to even bloom, like the petunias in the whiskey barrel under the tree out front.

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I love this time of year. I love this kind of weekend.

Muddy Memorial Day Weekend at the Cabin

The weather forecast showed a significant chance of rain. We tossed around the idea of staying home, but in the end we chose to go regardless. We don’t go to Mark’s parents’ cabin nearly often enough. We need to go more often, not just for R&R but because lake properties require upkeep. Much of the work falls on Mark’s younger brother because he’s able to go more often. We have to pitch in when we’re available. And besides, rain or not, I needed to get away from this house.

Saturday morning arrived with sunshine at home. The forecast for “the cities” was very summer-like and we knew we were heading for less-than-favorable weather conditions for our long holiday weekend. We were packed and we were going. Kacey and Connor were coming with. Mark’s parents were going to be going too, as was his younger brother and family. We hit the road at eight o’clock that morning.

On the road, we saw signs that the summer vacation season had arrived. While we traveled, we were joined by all makes and sizes of campers and SUVs packed full with the fixings for a weekend away.We rode behind trailers hauling boats so big we couldn’t see the vehicles that towed them along the highway. And by the time we got to Hinckley which is still an hour away from the cabin, rain began to fall. Along the way we saw evidence of the rain that had fallen in the past few days. The distance between houses grew longer and my gaze lingered on the long driveways between those homes and the highways. Many of the driveways were under water in places. Ponds stretched well beyond their obvious normal boundaries.

We were the first to arrive. We unpacked our stuff and emptied the contents of the cooler into the refrigerator. We relaxed in the living room and watched a movie while we waited for the others. We had lunch before anyone else showed up. And when they finally arrived, the cabin came to life. The nieces and nephew were excited to see Kacey and Connor. They didn’t care about the rain which continued to fall all day on Saturday. The water was rising to meet the dock that the guys just put in last weekend. Mark and Steve stood on it with hands on hips and debated. The rain let up for a while and soon the two of them and Connor were in the water. Mark and Steve wore chest waders. Connor wore a pair of shorts and braved the not-very-beach-like temperatures. With tools in hand, they raised the dock up another notch on its posts.

Have I mentioned the mud? Oh my, the MUD! The cabin is surrounded by tall, old trees that provide so much cover that the grass only grows sparsely. You can imagine what an abundance of water does to the yard and the long driveway. Three year-old Ryan, running around with his new-found playmates from the cabin next door was soon covered in it.

Saturday night we fell asleep to the sound of rain pouring down on the cabin roof.

The sun came out Sunday around noon and stayed for a good part of the day. The kids fished and played in the mud. The water in the lake rose again. Mark and Steve hauled two-by-fours and tools down to the dock and nailed the dock sections together with the boards to keep the sections from pulling apart under the pressure of such high water. Sunday night we played cards and watched the rain come down again in sheets. We fell asleep again to the patter of raindrops on the roof. They lulled me to sleep when I climbed into bed around midnight and I don’t remember hearing the storm let up before I drifted off. On Monday I awoke to sunshine and a thick layer of fog covering the lake.

It wasn’t quite the weekend I’d wished for. I had hoped there might be a boat ride or a chance to sit on the dock and soak up the sun or even sit on the deck and watch the goings-on out on the lake. I thought I might take Lucy out exploring. The rain and the mud prevented most of those things. But it wasn’t all for naught. The cabin is truly a cabin. It’s not a lake home. It’s a small, old place with a mish-mash of furniture. There isn’t a lot of physical space, but there are places for many to sleep. There’s a big, old table where we all eat together, a hand-me-down from Mark’s great grandparents’ farm. Preparing meals is so much more enjoyable when it’s a team effort, as is the clean-up afterwards. There are old books and toys and games that seem inviting simply because they’re different from what is at home. And there are playing cards. We always play May I. I remember trying to learn this Rummy game over twenty years ago and thinking I’d never keep it all straight. Now I’m a force to be reckoned with and Connor is quickly learning to compete.

At the cabin, I can watch movies without guilt that some other chore should be getting done. I can read to my heart’s content. I can stay up late and I can sleep late. (This is a good thing. Mark’s family members are night owls and late sleepers anyway. Anyone up before eight o’clock best get out the door and down to the dock to catch Sunnies and Perch while waiting for the rest of the family to greet the day.)

We didn’t get to swim or go for long walks. We didn’t get to go for boat rides. But I got to play with the cutest three year-old I know. We took a ride around the lake and looked at docks under water and waved at other weekenders who were doing their best to enjoy the weekend in spite of the weather. We visited the dam to see how high the water was, officially. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the window of sunshine that Sunday brought with it. I got to enjoy family and live simpler for a few days. When we left on Monday morning the sun was shining, but we heard that thunderstorms came around again not long after we pointed the truck back toward home. And it was good to get home to the sunshine and let our feet dry out again.

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