Beachy Keen

Lauren's one request when she arrived here for the holidays?

So we did. Canberra's a land-locked city but we're a fairly easy, well-worth-the-2-hours drive to the coast.

These views helped us feel less homesick for our traditional White Christmases of the past.
(And if you're reading this from frigid winter land, remember the tables will turn in a few months!
In the meantime, just treat this as an armchair vacation and I'll do the same in July.) 

We read, walked, body surfed, napped, and picnicked away the day*.

Is it just me or has Sam had a summer growth spurt lately?

Such a happy day. Absolute contentment.

Now Sam's at EFY in Sydney (Maddy's age group goes next week), Lauren's in India, Greg's at work, Maddy is with friends, and I'm holding down the fort and recovering from the post-holiday blahs (do you get those, too?). 

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*You'll notice that we took sun protection very seriously that day. Earlier in the week we had all experienced the consequences of a somewhat more casual approach to sun protection:

LESSON. LEARNED.

Self Evident and Unalienable

It rained last night and poured this morning so we started revising our 4th of July plans to indoors. Then, after the ward pancake breakfast, the skies cleared and the sun presided over the midday town picnic in the park. 

Humid cotton candy, oompa bands, bluegrass combos, a League of Women Voters used jewelry sale, hot dog stands, hula hoopers, Lizzie the Clown, neighbors and townfolk swathed in patriotic colors--all just a mile or so from the place where the revolution was started, culminating in these words drafted 236 years ago today:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...and for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutally pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.*

What could be more patriotic than registering to vote for the first time?

 Uncle Sam wants YOU

Betsy Ross and the port-a-potties

Synchronized cotton candy 

God Bless America, land that I love. 

. . .

 *Listen to the entire Declaration of Independence here read beautifully by NPR reporters, commentators, and hosts.  

We also started out our day watching three of our favorite National Anthem performances: 

Whitney Houston
5 young talented girls
and the Dixie Chicks.

Three again

Look! All three kids together again...and willing to jump out of the car by the side of the freeway to pose next to a giant cow (or, to be more precise, a giant bull).
Really though, who can pass up a photo op with a giant bull?? 
Not me, that's who. 

With Lauren home, there's more laughter & joyful noise, later bedtimes, and we go through a few more bagels. We're looking forward to a hyggli, laid back summer. Although they each have some scheduled, structured obligations (work, scout camp, etc.), we're also planning on basking in our last New England summer: hikes, bike rides, beaches, and a quest for the best ice cream cone, best hot dog, and best lobster roll in the area.

And if we can just sell our house, I can stop being OCD mom; it's a challenge with everyone home full time. I am so grateful for appliances and the trunk of our car for their cavernous ability to hold a bunch of random clutter gathered and thrown in as we sweep the house frantically before a showing. Pay no attention to the shoes and charging cords in the washer, sports equipment in the dryer, and piles of mail in the dishwasher, home buyers! Everything else is in good shape! Go ahead and make an offer!

Midsummer playlist

 

Yesterday was a completely quiet day around here, just Louie and me. I thought I would spend all day with my nose to the writing grindstone but instead (in a classic case of productive neglect) I decided to clean the studio, organize my computer, and create a few playlists.  Suddenly that felt very urgent, you know?

This playlist is full of songs I'm listening to this summer, mostly recent music but also a few summer classics from years gone by. You can listen to the whole thing on Spotify* if you have it but, if not, here's a list in case you are also trying to avoid deadlines like me:

1. Barton Hollow ~ The Civil Wars
2. Jungle Drum ~ Emiliana Torrini
3. North ~ Chris Merritt
4. Towers ~ Bon Iver
5. Romeo & Juliet, 39, Romeo bids farewell ~ Prokofiev
6. Someone Like You ~ Adele 7. What is Love? ~ Howard Jones
8. Charlie Darwin ~ The Low Anthem
9. Awake my Soul ~ Mumford & Sons
10. O Mio Babbino Caro ~ Gianni Schicci
11. Human Orchestra ~ Mark Bradshaw
12. It's Oh So Quiet ~ Bjork
13. Poison & Wine ~ The Civil Wars
14. Via con me ~ Paolo Conte
15. Pumped Up Kicks ~ Foster the People 
16. Sugar ~ Chris Merritt
17. Mama, You Been On My Mind ~ Jeff Buckley
18. Doctor! Doctor! ~ Thompson Twins
19. Ghostwriter ~ RJD2
20. Some Things are Meant to Be ~ Little Women musical
21. Gravity ~ Sara Bareilles
22. Don't You Remember ~ Adele 

Taking a closer look now, there are some themes there, I think.  Fun. Love. Warmth. Some mellow nostalgia. A little melancholy there at the end. Yup, that's this summer from the view in my shoes, pretty much.  

What's your favorite song of this summer?

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*I know I told everybody to join Spotify but I should add (thanks, Sarah) that you have to request an invite by entering your email address on the site. It only took a day or two for me to get the invite. I forgot to mention that before. 

photo via dandelionandgrey

Meeting kohlrabi

I've intended to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for several years but I always thought of it too late in the season (Story of my life. See: bags of spring bulbs in my garage, for instance.)  This winter I happened to see a friend's facebook update about re-joining her favorite local CSA (thanks JenJack) and finally jumped on the fresh weekly produce bandwagon. (Did I mention this involves no weeding*, no watering*, just a bit of early season cash for our local farm?)

Yesterday was the first week's bounty: radishes, beets, baby lettuce, red and green lettuce, arugula (gesundheit!), white summer turnips, kohlrabi, and scallions.  Luscious, green, leafy goodness with a bit of mystery thrown in. Kohlrabi, the sputnik vegetable? Who knew?

. . .

Search for a CSA near you here. In fairness, I should add that G has planted a lovely raised bed garden of our own so we will have tomatoes and peas and herbs etc., as well as character-building weeding chores for the kids. Otherwise they'd take away our pioneer-heritage certification, right?