The livin' is easy...

There are some things that define summer. Weeks and weeks can go by of the supposed season, and for me, despite 90+ degree days and late sunsets, summer won't offically have occurred unless a few key things take place. I think I crammed most of my things into the past 3 days.

• Candy AND ice cream at the bazaar
• The world's best french toast ever
• Putting my toesers into sand...that leads into a vast ocean
• Boat rides
• and last but not least, something that has been missing for a long time. Something that when I went today, I vowed NEVER to drive/walk by again. A lemonade stand. Right there in South Salem. Brownies, popcorn and lemonade, sold my two cute little girls. Never mind that they lived on what appeared to be the biggest horse farm on the road, and were looking very smart in their tennis whites. It brought me back, I swerved the car off the road, put on my hazards and bought some goods. The mom stood in the background, always making sure her girls were ok. It brought back some of the best memories. The things that summers were all about, carefree days, barefeet, screaming L-E-M-O-N-A-D-E to every passerby. Too bad it took me until the last day of August to get these things done, I'll have to start earlier next year.

Summer Recap

The most wonderful time of the year? Really? After a most busy 3 months of semi-retirement I am breaking out the ballet flats and heading back to work tomorrow. Goodbye little (little?) toesies, see you next year. Goodbye Regis and Kelly, catch you on the first snowday. Goodbye fresh food and berries, meet up with you when the warm weather returns.



Just so you know, I've spent the past few days preparing the house and, most importantly, my closet, for the occasion. Eric went to Michigan and while the cat was away the mouse used the tools in his workshop. On a similar note, if anyone knows how to put the sandpaper back onto a beltsander send the info along my way.

I finally found a use for one of my 33 handkerchiefs that I WON on ebay. Well, actually a second use, I pawned one off to Gracie in her birthday gift. She is probably very confused. And, well, another of the handkerchiefs has "Helen" embroidered on it so I consider that one to be relatively useless unless I actually cave in and use it to blow my nose. I have my dead man laid on for tomorrow and am ready to go (I'm going with a funky color combination, Nie inspired, of couse, to let people know "I'm here and I'm excited"). If I could just get my dang computer to CLICK on the BUTTON to upload PICTURES I could get on with things and go to BED so I don't have dark RACCOON EYES in the MORNING.

Well, my most exciting pre-back-to-school news was that I managed to recover three of the four kitchen chairs. This was an exciting triumph because of a handful of obstacles that included: my calculations for fabric coming to fifty five yards, which sounded a bit high but sounded really ridiculous when Tese said "HALF A FOOTBALL FIELD??" and then laughed for six minutes. Ok, so it was really 2 2/3 yards but we don't do division in second grade so ha... when I went to get staples for the staple gun the man at the store asked me if it was for hard or soft wood. I get it, I do. You need to make small talk on the way to the staple aisle. But I was befuddled and told him "well it felt hard to me"... I mean... it's WOOD, man.

You won't get to see the picture of the before and after tonight (curse curse curse, computer) but it's acomin. After work starts, I suppose.

Bitten Lips & Tongues

Dec got a lesson from Daddy this evening about how to kiss Nonie. "Give her quick kisses." The guidelines were expanded to include: No lingering or laughing during the kiss.

Kissing lessons were prompted by the following scene:

Dec was swaddled in a blanket on the couch. Nonie was playing with a fuzzy soccer ball on the floor. She looked very approachable...playful...darn cute...kissable. He watched her for a few seconds, but then couldn't resist her any longer.

He swooped in for a kiss but lingered too long. I was half paying attention to the exchange but became completely absorbed in it when all of a sudden Dec lept from the floor and let out a roar of a sob....

"Waaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" He threw himself back onto the couch.

"Nonie just bit my lip."

I sat here, biting my tongue, wondering why he would willingly put his lip in her mouth and how he could possibly think she wouldn't bite it.

Then I figured that sassy Miss Chicklets was just getting her big bro back for the time he practiced his "Jackson Pollock painting techniques" on her and not the lovely plain paper in front of him. She's a smart Chicklet that Miss Nonie.

Tour de Ireland

While we missed the actual Tour de Ireland by a week, (yes it would have been nice to see Lance winding his way through the narrow roads) our own tour was spotted with some incredibly special and memorable moments.

On the first day that the boys went to play golf, the girls and Xave hung out at the hotel, did some shopping, and had a chance to test out the hotel's spa. Being on the west coast of Ireland, one would not suspect that the spa facilities would be the greatest. While I was the last to go, I still didn't know what I was getting into. I signed up for the "full pressure" style, as I have merely laughed at in the past (nothing could satisfy). I am not sure at what point the awkwardness began, whether it was right away when I was asked to disrobe in full light in full view of my small, Taiwanese massuese, or when she was on me, literally crawling upon my naked back on all fours, but it was there. At some point I must have gotten over this, perhaps it was the jet lag, but I do know I fell asleep several times, so I must have been comfortable.

I think I was more than comfortable, it was grand! Afterwards, the ginger tea, the dark room, the sweet pineapple, perfect!! I'll take a lady on my back anyday, no inhibitions here! Lots more adventures, lots more fun...

A Sunset Shared...

On Sunday we scrambled.

With news that the presidential helicopter was leaving Cape Cod, we hopped on our bikes and cycled as fast as we could to the airport. Sweat dripped on our brows as we arrived in time to see the endless procession of black suburbans whiz by. Wow. Our hearts raced with excitement. We were impressed by the spectacle of it all.

We waved and wondered which vehicle you were in. And. We were certain that you saw us. How could you miss us?

Then, we re-grouped at Sharky's where all around us vacationers celebrated your arrival with the Obama-rita and the Barack-o-taco. But, we stuck with the tried and true Steak Quesedilia. Delish delish. So so nice got to type it twice.

On a whim, we ventured to Pohogonot to see Oyster Pond from afar. We waved to neighbors enjoying the sights and sounds of this very Vineyard evening. Twigs and berries were sailing their boat around the furthest bend just as we made our way across the sandplain. The sun seemed to be searing through the clouds. It took my breath away. It did.

It is there where we kicked off our flip flops, leaped beneath a setting sun, sent laughter through summer's warm breeze, goofed at the camera and wondered ...

if...

the president was less than a mile down the beach from us, doing the same thing with his family.

We hoped he was.

Sunset over Oyster Pond, Edgartown. August 23. 2009.

And the clouds put on a show

Went for a wee hike the other morning.

To the top of Camel's Hump (which used to be called Camel's Rump and I think that is A MUCH BETTER name).

With my partner in crime.

This is me telling Eric "your back is sweat-eeee (click)".

Oh and this guy was there too. He looked like a gummy worm and boy was I getting hungry.

Over in Killarney...

A long, long time ago there was a red van that weaved it's way through the Irish country side. In it were 7 children, and 2 parents. Apparently back then there were no car seats, so the 1 year old baby sat in the van on her umbrella stroller. I think, there was also a serious lack of seat belts, because the 5 year old (me) recalls coming to a stop to allow some cows to cross, and hitting her head. Then applying some frozen Irish peas to the welt on her head. And to think there was time to video tape the entire trip...

The incredible journey taken nearly 25 years ago seems even more astounding having just returned from Ireland with my 1 child, a 1 year old. Having myself and him adjust to the time change took four days, and it wasn't pretty. It took some tantrums, lack of sleep, refusal to eat or drink the foreign milk until I made it into sweet tea, it was quite a sight. I praise mom a thousand times more for doing it with 7 children, and can't quite imagine how it all worked out. I called her about the first or second day into the trip to let her know how we were. After informing her that Xave wouldn't eat, she recalled how we had pretty much survived on soft serve for the entire 3 weeks we were there, oh so long ago. Thank goodness, that although much has changed in Ireland in 25 years, the soft serve/ice cream stations are almost as easy to find as the pubs. So we (I mean Xave) ate ice cream and sweet tea for a week.

More stories to come....

Gettin' my fix

"I own an island in the sea, I do not own it actually. I claim it only by right of need, defying those who hold the deed. Perhaps a truer phrase would be, there is an island which owns me."

Louise Bugbee

Off to the Vineyard.
It's been too long.
A few years ago when I was spending much of the summer there by myself and the beauty of it was a bit lost one me...
Kara said -
Be there. Enjoy it. The time will come when you won't be able to spend your summers there.
And you'll miss it.-

I do.

SEE YOU THERE!!

Make Your Own Sundaes

On the hottest day of the summer, neighbors join us for make-your-own sundaes.


Then buzz around the yard burning off the sugar suga...

Bring on the humidity!

Grand People

Dec knows that his Granny Annie always has chocolate in her car. In fact, somehow, he learned how to spell M&Ms though, he'd never had one on my watch....

Nonie is quite certain that her Grandpa Cathal will do ANYTHING for her, including walk and walk and walk and walk with a hunched back until he can't see straight. Oh the back aches!

Dec has picked up some of Granny Tess' Irish adjectives referring to toy trucks and "luvely" and talking about having a "grand time" at the carnival. And the phrase: "Himself is being a scallywag..." actually means something to Himself.

While Nonie has sat on Papa's lap and heard him tell stories about her chest cold originating with long lost relatives and has viewed his baby book to compare images of Papa & Nonie at the same age. We now know where her double chin came from.

The kids spend so much time with their Grandparents that I'm not sure why I was caught off guard when Dec probed me today about who was going to join us at the Sherwood Island beach. When I said that Nonie and Daddy would be with us he fished around for another (grander) answer.

"I mean, which of my GRAND PEOPLE are going to be with us?"

***

How lucky I feel to be raising children who think it is odd to NOT have a grandparent in tow.

This is my dream come true.

Granny Tess, Grandpa, Granny Annie and Papa are indeed:

grand people.

When the whole world is on vacation...

And I am not-

When once busy streets are sparse with cars and emails have slowed to a manageable few-

When the weathermen all refer to today as the "best of the summer". And the warm breeze and cloudless sky agree-

When the phone hardly rings and the library is so lonely that the librarians chat us up for close to an hour-

WHILE the whole world is on Martha's Vineyard (and I am not) -

I make pancakes. Giant plate-sized pancakes.

I putter in the garden deadheading my flowers which are (almost) every color of the rainbow.

I create a backyard water-slide off the swingset into the baby pool. So fun? Yes. So dangerous? probably.

I drink an icy cold Fresca out of a large summery glass and eat a 4-cheese grilled cheese sandwich. What is more vacation-y than that?

I hang the laundry up to dry and don't rush doing it.

I invite myself and my entourage over to Gran & Pops for a swim and dinner.

I eavesdrop on the stories and songs Decky sings and tells to his legos.

I crack up when Nonie (for the first time EVER) initiates a game of peek-a-boo.

I stroll the kids down to pick blackberries.

I breathe deeply.

I breathe deeply again.

And I can't help but think that "vacation" doesn't get much better than this.

Big Green Wonder

When I think of weeping willow trees, I think of being a kid.

When I think of being a kid, I think of weeping willow trees.

It's a cycle, you see.

Eric asked me a few months ago if I had a favorite tree. He did not, of course, mean a favorite kind of tree. He meant an actually favorite tree in a specific place. He had one. He would. I was stumped (ha!).

Then last weekend I saw a weeping willow.

My mind was flooded with glimpses out the Gray Rock back door. I thought of all things child-like. They were all good. I'm not quite sure what the Weeping Willow tree does. I don't think I can get nuts or cones. They're not great Christmas trees. Maybe that's the thing. Maybe they don't do all that much. I guess I'm alright with that.

What I'm saying, really, is that the willow is my favorite tree. Anywhere.

Sidenote: I have a picture of the tree I saw this weekend. It's stunning, but the "upload picture" button seems to be the ONLY ONE on this dern website that DOESN'T WORK. Am I aggravated? Yes I am. So I'll describe it to you.
The tree is huuuuuuuuuuuuuge. The branches hang down to the grounnnnnnnnnd. The top of the tree didn't even fit in the picture because it was so talllllllllllllllllll.

This post feels incomplete without a picture. You might want to google "weeping willow" so you can feel whole again.

Trucks and stuff

Sometimes you have to get dumped by your truck to realize that you probably weren't supposed to be in the dumper to begin with.

We're off the the old sod...will be sure to look for treasures and the pot'o gold at the end of the rainbow.

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/irishlull.htm

I Love the Place

Where the creations of the day are set out to dry in the green, green grass...
Where the sky and the sea become one...

Where sunsets captivate cousins...