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.