Summer Reading

It's the start of summer. Never mind that my child still has a week of school left. We went to the lake, the 500 Race was run, and the temps soared into the 80s. It's summer.

And the start of summer means summer book lists. Oh how I love to stack books on my bedside table and pack them in my "ditty bag" for trips. (Yeah, it's a term left over from my days of traveling as a child - you have one too, I'm sure. It's the bag you DON'T pack in the trunk, but keep next to you so you have all the goodies you'll need for the trip. Mine usually has my knitting and my books in it. But I digress.) And lately I've been on a travel and food kick with my summer reading. Here's what I have stocked up on so far:

(ok, so I know this is more of a cookbook, but it's time to think about these things. The harvest is coming sooner than you think. It always does.)

(I ordered this last winter and never got around to reading it. I'm hopeful that I can dig in this summer. I dare say, my child may be the last child in the woods.)

Ahhh.... the pace of life is so much better in the summer. Yeah, we usually schedule ourselves silly, but they are the things we love and that invigorate us. Not the doldrums of the rest of the year. And books are always a large part of it. I'm ready.

 

And The Winner Is...

We've been having the boy evaluated for ADD/ADHD and the results are finally in. He has some tendencies, may even be borderline ADD, but as of right now, behavior mod seems to be the best way to handle his needs. 

For me, and for RJH, this was mostly good news. No meds right now means not having to wrestle with the idea of medicating our 7 year old. And, as a former teacher, I understand behavior modification fairly well. The down side is, neither one of us is naturally that regimented. I suppose it's no surprise that we've produced a child who isn't either. So we are stepping into a new plan with some more immediate consequences and rewards. I was feeling pretty good about things. Until yesterday.

It always circles back to this -- the teacher called. Granted, I sent her a "spicy" e-mail. I laid out my feelings about her high expectations and rigidity. I asked for compromise, help for my kid. I knew it was going to be sticky. I also mentioned that no meds were in the future. I think this may have crushed her hopes for an easy year next year. (Hayes is scheduled to be in her class again next year as it is a combined 2nd and 3rd grade class.)

When she called it was evident that she was not going to compromise. Her late policy is her late policy; she can make no long term exceptions. Despite the fact that my child knows the material, he has Fs in 3 of her classes. Again, this wouldn't really bother me, except that she has brought it directly to my son's attention that he should feel ashamed of these grades and strive for more. Really. And of course, an adult told him to feel bad about it, so he obliged. 

I'll save the rest of my rant - believe me, I could go on and on and on - and suffice it to say that I am all done with her. It is taking my every ounce of energy not to yank my kid out of school and be done with this year 3 weeks early. I am certainly not going to subject my child, or myself for that matter, to her ideas of acceptable behavior and personality next year. Oh no. There will be a change. We are free people and not subject to the laws of the Second Grade Society. All Done.

Beatboxing flute inspector gadget remix

Found this through a friend on Facebook -- what a hoot! I love this.

Perfect Sunday

I know I've mentioned this before (about a hundred times), but, I love to garden. I love this time of year because everything is constantly changing and blooming and leafing. We have blossoms on the squash plants already and blossoms on the tomatoes. The carrots have awakened and the onion stems are thickening by the minute. The peonies are gorgeous and the iris are showing off like crazy. I keep waiting for the cucumbers to grow their tiny vines and reach out for the the trellis. 

Today, I spent most of the day removing the grass and clay for our winding path. We reclaimed some slate from a re-roofing project and I am finally satisfied with the layout of our path, so the digging has commenced. I am loving it! Not just the digging, but the fact that we are reusing these materials, and that I am creating something, yet again, in my haven of a backyard. I'll certainly post photos of the finished product, but for now, these may tide you over.

(This one is through the screen in our upstairs window - forgive the weird pattern)

Update

Things I am doing lately:

• attending ball games with Hayes - don't get me started on how we are not learning the fundamentals of the game...
  
• scrapping my trip with Amy to CA last September - and thinking that another trip is in order
  
• knitting golf club head covers for my dad for father's day
• preparing for a week of summer camp 
• knitting a wrap for Grandmom's 90th birthday
• laying out a path of slate in the backyard - and realizing (with some delight) the on-going project we have ahead of us
• catching up with friends - so so good
• sleeping with the windows open - such a lovely thing
• having my son evaluated for ADD - we shall see what comes of it
• anticipating & planning our summer trips to the shore and the lake - mostly with joy and excitement