A FEW SHORT TAKES ON THE FOURTH OF JULY



How many boys does she have?!?! 
A few neighbor boys appeared to assist with set-up. 



• After three years of hard use (and, admittedly, not putting it away during the winter) our trampoline was shot.  Springs were broken, the net was broken, and when two jumped at once, (or Sergei alone) they'd hit the ground.  So,  a few days ago I bought a new one.  This has been one wonderful purchase.  All of the kids take "breaks" jumping at least several times a day. 

• Let's just get this over with!  Yes!  The back yard is a PIT.  Well, it didn't used to be.  When we moved in, when Aidan and Lydia were little, there was lawn, in the center at least, violets and other shade plants back around the edges, flowers near the porch - even a couple of rose bushes.  But, over the years the neighbors' trees completely took over and covered 95% of the yard in deep shade.  So the shade plants (or weeds, whatever - green, anyway) took over. I added a few hostas, and impatiens for color.  But one day Ilya pointed to the tiny garden beneath the porch and asked if I wanted it weeded.  Sure!  A couple of hours later, I came home to find the entire back yard bare of every green thing.  Uh.....thanks......   A few times since he has "cleaned it up", last time even removing the larger bushes.  As I never had the heart originally to tell him that barren was not the look I was aiming for, he's tried to ever-"improve" the barrenness.  I now begin to see that those odd, stretches of dirt in front of all the houses and buildings in Russia....were NOT accidents!  Apparently they work for that.  Beats me (especially considering the emphasis on houseplants indoors!)  Craig and I were discussing perhaps putting down bark, or pea stone.....  I'd like something to help prevent all the dirt from coming in the door!

• If I found a school that offered hours from 10-5 or 11-6, I'd enroll the kids so fast everyone's head would spin. Is it just us? Those are the "natural" hours for kids - at least mine.....At 8:30 or nine they wake up happy and refreshed, rather than sleepy and crabby. And then I'd get to spend lovely time with them when they are fresh in the morning and the after school hours could be so much better structured. When I homeschooled that's pretty much how our days went (at least for me and the homeschooled child) , and it was grand. Craig and I would get up early - 5:30 or 6 and talk over the paper and coffee. He'd leave with the schooled child a bit before 8. Then I'd have an hour or so to clean, do laundry, even sit with my embroidery, before the homeschooler awoke. Then we'd have a lovely breakfast, and we'd putter about before leaving the house between 10:30 and 11. I seem to remember that the first on-line class began around the time we got to the office. Oh, those were the days!  Life was so good.  Somehow getting up early, with everyone feeling miserable and crabby just sets the tone for the day, and so diminishes the joy that might be possible with simply another schedule.

• Sergei is one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know.  He became acquainted with a boy playing games on-line who lives out in the country, in driving distance from us.  This boy was crippled since having some disease several years ago, and is now in a wheelchair.  Sergei makes an effort to arrange "playdates" (well, OK they are teens - but still, that's what it is) so that his friend has some IRL friend time, too.  He was tired the other night but wanted to go because his friend was expecting him.  My boy is a jewel.  I'd just picked him up from his dog-walking job.  He walks the boxers that belong to one of the Summit teachers; the man's wife had a back injury and can't manage them, and when her husband is teaching out of town at a community college, these big dogs still need exercise.  Well, Sergei came out to the car terribly upset - the out-of-control boyfriend (now in-jail boyfriend) of the daughter of the family had shown up at her graduation party, made a ruckus and ended up attacking brutally the girl's step dad, (Sergei's teacher).  This man is a sweet, gentle (and totally-unprepared-for-physical-combat) scholarly type.   Sergei was really beside himself after seeing the poor man recovering from his injuries (a broken arm among them).  He kept saying he "felt guilty" that he hadn't been there to protect these people.  He would have done it, too.  What can be a better feeling than finding that you admire your children?

• One of these days I'd like to do a Maxim update.  Except it will be long.  After drama worthy of a made-for-TV-movie, which undoubtedly took years off my life,  he has graduated from high school, praise God, and is really doing better than any of my kids, in many ways. 

• I suppose I owe people a Lydia update. (I looked at my "stat counter" last week, not having looked a it since installing it.  Most of it didn't make sense, but I did see a couple of searches for "Lydia's husband".) After sharing the news of her marriage a couple of years ago (happy news), I wasn't much in the mood (and after all it was somewhat private) to share the news of her almost instant divorce.  The young man did not turn out to be ready for marriage, but at least he realized it almost immediately. It was practically a non-event.  Lydia was hurt, of course, but re-bounded and considers herself stronger and wiser for the experience..  Now she has a wonderful, serious gentleman friend.  Vance brought Lydia to Cedar Point last summer to meet us all, and he was at Peej's baptism last week.

• I really dislike holidays.  Is this my rad coming out?  I don't think I have many symptoms, but am now looking for them all the time, of course. Since my mom was seriously ill after I was born, and I was in the hospital nursery for over a month after my birth (and I don't think these were very touchy-feely places in the '50's), surely there was some impact!  Anyway, as I say - I hate holidays.  The only good thing I can take from these upset/dysregulated feelings is knowing that they may help me understand what my Nastia may be feeling sometimes.  I dislike the sense that none of our routines are in place, or even if they are, they shouldn't be!  I feel like something wonderful and special and fun should be happening, and it never is.  Every other family in the world is out having a picnic, playing games, going to the cottage or the lake. We're at home doing nothing.  But, if I try to create "fun" I'll just get upset if/when my family members don't "get with the program".  I can't help but feel that everyone else in the world is surrounded by lots of happy family members, all working together to have a lovely time.  This is nothing new; the same misery followed has followed me through my life.  As a child I so bemoaned having no relatives, no extended family.  It was just the four of us, and only my dad and I seemed to want to "do stuff".  When I got married, and we moved to Michigan things got a bit better.  Between my dad and me, we could usually pull everyone (now there were barely enough people for festivity) into having some fun of some sort....but when he passed away my mom's ability to have fun diminished significantly.... And I have to say that my husband and my mom have similar no-fun qualities.  It is hopeless.  I'm going to try to get some satisfaction out of cleaning out my pantry today.  Poor me.