Later.....

Yay! Summer's finally over!! I couldn't be happier, 'cause it's too damn hot, and I never feel like doing *anything* for like, 2 whole months... this was a bit of a crappy summer, too, since it was either waaaay too dry and scorching or pouring down rain and mosquito-ey (I've never see so many blood thirsty mosquitos in my whole freaking LIFE as I have this summer. It was gawd-awful!)

For the most part, my life as I know it (gardening, baking, knitting, biking, blogging, etc), comes to a screeching halt when temps go much higher than 75 degrees. I'm not sure if was in some kind of coma for all that time, but I really can't remember a whole lot of what I did while I wasn't doing anything I like to do (working, cleaning and sleeping, probably).

I tried to clean up the gardens today, but we're in the midst of a freakish October hot spell and I was dripping in sweat (as in, profuse dripping in the eyeballs kind of sweat) only 10 minutes after starting... but I still managed to deadhead all the rudbeckias, echinacea, and phlox (note to self: PRUNE BACK THE ASTERS IN JUNE/JULY! THEY LOOK LIKE CRAP!!!!!) and spread the seeds in the prairie. I have a huge stash of seed heads in the chicken coop which I'd like to spread once Jake mows the prairie (so the seeds will have a fighting chance to get established)-- fun! I love playing "prairie princess", knowing that each and every plant up there was started by ME (a very God-like experience... and I am not a jealous God, unless too many honeysuckle or goldenrods take over and then it's all about death and destruction....).

For the most part, everything has been ok: jobs are going well, the kids aren't screwing up too bad (even tho ms. gracy pants got SUSPENDED from school last week; loooooong story, and far too stupid to repeat here. On a positive note, she got her temps license today, which completely blows my mind with disbelief...but we haven't gone driving yet).

Jacob has been vacillating wildly between slacking in his schoolwork and being mr. awesome... wtf? We have to meet in a week or so to figure out a "plan" for his "giftedness".... the plan is not even legally binding and is probably a source of much future irritation, but I'll give it a shot, which in my complete lack of emotion leaves me to wonder: Am I too medicated to care (and no, I'm not really medicated, but these herbs I've been taking for stress have taken me to a MUCH happier place)? Have I evolved beyond worrying about stupid stuff like this? Or have I entered survival mode, as in: "I've survived the middle school years and a kid who is a wee bit of a fuck up (purely due to genetics; the poor kid never had a chance and is doing 100% better than both parents did) and am going to take it day by day or I might just completely lose my mind" sort of mode?

I think that's it.

There are so many things I'd like to do before the cold weather sets in, like: take more motorcycle rides (I've taken no more than a couple ALL SUMMER, most of which were in the past week. I went to East Troy with Jake today, and it was wonderful!), a day trip to Madison (bike riding) and Chicago, a trip to the Chicago Botanic Gradens, ride the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, whatever and whatever... I'd really like to plan a trip to Florida for this winter, but we'll see exactly how much apathy the family shows for such things and how much it'll bum me out and if it'll keep me from making plans. Where, oh where are the fun people? I certainly didn't give birth to or marry them...It's as if my hubby and kids are in a continual stupor where nothing exciting happens and they're perfectly happy with that.... sigh! To be so restless and yet so completely tied down. Boo.

I took a few photos of the remaining flowers on the property; I wish I had posted some photos from earlier in the summer, but I've been a terrible slacker. Here's a few: