Blogging these days goes something like this:
Days 1-4: Accumulate photos.
Day 5: Upload photos to blog intending to post something.
Day 6 and upward: Keep the uploaded photo-filled blog post tabbed up on the computer for when I have a moment to sit and add wordy bits to it.
Post stays wordless for several days, despite the occasional attempt to sit down and think words, due to child radar of mother attempting to formulate words in proper sentences.
It is only when I finally have a moment to sit down at the computer to write thoughtful words (or maybe not even thoughtful...just words plain and simple) that children feel the need to describe in great details the dreams they have had for the last two nights, inquiries into how many more weeks until the Next Big Thing (as this changes daily, there is always new counting), argument refereeing, interesting factoids to share and every other manner of distraction from the Writing Of Words.
This particular post has been awaiting a voice for over a week.
In almost two weeks, I can think of only three days that it didn't downpour nearly all day. I have never known a wetter, cooler June. Thanks to the rain and the lovely clay soil, the lawn is so saturated everywhere that your feet go swimming with every step. The garden is a lake, the plants trying not to drown but the water...it stays and stays. We have only had the opportunity to weed ONE time in two weeks- which is essentially the same thing as not weeding at all. The tomatoes look yellow, spotty and sad. I am trying not to worry. I can't think of a day thus far when I have been truly HOT... I'm kinda longing for that day. And praying a few of those days stretch together long enough for me to eventually look fondly at the idea of cool temperatures cooling things off. A freezing winter, followed by a cool summer going into another freezing winter just won't do.
The time forced indoors was spent taking out the big desk of the office and putting in a bed given to us by neighbors. It's a beautiful double bed which will come in handy for visitors. And maybe children. We've made strawberry jam. We've read books. We've baked cookies. We've played. I even picked up a crochet hook after quite some time off. It's been good. But we are ready for sunshine.
The rain did stop a few hours before a fourth of July party we hosted this weekend. Which was perfect. (pictures to come...)
The porch remains so perfectly constant, through it all. It beckons in the cold and dreary just as easily as it does in the bright, hot summer sun. Despite the wet, dreary, chilly grayness hanging over this hill- we've been outside as often as ever. We sit on the porch wrapped in blankets or with our single unpacked-away sweater and listen to the raindrops pounding the metal roof. When it rains hard, you can't even hear the voice of the person talking directly across from you over the loud thunder of the roof, so everyone just sits and listens and watches the rain.
The children camped out on the porch a few nights ago. That's three of the bravest, buried under the piles of blankets...the eldest child found her way into bed by morning.
There have been several nights when Matt and I have gone out after the kids are all tucked in bed and the fireflies are out and you look out and there are thousands upon thousands of flickering lights dancing in the stillness of the night. It is magical and staggering and makes you gasp at the wonder of it.
With more rain in the forecast for Tu, Wed. and Thurs. we'll continue to wait until summer finally dries up a bit and warms. And I'll be praying the garden doesn't drown.
In the meantime, you'll find us on the porch.
