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Ki is gone until MONDAY which means it is uber easy for me to be uber grumpy.



I am working on it.


weather hot. kids good. annaliese is sleeping without a pullup these days, knock on wood. this morning she hopped out of bed and used her portable potty in her room all by herself. she got big kisses for that one. and caspian, teething again, only 6 teeth to go before he is all teethed up! walks more and more every day and is saying mama and daddy like a champ.

i am contemplating life without anika in a month and it ain't pretty. it's nice having company with the kids in the long afternoons, another adult to make really good dinners, and generally a go-to person for anything that crops up. sheesh. can't believe she is leaving all this for berlin. talk about c-razy.

the garden gives me great eace, joy, a little anxiety, and quite a few bugbites. what it has not produced, to date, is produce we actually really eat... the beautiful lettuce was wasted on us (though i sold some at the store), caspian's the only one who really liked the beets, new zealand spinach was also wasted on us, and the tomatoes are green and slowly turning but have yet to hit in force. we have had a little yummy squash, but the kids do not like it. beh. i have taken to planting zinnias and basil in the spots that crop up because in my opinion you can never have too many of either. the beans are standing still... the heat? i plan to shower them with manure and keep up the watering and mebbe something will happen. cukes are forming, k ate two before he left. they are 99 cents a pound in the store though-- for homegrown-- and it is hard to beat that.

i have some kickass sunflowers in my turquoise planter in the courtyard though, that make me feel all south-of-france-ish every time i drive home.

that's me, these days. a little grumpy, a lot hot, and very conscious of how much i have to be thankful for.