Gramma Camp

With school starting next week, this week teachers were back on the job getting ready, so we had the kids during the day Monday through Thursday.

The first day it was very hard to get up early to an alarm clock, so camping out in front of the TV for the first hour was the order of the day. 

Irene was pretty put out that I got to still be in my PJs, so I hurried off to shower and get dressed too.

I fed them breakfast each morning after an hour of waking up.  Not every breakfast was as grand as this one.  I had left over waffles, black berries and nectarines.  Irene is fond of whipped cream.

Each day we had a field trip.  On Monday we went to the library.  Isaac had finished his books and needed the next two in his series.  Irene got cat books, and played on the library computers.

At ages 10 and 8, they don't need a lot of entertaining, and they had fun discovering old toy friends in their designated bedroom.

 Soon they were spread out across both rooms, which was fine with me, since nothing was underfoot in my domain.

On Tuesday the kids and I went to the Cedar River Trail, where the kids rode bikes and I got a three mile walk.

 On Wednesday we went over to our neighborhood park, where Tom and I walked and the kids rode bikes and played .

On the way back home we stopped at an overhanging blackberry bush and refueled.

 Of course there was also lots of sedentary screen time, but I did make an effort to limit that.

Wednesday after noon Isaac and Grandpa harvested crops and Irene and I picked flowers for her to arrange.

 You won't see many posed photos of Isaac.  He does NOT like to be photographed, especially when he knows he could end up on my blog.  Irene, on the other had, has no trouble at all posing.

 She wants you to see that her arrangement has two sides, the fun, sparkly side, and the "wedding" side.

On Thursday the plan was to go to the Burien Farmer's Market.  Heavy rain showers were in the forecast but we hoped we could get there when it opened and have a clear window between storms.

Well, we got there for opening at 11:00 all right, and for the opening of the sky as well.  We took shelter until the worst was over.

 I love the colors of the fruit and vegetable displays.  I bought a few ears of corn, something we do not have in our garden.

 Irene saw this bouquet and announced that she was in love.

 It was only $5.00, so I bought it.  She says she wants her wedding bouquet to look just like this some day.

 Isaac loved his still warm kettle corn.

 It rained off and on the rest of Thursday but Tom and Isaac ventured out to use the chain saw to cut up some wind fall limbs from last winter that had been stacked in the back of the garden.

It's always a job getting the chain saw started.  I didn't stick around for the guy fun, but Tom reports that Isaac was very careful and did OK on his turns with the saw.  Isaac reported that it was "kinda scary".  Indeed!.

We got them delivered to Jill in time for her to get them to soccer practice, but just as soon as Irene was dropped off the next storm hit, with lightning and torrential rain.  Soccer practice was rained out, as was a whole lot of other stuff in the area.

Today Jill and the kids went to school to get her room ready.  Jill had been in meetings all week.  After our usual Friday morning breakfast, we joined them to finish up and get them on their way to Whidbey Island before noon.  Then we came home to a quiet, slower pace.

Tomorrow I'll make picnic food and we'll join family on the island on Sunday for a scaled down Phosie-Gertie picnic.  

And then, for kids and school staff, and most other working folks, summer will be over.  For me, summer is over September 22, when the calendar says it's over.  I love retirement!

Happy Labor Day, everyone.