weekending

the weekend was mostly relaxing for me.

i watched softball, read, puttered in the kitchen and the yard, and went to bed early after good long days.

Lily played a lot of softball and ted played many holes of golf.

she had 4 games, 1 of which was the all star game so yea!

she represented her team on the mound and at first, and was cheered on by quite a section of family…her loyal and true fans.

he played erin hills on saturday with a group of friends and then at the club sunday with another.

when i suggested he pick up another shift at work, he informed me that was not a good idea because he’s working on more important things like his golf game.

he said this with stone-faced seriousness, and i have proof.

jess witnessed it and all i can say is that his la ti da life costs coin.

oh and currently he’s averaging about 8 hours a week.

we no longer refer to the life of riley at casa wags.

we say the life of ted.

so jess and lils spent friday together, and then jess and i spent friday night drinking good wine and eating crappy chinese, but the company and the grapes made up for the mystery meat.

we are so finding a new chinese joint and i’m sticking with the chicken always and forever.

mike made us calzones on saturday night and they were deliciously perfect not only because i knew exactly what was in them.

he’s the dough boy/pizza man of the house.
he also grilled some tasty fajitas for sunday dinner. 

i made bread twice…4 loaves…1 for us and 3 to share, and a batch of ice cream that there’s zero chance my kids would part with.

summer weekends really are the very best and it’s just so sad that they have to end at all.

Weekending/Grateful Friday

I’m grateful for the long holiday weekend we spent with family and friends over the 4^th. My only complaint: it wasn’t long enough. That, of course, is the age-old and oft-told story of summer weekends. Alas, there are a few other stories to tell from the last week of merriment and togetherness.

Friday we braved the crowds to sit 5 rows from Paul as he performed 25 of his greatest hits. He even played Me and Julio twice. At 75, he still puts on quite the show. His voice is enduringly clear and strong. The best part for me was reaching for my dad’s hand during a song. I don’t remember which, but it doesn’t matter. Do you know how long it’s been since I held my dad’s hand? It made him feel good. I know because he told me the next day. I also loved dancing with my brother to Proof, and singing and swaying with my guy along with Still Crazy After All These Years. Music is memories: past, present and future. That night is in the vault. Forever.

Teddy and Lily have their own stories to tell from that night. Jess sent me a picture of the two of them taking batting practice in the yard. He had a little time between a baseball game and a night out with friends and he chose to spend it with the girls. Lily took Jess out for a birthday dinner, and then Jess took her to a movie. Neither one of them recommends 47 Meters, yet they both spoke highly of the girl’s night out. I’m lucky to have a close friend who makes time for my children because they have their own special memories together. She’s part of the tribe. We all need a tribe.

I was up early Saturday with enough time to make bread before Candace arrived. We had plans to walk and then mount some photos we’re entering in a contest. As we wrapped things up, the peasant bread was hot out of the oven so we enjoyed it with a cold chardonnay. Lily helped us polish off the loaf. It was the perfect late afternoon lunch after a little collaboration. We sent the other loaf home with Candace to enjoy with her hubby. Bread is meant to be broken together…shared. So are afternoons and ideas and encouragement.

I made another batch to take to a friend’s that night. We scored an impromptu invite for drinks on their patio and I’m glad we said yes even though we were a tad tired. We laughed and reminisced and actually finished a few conversations for once. It’s always so easy to be together that it’s a wonder we don’t do it more often, but then I realized that lately we have been…we are. It’s all about that saying yes, making precious time for whom and what’s important. She’s my oldest friend and there’s a reason we’ve made it through the years better and stronger and still speaking.

Sunday I woke and baked more bread. Yep. It’s true. I also made tater skins and jalapeno poppers before we headed north for a couple days at Windmill Beach. When we arrived lakeside, it was clear that the wind shifted. We had to change out of our bathing suits, put on sweatshirts and cover up with blankest. It rained and so we scraped plans to swim for competitive board games. No worries. The rain moved on and the fog lifted in time to bbq dinner.  We played a ping pong round robin and the boys had an indoor putting competition before we set of some fireworks and finally called it a night after another good and full day.

Monday morning we set off on a walk along Marine Drive and then up to the old cemetery.
We earned my brother’s famous breakfast burritos. Then we headed down to the beach to do a little grass pulling. Working up a sweat proved smart because Lake Michigan’s 60 degree temps were actually tolerable. Lily got in and stayed in most of the afternoon. The rest of the day went like this: beach walk, cocktails, cribbage, bon fire and then we were all warmed up and showered in time to enjoy Mike’s grilled chicken wings and the gloaming from the deck. Ted had to head back to town in the morning to work and play baseball, but he was back in time for bbq chicken and more ping pong.

I woke at 3:45 on the 4^th. The reach was already blazing orange as the sun made its way up over the horizon. I must admit that the show lured me in. It was far grander than any fireworks display so I sat in awe until 5:18 when the sun fully emerged and night gave way to first morning light. Watching the birth of a new day never gets old. It’s always holy. Then I went back to bed until I smelled my brother’s jet fuel coffee. On this clear morning, we walked along the beach marveling that the water felt warmer. We decided to head home mid-day since the boys left early for golf. In route, we stopped at a farm and for some fresh picked strawberries and sweet snap peas. Lily munched most of the way home, and before dinner and after Teddy returned all but a handful of the berries remained. We played a couple games of Clue on the patio before dinner. Why I ask do people like this game? Mike made us delicious ribs for America’s birthday. Teddy went out to see fireworks while the rest of us watched the sky all around us light up from the coziness of home sweet home and fall asleep after but a few pages.

I slept like a baby, but was up early Wednesday morning for a girl’s day with Lily. Mike was back to work and Teddy was…golfing. Where else? We opted for a more relaxing day so we traveled across town to see The Book of Henry. We both liked it a great deal. It was sweet, sad and scary all at once. We stopped off at Panera for lunch the best part of which were the baguettes that accompanied soup or salad and so when we came home, I promptly took a nap. A 2 hour nap! I woke refreshed and ready for the night. Jessica  brought the wine and I scrounged together quite a respectable dinner given that I had no plan and bare bones groceries. We enjoyed Balsamic Grilled Chicken, Pasta Aglio Olio and Caprese Salad. The third time was a charm with the chocolate ice cream…it churned into rich and creamy perfection. We had one fail at the lake (2 if you count the fact that we forget the ice cream maker the first night) and another the night before because the crock wasn’t frozen and it was over-filled. We also enjoyed a spirited game of Apples to Apples, an old family favorite, before calling it a night.

And the truth is that I didn’t want the night or the extra long weekend to end, but now here we are at the onset of another weekend and I’m feeling rather great and full, therefore, grateful.

Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

Summer is off to a great start. While it's true that the schedule looks a little intimidating with all the various games, tournaments, camps and such, so far everyone is where they should be when they should be and enjoying it too.

I'm pretty sure that Ted's golf pass has already paid for itself. He averages 18 holes a day and that's a conservative average.

Lily had a fun overnight with Grandma and Grandpa. They went on a boat trip in Lake Geneva, ate out and went shopping. Oh, and this time Catman didn't tear through the screen door to into the woods and away from her.

Lily and I are keeping busy with activities and outings, and slowly checking things off our summer bucket list. We spent a fun morning at one of our favorite places: Shalom, and a rainy day creating in the kitchen putting some of her new skills and techniques learned at cooking camp to use.

We fed all the animals. The raccoons especially loved the marshmallows we smuggled in. The bears too. Shhh.

 The baby arctic fox was the sweetest.

But the baby bobcat was a real close second.

We made her favorite vinaigrette, peasant bread, a roasted chicken and ice cream.

Ted pitched a complete game the other night leading the team to a victory against our arch rival.

Lily made the all star team and she's loving softball. She says yes to every invitation to sub, and pouts when games get rained out, which has been often.

We're getting acquainted with our new ice cream maker. She made a delicious pineapple mint sorbet and then we made an easy chocolate with our Droste cocoa. We're bringing it to the lake this weekend with hopes that there are still berries for picking at the nearby farm because fresh strawberry ice cream sounds perfect.

An extra hour of sleep in the morning without the hustle and bustle of wrangling tired tweens and teens. The morning feels so luxuriously long that I find myself lingering over a few chapters and then driving along the lake to work and then rushing so as not to be late. I'd really like to start working out in the morning to free up the evenings.

A walk with a friend at the start of my day off. We walked along the lake under broody skies that opened up just as we finished.

My goofballs.

A full weekend ahead. Paul Simon tonight and then Windmill Beach for some family fun in the sun.

A week off.

weekending

so i'm sensing a pattern here...

once again it's taken me until thursday to get to my weekending post.

life has been good and full.

and i've been too immersed in living it to write about it.

we kicked off the weekend friday with a little softball.

it was a beautiful night for it and lily impressed both grandma and grandpa who came to watch her play.

and win.

teddy had baseball saturday morning, and golf friday, saturday and sunday.
another pattern.

lily spent the day with a friend, and i have no idea where the day went.

at the end of it, mike made dough for the margherita pizza i was craving.

we watched a forgettable movie, but it was a perfect relaxing saturday night.

sunday we went for a river walk first thing.

the boys went to golf and lily went to softball.

i had a theatre date to see beautiful.

it was just that.

the music was amazing and nostalgic, but the message was really what blew me away...hold fast to your dreams.

the boys returned from golf and the girls from a little post show cocktail on a sunny, breezy rooftop.
we grilled burgers after dark and stayed up too late singing and scheming, but it was all good.
yes...a pattern.

weekending

it's getting harder to report here in a timely fashion.

if years are minutes, summer days are mere seconds.

i swear it was just sunday night after a full weekend and now here we at thursday after a full week.

it was a full and near perfect weekend.

lily played lots of softball. 

mike coached and i watched, cheered and came home with sunburn.

her team went 2-2 in their first tournament proving that there is room to grow, but also solid fundamentals upon which to do so.

the girls looked pretty good, played quite well and seemed to have measurable fun.

teddy played many holes of golf.

he fixed his drive, worked out his putt and tweaked his iron shot (or maybe all 3).

i lose track.

we also celebrated with the special dads we are so lucky to have in our lives...his, mine, theirs.

mike's parents came for pizza after lily's saturday evening game and we had a quick, but nice visit.

teddy took his dad golfing while lily and i volunteered at concessions very early sunday morning.

then my dad and family joined us late afternoon for impromptu bbq ribs and a wiffle ball contest that lasted into the night.

now we're ready to do it all again this weekend.

Carefree Highway

I was driving to work today in my dad's old car. He's given it to Ted for the summer, but Ted doesn't drive stick yet so it's my car as I write. I'm fine with it. It's zippy, it has air and some of my favorite stations are programmed so just the touch of a button away.

This morning I unknowingly selected the preset for the oldies station and the song that got my attention was Gordon Lightfoot's Carefree Highway. I had to hold my breath to stop the tears that wanted to free fall because suddenly I was a kid myself sitting in the back seat on a road trip. I do a great deal of time travel in the car.

****************************************************

It's a cloudy day and we're all crammed to the gills in the car with our gear after a day of cross country skiing. We're wet and tired and happy. We're also hungry so we're headed to some dive bar where we'll enjoy a greasy reward for our hours on the trails. We'll laugh about how my brother wrapped himself around a tree at the bottom of a tricky hill. I'll get heat for chickening out. I removed my skis and traipsed down it unwilling to tempt his fate. We'll talk about the trails we'll tackle the next day before heading home, and we'll groan because my brother and I would rather go tobogganing or ice skating. We complain, but only until our gear dries and the snow flies and we start moving through the quiet woods.

***************************************************

It's as clear as yesterday though it happened several decades ago. It hasn't slipped away.

Everyday Life

I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder and the dense cloak of juiced air. I didn't want to get out of bed. Not even after more than 8 hours of sound almost dreamless sleep: sleep like the dead they say. I concur. Our bedroom felt like a moist meat locker: chilled, but still heavy with humidity. After 24 hours with no air conditioning, we were impatient and may have set the repaired thermometer somewhere below 70. Did I mention we're in a heat wave? Record breaking heat wave is what they say. 

I planned to get a workout in before work. With no one to get out the door but myself, I even thought I'd still get to work early after a few miles. The truth is I was 10 minutes late and I didn't break a sweat. Instead I lingered in bed, I read a few chapters and I brushed my boys. Best laid plans is all I've got to say.

The day felt agonizingly long. My focus was roving. My mood arbitrary, but intense. That translates as fragile. I'm feeling everything. Too much. All the time. It's overwhelming and exhausting.

So exhausting that I had to come home and chill out with a few chapters until I faded into an easy sleep. Mentally, I know what I need is to shut down. Reboot. When I wake after 20 maybe 30 minutes, it was to the sound of dueling mowers. It sounds like everyone on the block is out mowing at once. It sounds like summer. I feel like a hundred bucks. I'm aiming for a million.

After dropping Miss Bit at her softball practice, I stopped to catch a few innings of Ted's game. It's simpatico to catch up with the other moms. I forget how easy relationships are with the moms of boys. We are all on the same team just like our boys. 

The fog rolled in off the lake and the temperature plummeted at least 10 degrees. Suddenly we're shivering again and also reminded that a slight shift in direction can evoke big change. A slim shift in attitude can make a big difference as well. So can a kind word, a hug, an act of solidarity.

The boys lost their first game yet this season, but they'll play another game tomorrow against a big rival and we'll all be there to support them another night. They may win, they may lose, but all that's important as cliche as it sounds is that they show up, give their best and have lots of fun in the process. It's what I'm working toward myself.