I Need a Moment

We are in a busy season in Hicksville. As well as at work. The garden is producing produce at a manic pace, and I'm trying to keep up with the canning. The one blessing from having been hailed out twice this spring?

The green beans didn't start really producing until this week - when the cucumbers are (hopefully) starting to die back. I cannot imagine trying to can pickles and green beans and blackeyed peas all at the same time.

I'm thinking next year I just might plant beans and peas late on purpose!

When not trying to keep up with the garden and the yard and around the house (and you'll note - I said "trying" - let's not kid anyone. I haven't washed towels in 2 weeks and just used the last washcloth. I'm at a critical laundry point and we simply won't discuss the state of the rest of the house), I'm working extra hours at work in a vain attempt to keep up since we're down a person. Our new graduate students started trickling in last week, and I fully expect a deluge of 'em on Friday. It's also the end of our fiscal year soon, so I'm trying to make sure that funds are spent, and spent properly, and that everything is balancing correctly.

I feel like some days I'm in a whirlwind of activity - of paperwork and pickles, students and laundry and practices and weeding and accounts and phones and memos and beans and chickens and more and more I just want to stand still for a moment and yell

STOP.

Stop - and let me watch as my eldest progresses on his walk to manhood. As he takes the next steps toward being an adult - driving, SATs, college planning, girlfriends, and of course, football. Let me have time to soak in his handsome face - the same one that once upon a time chewed on his tiny fist while scowling at me because he didn't understand why bottles in the hospital were so easy to drink, and nursing was hard. The same face that would light up a room when he saw me - his mom - come in to pick him up at the end of the day. The one that now will casually toss off a "later, crazy lady" and I quietly say to his back - "I love you too, E."

Stop - and let me have a moment to see my youngest take those first few steps of his walk to manhood. As he gets ready from his transition from his last year of junior high to high school next year. Let me soak it all in as he begins to shed childhood - and Yu Gi Oh cards and The Suite Life - in favor Hannah Montana and his iPod. Let me remember his sweet little face as he laughed uproariously whenever he was amused. And let me slowly adjust to his deeper voice, his hairier legs and the new more grownup face he sports these days.

Give me time. It's going by so FAST. I only have a few years left with my boys and I need a moment. A moment as I figure out how to let them go when I so desperately want to just keep them little.

Some time to just....let mom adjust.

The Cassidy Trifecta

As a child, like so many in the US, I thought the two Davids were just DREAMY. You know which Davids.

David Cassidy

and Davy Jones.

As I grew older, another Cassidy caught my eye.

That would be the sublime Shaun Cassidy.

(oh shut up. I'm telling ya - back when I was 12 - 14, Shaun Cassidy was HAWT.)

Alas, as I grew older, my love for Shaun faded as I met boys my own age that lived in the same town and were all "Dude - why do you have that dork on your walls anyway?"

Pfft. Philistines.

Why all this nostalgia? Because last night I discovered quite by accident that Shaun was not the hottest Cassidy brother after all. No - that title goes to one of his little brothers.

Oy.

That's Patrick. Take a little David, a little Shaun, toss in a lot of Jack (that would their dad) and dayum.

That's a whole lotta hot for one family.

The Little Garden that Could

So - you remember back in June when our garden was decimated by the evil hail? And that was just the first hailstorm. Two days later - after we re-planted everything - it hailed again. And it was even more devastating that the first hailstorm.

But we Digby's are gluttons for gardening I guess. We just said to ourselves "Selves - time for another trip to the nursery." Then re-planted again. More corn. More beans. More cantaloupe, watermelon, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. And you know what?

The garden grew. And grew and grew and holy moly do you know how much yellow squash you get out of 5 well watered bushes?

More than there are unlocked cars in the church parking lot. That I can assure you. (We checked. People in Hicksville are *way* more savvy about squash season than they were in Mid-Size City. Hmph.)

So we have gone from this:


(Please ignore the empty Sonic bags and other crap on my kitchen table)

To this:
Canning season has commenced. As you can see, it made me a little blurry.

Besides cucumbers, we've also harvested our first cabbage and it was quite tasty. I think cabbage will be a new addition on our garden plans from now on. Remember that poor sad asparagus bed? We're *still* getting new asparagus from that patch. We had some last night with supper. I think we only lost one plant in the whole bed.

I love living in the country.
That's from our back porch the other morning. Just behind our new pecan tree is our garden, and beyond that is our property to the telephone poles, then someone else's field, then Hicksville. And no - I didn't enhance the colors with Photoshop. That's just how it looked Saturday morning. Pretty, huh?

We still don't have any tomatoes in the garden. Well - we had 4 on one of the plants, but Mr. Rabbit decided to nibble on them yesterday and he's just damn lucky I didn't catch his furry hide. Hmph. Not sure what the deal is. No one around here is having much luck with maters.

E started two-a-days this morning. Right now he's resting somewhere before the next practice session. He's hoping for varsity this year, but he's just a sophomore. He may have to wait another year. He was ready to play ball this morning though. Tomorrow J starts marching band (and tomorrow night they'll BOTH be at practice - woohoo! Nekkid supper at our house!), and we start winding down the summer. This weekend we are thinking about taking another trip to the lake. We didn't make it during my vacation this year since the hub's truck was in the shop.

The mom-in-law may be coming down to see us around Labor Day. She's is doing very well, and continues to be in complete remission. Such a complete answered prayer there, eh?

My folks will be here the 3rd week of September to hang with the kiddos while the hubs and I strike out for Nebraska to see one of my oldest and dearest friends. I met Gina in 9th grade, and somehow, we have managed to keep in touch - off and on - all of these years. Her beautiful daughter is getting married this fall, and we are using that as an excuse to go see Gina and her husband. It's been 26 years since we've seen each other in person - to say that I am psyched doesn't even begin to cover it! And we will ignore the fact that she is currently skinnier than I am. With any luck, and Weight Watchers, I'll be a bit *less* by the time we get there.

While I'm up there, I'll also get to see one of my oldest and dearest 'net friends. Jen was one of the first persons I met online - it's been close to 13 years now. We've never met in person - so I'm really looking forward to that as well. I've met so few of my "net" friends over the years.

Work continues to be crazy, but somewhat better. I had hopes for a smooth Fall transition this year - until last Monday when my receptionist turned in her notice. *sigh* Something about getting paid $900 more a month. Sheesh - some people are just so *material*. So - once again - I'm on a the hunt for a new girl. Wish me luck.

I would probably be horribly stressed if I didn't have this to come home to:

Makes it all easier somehow.