Last week we went north. We swam, and kayaked, and paddle boarded, and caught frogs, and had adventures, and played legos, and colored pictures, and…argued. It was a really fun time, but not all the time. We’ve been on top of each other for close to six months without an end to look forward to yet, and my kids are in their adolescence. It’s just the reality of the situation. At one point, after listening to them bicker while swimming, I went up to the fire pit…with their towels. When asked if I could please leave the towels, I told them towels were for kids who knew how to get along. I feel no remorse.
Knitting: I didn’t do as much as I had planned but I did manage to finally finish the evergreen socks. I love how they turned out. I’m also working on the scarf I started a few weeks back.
Watching: I didn’t watch much while up at the cabin, but I did rewatch Hamilton on Disney+. I haven’t finished watching Weeds, but I think I’m finished watching Weeds. I’m trying to go to bed earlier so I can get up earlier meaning most of my television watching has to be children appropriate.
Reading: I finished Euphoria (★★★★☆) by Lily King and The Night Swim ★★☆☆☆) by Megan Goldin. I loved Euphoria but The Night Swim was a slog. The story was okay. Could have been great. But I kept getting caught up on the editing. There were a couple of times where I felt there were story inconsistencies and another time a paragraph began with the same sentence that ended the previous paragraph. It’s fiddly but it was enough that I almost one starred it. I’m currently reading Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner. I’m not feeling it.
Making: We did tie-dye. These popsicles are going to be cooling us down on this horridly hot and humid week. I’m going to have a whole slew of green beans from the garden in a couple of days and I’m tempted to try and make dilly beans. The final adjustments to the school room before the kids start next week. (I am not ready). Phone calls – on behalf of Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor, the USPS. I don’t know if it makes a difference to anyone but me, but doing something keeps me from feeling despair. So I do it.
What are you -ing this week?
I love that you got away.
I understand that bickering, it was happening here the entire quarantine until it stopped when Anna went back to college.
I am mentally exhausted from being everything to everybody in my home. Some days it’s good and some days it just isn’t. But it also doesn’t help what is happening outside our homes either. The helplessness.
I still haven’t watched Hamilton and I have Disney +. We finally ditched cable this week, so now I will have an excuse to watch.
I used to love everything Jennifer Weiner wrote but her last few books had me feeling the same way, not feeling it. Of course, I feel that way about EVERY book I read lately, so it is probably just the “reader” and not the writer. 🙂
Oh, Ella and I have been listening to Taylor Swift’s new album over and over on Spotify. I was never a huge fan but folklore has us really loving her. It fits 2020 well.
It is hard work so I feel you when you say sometimes it’s good and sometimes it isn’t.
I have the T Swift album but haven’t listened to much. I think I’m the only one, but I’m very eh about it.
I actually saw Hamilton in NYC and Chicago but I didn’t get to see it with the original cast, so it’s exciting to see it on Disney+ (particularly because I love LMM). Everyone in my family LOVES it. We all know it word for word.
Nice Mom move with the towels. Well done.
This week will be much like last week because it’s August and that’s how this incredibly long hot humid boring month goes for me. On a happier note I am thinking about buying some a new bedspread and sheets and such like for our bedroom. Being at home all the time, looking at the same old stuff all the time, has given me the urge to redecorate a bit here and there.
Other than that, it’s dullsville here.
What a good time to do some redecorating!! That sounds like a fun way to break up the dullsville.
Beautiful photos, Kate. I especially like the one of Abram (I think it must be him) on the paddle board. And the socks—what a gorgeous pattern and colour! We’re in the midst of a horridly hot and humid week too. I will be SO relieved when fall comes.
My -ings are pretty much exactly the same as last week’s: Villette, sweater, Star Trek Enterprise, harvesting tomatoes. My older son is home once again (for a week or two) so I’ve been doing more baking and cooking than usual. And we’re still mulling over the school decision for our 15-year-old son—Friday is the deadline.
I hope you have a good last week of summer before school starts, Kate.
I wish you peace with your decision, Marian. I know that whatever you decide will be the right one.
Yes! That is Abram. I love it too!! I couldn’t even stand on it (I stayed on my knees the whole time!!) much less attempt a downward dog. Next year!!
I hope you have a good couple bonus weeks with your older son and stay cool this week. I know it’s a privilege with all that is going to complain about heat, but ugh!! I’m with you!!! I’m looking forward to fall (and even winter).
Kate! You made me laugh!!! “, …I told them towels were for kids who knew how to get along. I feel no remorse.”
That’s just what being a Mom is all about! My mother-in-law told Fred & Mike to stop the non-sense or she would knock their two heads together. They kept bickering, so she physically knocked their heads together!! (Pre-child abuse times). But it worked! And my Mom, didn’t give any words of warning when my two brothers were at each other. My Mom physically threw her hair brush at them! That stop whatever there were bickering about and scared me to my bedroom. (Again, pre-child abuse times). So I think that you are really do pretty good with tolerance of kids bickering with one another, Kate.
I’m glad that you are knitting a scarf. I don’t know why. Maybe because I would love a hand knitted scarf around my neck 3 days out of a year… that cozy feeling of “It’s WINTER”.
Ah sweet, fresh green beans from a home garden! To live for!!
That picture with some green ice cream cone, in a car, at a stop sign, in front of a church has got me curious with the rest of the story???
Yorkie and I are -ing this week…
Today is the third year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, so we are in thoughts of that and all of our personal life experiences that changed because of that particular hurricane at that time. We are embracing the next hurricane Laura on its way.
I am keeping up with my St. Augustine grass gardening each morning, despite the neighbor couple who walks each morning telling me that is is going to rain. I smile behind my mask and send a friendly hello hand wave. It has been a month since Hurricane Hanna and we have had no rain in 4 weeks! So I water my St Augustine garden and hold my words to myself as the couple walks past my yard daily.
Reading my favorite blogs!
And enjoying my old little cottage, loving it more and more with each passing day. Learning to accept its flaws as it accepts mine. Realizing with a bit of a shock that I’ve owned this little cottage by the bay front for five months! Been isolating! I must get out to see the bay water. Making it my goal this week!!!
Loving your blog connection and learning about your life and challenges.
It’s so good to hear from you, TD, and I’m glad I made you laugh.
There really isn’t much of a story with the ice cream! We decided to go on a little adventure and got (the fun kind) of lost and on our way stumbled on an adorable little ice cream store. I got us each a cone and then we sat in the car to eat it.
I hope you’re still safe and you got to see some bay water and maybe had some rain?
Kate, I’m also thinking about the family in the house across the street a few houses down that I’ve not met because I’ve been self homing due to the virus and my own anxiety. Last week I watched the police, fire department and ems all come at once to assist or remove a person non responsive from the home. I did not know what happened. This morning I learned that the 47 year old man died from COVID. I’m not clear if I should do anything as I have never met this family and I heard the news from a neighbor down the street.
Oh. I’m so sorry to hear about your neighbor, TD. Perhaps your neighbor can better help you know what to do. What a horrible way to have to be introduced to them!!!
I too am so sorry to hear about the neighbor and I thought a lot about what I should or should not do. I decided that it might be best to meet this neighbor in a more natural timing as I am and have been slowly meeting the people in my neighborhood slowly as they approach me to chat. I’m very much an independent introvert keeping to myself, although friendly to those who approach me.
I enjoy hearing the story of the ice cream cone!
All is calm and quiet here as far as weather goes. Last night I took a long Dr Teal bath and woke to a PJ day to get some self-care beauty rest.
Hope your first week of homeschooling goes well!
As always, I love your photos. That lake is just gorgeous, as are your children. I know (and remember) summer times with teens. If it’s any consolation, it would likely be not much different if you weren’t in quarantine. It’s their job to begin breaking away, and breaking requires, well, breaking. (Sigh)
Like everyone else here, this month melts away in a monotony of days. I never like August much; for me it’s both a kind of countdown to doom and too much dry, hot, formless time. I am still working (sort of, slowly) on the office project, but I’ve also been doing some work meetings. I made a new recipe tonight from the September issue of BH&G, and it was amazing. It took two hours and trashed my kitchen, but it was kind of nice to get lost in cooking and my totally fluff audiobook. (John Grisham. ‘Nuff said.) I’ve grown tired of caring for my garden—which is probably why it’s not nearly as lovely as yours. 🙂 We had rain one night last weekend, and it was so nice to hear it on the roof, and then to wake up to a cooler, wetter world. I’m ready for the season to change, too.
I think the hard part about adolescence in pandemic is that you are supposed to be breaking away and finding your own identity and yet…you are almost always with your parents. I don’t know that there is a *good* age to be in pandemic but theirs is pretty sucky.
Your comment about the recipe in BH&G got me thinking that I haven’t had magazine subscriptions in YEARS. My niece always used to sell them for school and they’ve stopped that now and it’s just kind of slipped away. I think I may have to sign up for a few subscriptions…I’ve always enjoyed magazines.
Your August sounds like quintessential August. Pecking away at things that must be done, trying to enjoy the last bit of rest, ready to move into the next season after all the heat. Oh, I can’t wait for fall temps. We had a week of it a bit back and it was glorious. The return to summer temps and humidity was a bit soul crushing to be honest.
As for my garden, don’t let my cropped pictures fool you. It’s a disaster too. I’m still loving it though which surprises both Jesse and myself. If you had told 18 year old me that my 42 year old dream was to have a few chickens and a big garden I would have some choice words for you. But here I am…funny how that works!!
Xoxo.
Last night I was talking with a friend who is raising older teens (17/18), and we tried to decide which age of child would be most challenging to parent through a pandemic, and we landed on middle school. So hats off to you, and I hope I didn’t in any way minimize the challenge.
My BH&G subscription is really cheap (I think $5/year through Amazon), and it does feel like a treat every month when it shows up. It’s not terribly substantial, but I like flipping the pages while eating lunch or a snack. 🙂
I definitely am getting myself some subscriptions. And then I’m going to start making myself fun collages in my sketchbook. Or that’s what I’m telling myself.
I don’t think you minimized it, but this is definitely not the age I would pick as hardest. I think middle school in a pandemic is definitely hard on THEM which is hard to watch, but I’d take this to baby/toddlers/early elementary ANY day. I’m much more comfortable in my parenting than I was then and the demands are more aligned with my skill set.