Never too old...

...to lean on Mama's shoulder. He might be taller than I am, but after an exhausting race (and his best time ever!), Aaron doesn't mind stooping down to my level.

Sun-drenched fruit

On a gorgeous sunny day Steve and I stopped at a local farm to pick raspberries.

We couldn't resist the grapes, either.

Card-carrying members of the clean-your-plate club

Ahhh--a visit to Da Buca DaBeppo's. Garlic, cheese, pasta, good friends---mmmmm. That hit the spot after a long drive to Milwaukee, a pellmell dash into the theater at the last minute (thanks to road construction and getting lost), and a satisfying-but-long performance of the second part of Shakespeare's Henry IV. We worked up quite an appetite.

By the way, the staff at the Milwaukee Shakespeare Theatre is fantastic--they even plugged the parking meter for us during the show!

Something fishy is going on

A new addition to our home--fish. We had some years ago, but I accidentally cooked them when I changed their water. We got rid of all the paraphernalia when we moved, but Ben saved up his money for a new tank, filter, thermometer, heater, gravel, plants, food, etc. etc. and of course the fish--tiger barbs and red-eyed tetras, one of which kicked the bucket in short order. Steve and I added some platys and more tetras a few days later. Now we all sit and watch fish instead of TV, Aaron researches fish behavior and appearance on the internet, and I stay far, far away from all water-changing duties.

Killing time

When big brothers run cross country, little sisters learn to make the most of the waiting-around time. There are worse things in this world than sitting on a rock with a friend!

Hands

Susannah saying, "You are irresistible" to a friend's baby.

Cross-country teammates saying, "Great race."

Sunrise

Every parent's nightmare

Ben's football team faced giants Saturday. Reports said the opposing team was big, tough, fast, and relentlessly hard-hitting. Ben wanted to stay home. When we got there and I scoped out the other team warming up before the game, I wished we had. They had enough kids to field 4 teams; our team is so small that most kids play offense AND defense. Ben is the tallest kid on our team; soaking wet in pads he weighs 91 pounds. Many of the kids on the other team were half a head taller and 30 pounds heavier. A conservative estimate led me to believe our kids were gonna get clobbered... ...and then the field, where another game was in progress, went quiet. A boy lay motionless on the grass, adults came running, shoes were pulled off and reflexes tested, a scared mom hovered nearby, cell phone pressed to her ear. Ten minutes later an ambulance screamed in, and the still-unresponsive boy was loaded in and taken away. And I wanted to grab my boy and head for home.

But we didn't, and our guys held their own. Plenty of bumps and bruises, but no injuries. And we only gave up one touchdown. Not bad when you're David against Goliath.

I heard later that the injured boy was going to be okay.

I'm back!

Hurray for Aaron--he fixed my computer problems.

Here's a shot I took of clouds as we drove west into the soon-to-set sun.

Involuntary Hiatus

I can get pictures to my computer but not from the computer to my blog or to a computer that can get to my blog--networking problems stink, and my tech guy (Steve) won't be able to sort it all out till next week. And my camera is slowly dying. So I don't think I will have any new pictures up any time soon. Maybe by next week.

One shoe off and one shoe on...

...diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son Aaron. Aaron's shoe came untied halfway through his 1.7-mile cross-country race and finally flew off on his final dash toward the finish line. It didn't seem to slow him down too much!

"You don't SERIOUSLY expect me to get up, do you?"

Ben was not happy to be roused from a sweet, sound slumber.

Summer's Last Hurrah

Actually I hope this isn't the end of summer; I hope we have lots more warm sunny days before fall takes over. But something about this photo makes me think of the passage of time, the move from summer to fall, days becoming shorter, boys becoming taller, burgeoning joy of summer stored as fuel for winter work ahead, flying through the carefree air of childhood into self-aware young adulthood. Some days, time flies by too fast.

Dream Come True

Susannah has been wanting dance lessons forever. I'm not sure if the draw is dance itself or the cute little outfit, but the desire has endured. Here she is going into the studio for her very first ballet/jazz dance class.

These feet were made for walkin'...

...and that's just what they've been doing. My feet, shoes, and legs have put in a lot of miles this summer. I've watched my shadow legs go up hill and down, over fields and woods and trails and tracks and roads. They've been mosquito-bitten and bug-sprayed and mud-splashed and sweat-slicked and grass-whipped and thorn-torn. They've been tired and sore and slow--but they just keep right on going. The biggest challenge yet--a 21-mile hike around Lake Geneva that I hope to do one Saturday this fall.

On the prowl

When we retired our old mailbox, I put it on a stump because it looks like a birdhouse. Apparently a bird agreed, because before too long there was a nest inside. Unfortunately, the neighbor's cat figured out what was going on and snuck inside to investigate. Fortunately, the bird family had already flown the coop, and the disappointed cat was on her way out when I snapped this photo.