half past july

Don't know about you, but I've had very few lazy days of summer. I feel quite like a little kid on a tricycle, peddling as fast as she can, and the world just spinning a bit faster so there's little forward motion for the effort. But what a ride!
Since my last post there's been three rounds of houseguests, long discussions with waterproofing companies each telling us how they'll put an end to our wet basement (and have confirmed for us that from late summer 2016 to the present has been the wettest period on record), nightly raids by deer who are getting bolder, and recently a localized hail storm that has shredded our gardens.
I've finished the two baby quilts that will be heading to Africa in September. I began them at quilt retreat in June.

Jerome and I shared the morning shift of watering and feeding Sadie and Willow just up the road.

We witnessed a play house raising after which several families of neighbors shared a celebratory brunch. The silo this adorable play house now rests upon has the most beautifully built wooden spiral staircase leading up to the house. This family moved into an old and needy property about a quarter mile east of us and in three years have transformed it.

Later that same day Jerome and I attended some of our town's annual music festival. The opening act this year was a string quartet from Minnesota which we totally enjoyed. The weather was absolutely perfect as you can see by the blues skies in the photo above.

Yesterday was the blood drive I'm committed to 3 times a year. The Red Cross worker who drew my blood looked to be about 20 years old but I found out she was the mother of eight children, aged 13-1. And though she has worked for the Red Cross for years, she only recently was able to give herself, having always been too light weight to qualify. I am happy to say my iron levels are good and my blood pressure is still wonderful.
Our son arrives tomorrow for pre-fishing before his tournament on Saturday. The weather forecast is for nothing but rain from later today through the weekend. He hasn't had a dry tournament day all season. Though it's been wet here, it's nothing compared to the recent flooding back in our old neighborhoods in Illinois. Yesterday we were sent a photo of our favorite hot dog spot very near the DesPlaines river.

When I feel sorry for myself because of last week's hail damage, I think of this single example that  thousands of people are coping with so much worse. And the opposite of too much rain, too little. Wildfires, I can't even imagine the horror.
And so I breathe and breathe again and gather around me the beauty of gifts that strengthen the spirit.

I put them in places where I'm sure to notice them, like this little bouquet on my bathroom mirror. And I look to your blogs for the beauty of your lives and words you share that fill me with hope.
Thank you.