Summer Wind Down

Guess what I'm doing this week? I'm enrolling Wesley into first grade! It is already that time of the year again. This summer is just speeding by like it does every year. I need to slow down so I can enjoy it. It's been go go go! Last week was the final week of the reading program at the library. The kids really enjoyed going to that every Tuesday morning. Greta came out of her shell and showed me that she could detach herself from my leg and go sit with the big kids during reading time. She's really grown up a lot this summer and I'm super proud of her. They got to do arts and crafts like making pet rocks and creating a worm farm. We wrapped it all up last Thursday with a pool party at the city pool which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

Then all last week the kids attended vacation bible school at a local church. I wasn't sure how they would do with it since it ran pretty late in the evenings (6:30-9) but again I was pleasantly surprised. They came home the first night so excited to go back the next evening. Greta trotted into her preschool age class at VBS with not much more than a hug goodbye. I was impressed she let me go home. I think this all will help tremendously with preschool that starts in September. I was a little worried about actually leaving but this just showed me that she has, indeed, grown up a lot this summer. Wesley also had a great time at VBS, mainly due to the fact that his buddy Andrew goes to that church and he hasn't seen much of him this summer. Overall it was a great experience and one I hope to do again next summer.

The weather has kept us indoors off and on this week. It's been freakishly cool and raining. We are currently in a flood watch due to the huge amount of rainfall. I actually wore a fleece jacket outside to feed the animals this evening. How many times can I say that in July? The rain has made everything grow like crazy, it's like a rainforest out in the walnut grove. So lush! The garden is overgrown, everything creeping into everything else. I've gotten behind on my weeding and mulching so I actually took the weed whacker to portions of it yesterday. Like usual I'm drowning in squash. I've started just leaving the patty pan squash on the vine to promote the plant to stop making it. The pile I have in the fridge has started to be dispersed among the livestock. Better someone eat it than it go to waste. I've taken to chopping up a few each day and feeding them to the goats and chickens. The horses and "baby" goats don't seem to have a taste for it but Dym (the black goat) will eat it like crazy. She is not a picky goat.

Most of the garden has been eaten up by the grasshoppers. This year will officially be known as the "Year of the Grasshoppers". It's been bad. Very bad. It's ok though. I tend to lose interests in the garden around this time of the year so I'll let them have it. The tomatoes and bell peppers are just starting to ripen up so I'll harvest those and then leave it to the grasshoppers.

That's my update. Hope you all are having a nice summer!