August: The Sunday of Summer

August seems like the last day of a long weekend: sweet and mildly depressing. With schools beginning mid-August in CO (what the #!*@&??), this feeling grows more profound the older my kids become. I don't remember this sensation growing up, I suppose because school ended in June. Thus the beginning of August felt like Saturday night, and the end more like Sunday afternoon. I'll stop the analogy there.
A nice aspect of this month has been visiting with family that have come through our area. Anna and Isaac had loads of time to play with their cousins, and we've been fortunate to have Jon's cousin stay with us for a couple of days and join in the fun. These times remind me why we moved here in the first place, and reinforce our confidence in the decision. Family is so very important.

Sleep is also very important, and we continue to struggle on that front. The party-like atmosphere has made bedtimes even more of a battle, and naps are all over the place when they happen at all. So it's no wonder that the kids spent the last 24 hours fussing and bickering and flat-out fighting. But Isaac's asleep now, and Anna's had a decent rest, so everyone is in better spirits. Even me!

In other news, I'm already debating whether to rejoin our CSA next year. I like the fresh veggies and the variety and the "oh, what's in the box this week?" anticipation. [Kohlrabi! Amazing space alien vegetable!] But in truth it's a lot of effort for very little consumption by anyone other than myself. I do count it a victory that Jon ate a good amount of kale cous cous salad (among his least favourite foods), and even Anna had a helping. I'm alternating weeks with another family, so maybe if we do the same thing next year it will be doable. And maybe the kids will eat more greens as they get older. Maybe even Jon will eat more greens. I am skeptically optimistic.

Kale is not the only thing in season around here: Legos have arrived in our home. For some time Anna had expressed interest in Jon's Star Wars Lego sets so the other day I finally sprang for some pinkish blocks. (Pink to balance out the large number of Star Wars and Halo-themed sets that we already have. And she just likes pink. And why do I feel like I have to justify this, anyway?!) She enjoys creating amazing little structures and houses and castles and vehicles and will sit there for literally one or two hours working on stuff. Nothing else has ever held her attention like that. Pretty cool. So far, no Lego pieces have been spotted in the toddler's mouth, which is even cooler. Now if only it wasn't so horribly expensive.

Spring has Sprung, but not in my yard

It is a very dry spring, after a very dry winter, and the air is cloudy with smoke from nearby fires. It seems we went from autumn to spring, skipping winter almost entirely. And now everything is brown (or golden, if I'm in the right mood). It just feels wrong to water one's perennials in March. And to add insult to injury, the ubiquitous rabbits ate each and every one of my tulip and daffodil bulbs. They dug them up! Each one! And ate them! Bah!

But hope, in the form of blossoms, springs eternal and I'm looking forward to the buds that will appear on our ash tree (at least, I think it's an ash tree), apple, and peach trees. I'm thinking about adding a plum tree (Anna's request), some blueberries, and a few grape vines along the back fence. We love fruit here, can you tell?

What I'd really like is a vegetable garden, but on account of our sloping back yard that would require a lot of effort (i.e., terracing of some sort). I tried container gardening, but that was only successful for the tomatoes. Nonetheless my urge to dig in the earth must be satisfied somehow, so I'm removing the rocks that border our yard with a mind to replace the tarp that underlies it. I let the weeds and detritus get away from me, and now I'm paying the price. [I'm told these rocks are part of the french drain which keeps water from our home's foundation. But just as likely is that the rocks are there for aesthetic purposes. Coloradans seem to have a thing for rocks.]

But back to vegetables... We joined a CSA, and I'm quite excited. I love trying new recipes and experimenting with food. We're splitting a share with someone since I'm not sure we're ready to go it alone. I'm the biggest veggie eater around here, and certainly the most adventurous, but I'm hopeful that I can find some recipes that everyone will enjoy. Or at least tolerate. Suggestions welcome.