Somewhere in between

Labor Day.

It's not fall or summer, but somewhere in between.  

Popsicles and sweaters are both on sale.
There are packs of Number 2 pencils and lined notebook paper on the dining table.
The whole town smells a giant backyard BBQ*.

College football and baseball are on TV at the same time.
All the real shows are still in reruns.

The kids go in the pool, and then do homework.

A bunch of people leave town, but a bunch of other people come back.

No one can name a single movie that opened this weekend.

It s 95 degrees outside.

You have a feeling that something good is coming to an end.
You are far to relaxed to care about it right at the moment.

It's pretty much the brunch of holidays.

Fact Checking

In this election season where fact checkers are having a field day*, I felt it was my patriotic duty to get to the bottom of yet another crazy rumor being perpetrated by the blogosphere.

I mean really.  Making ice cream out of a banana?  Lies, lies, lies!



Turns out, though, that this one is actually true.

Vacation's over - Part II

Unlike the washing machine at home, the gang at the office was pretty happy to see me today*.

Vacation's over

I've gone from this:

to this:

Fortunately, I made this:

in about the time it took to do a (huge) load of whites.

A last little burst of summer vacation on a plate.

Why I hate my sub-zero refrigerator

Sometimes, having a fancy name-brand appliance is a good thing.  For example, if you are selling your house, people may want to pay more if it has fancy name-brand appliances in it.  In this example, you benefit in two ways.  a) you make more money and b) you leave the fancy name-brand appliances behind to stealthily leak all over somebody else's favorite baking books for several days and ruin them.

If, however, your house, like mine, is not on the market, you pretty much just have a pile of moldy, swollen cookbooks and a big bill from the plumber.

I definitely needed this vacation.

Busted

Our annual visit to camp is in full swing.  The lake is crystal clear and the sky is impossibly wide and blue.  The fountain is cranking out mint chip milkshakes.  We've walked for miles with old friends, getting caught up as we tramped along pine covered trails.  We glimpse the kids from a distance, screaming and laughing and splashing around the place in packs.  Every child has a plastic cabin key hanging around their neck, symbolizing their new-found freedom to roam at will, and to pull every crawdad they can find onto the dock for closer examination.  The air is fresh and just exactly warm enough for reading the Sunday NY Times on the porch after breakfast.  There's ping pong and hat making, chanting and silly counselors and funyaks to paddle to the beach.  Soon there will be bingo and inner tubing and outings with lemonade and ice cream at the end.  Not to mention campfires with s'mores and guitars and singing with our whole family together as the sun goes down and thousands of stars come out in the sky.  

And yet, when my sister asked my niece what her favorite part of camp was, none of this came up.

My niece:  I like when we drive up there in Auntie Shar's car*.

My sister:  Really? Is it because you are with your cousins and you love them?

My niece:  No.  I like the part where we stop at the gas station.

My sister:  The gas station?

My niece:  Yes. When we stop at the gas station, everybody gets candy**.

Busted.

* She has clearly forgotten about this drive.  But then again, I'm trying to forget about last year.

** What my son said (after he stopped laughing):

"Completely true! If we drove to Burbank and I asked if I could get an Icee and a pack of Skittles, you would be like, um, NO. But if it's on I5 somewhere outside of Bakersfield...? No problem. Have two."

Yep. So busted. 

It was 20 years ago today

For my husband, the Beatles fan
A song for every year

Do you believe in a love at first sight,
Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time

And when I touch you
I feel happy inside,
It's such a feeling
That my love I can't hide

I'll give you all I've got to give,
If you say you love me too,
I may not have a lot to give,
But what I got I'll give to you

Working for peanuts is all very fine,
But I can show you a better time

Whoa, love me do

Ooh did I tell you I need you
Every single day of life?

All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

A love like ours,
Could never die,
As long as I
Have you near me

With a love like that,
You know you should be glad

You don't realize how much I need you,
Love you all the time and never leave you.

Eight days a week is not enough to show I care
Ain't got nothin' but love babe,
Eight days a week

It always leads me here, lead me to your door

We're on our way home,
We're going home

When I'm home everything seems to be right,
When I'm home feeling you holding me
Tight, tight, yeah

It's getting better all the time
It's getting better since you've been mine

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine

You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Someday when we're dreaming, deep in love,
Not a lot to say,
Then we will remember things we said today