For Posterity's Sake: Week in Review 74

Audrey helped me weed yesterday while Nathan hung out in the circus tent. At some point, Audrey decided they needed to swap hats (his is the white one).

Summertime, and the livin' is crazy, I mean, easy...

What is it about summer that jumbles us so? Tuesday evening prances around like a Friday night and Wednesday shows up all shiny like a Saturday morning. Work and play meld, and the stove takes break while the grill shows off his stuff. The grass acts as if it has never seen the sun, stretching another inch each day, attempting to reach her rays. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high.

In summer, anything goes. Audrey reminds me of this with daily games of pretend. On Monday, she was a child named Rajah. She ate a dried cranberry and proceeded to tell me how good it was, followed by, "we don't have these at my house." I told "Rajah" we had to go to the store. As we pulled away from the drive, she said, "I wonder if my parents are worried. You better call them." Then she told me their fake names. Oh, your daddy's rich and your mamma's good lookin'.

We left the store and from the backseat she said, "Mom, if you see an animal, call it up [out] to me." I said okay. When I didn't say anything else for a few minutes, she said, "Pretend animals, Mom!"

In summer, the garden thirsts for a drink. We thirst for fruit, and the energy and knees of our youth. The muggy-eyed children, running wild through the grass, thirst for sprinklers. We all seek rejuvenation. Tuesday morning, I told Audrey she needed to eat her oatmeal to have energy. "I already have energy," she said.

"You still need to eat your oatmeal," I said.

"You want me to throw my energy away?" she said.

Summer means new curfews, adventures, and charting new territory. Wednesday night, Audrey spent the night at Grammy's house for the first time. She had a day filled with flower planting and brownie baking. As Grammy got her dressed Thursday morning, Audrey exhaled a deep sigh. Her Grammy asked her what was wrong. "Today is a hard day for me," she said. So hush little baby, don't you cry.

Summer lends time for reflection. We have incorporated a new tradition to our evening meal. Every one seated at the dinner table takes a moment to share their favorite part of the day and their worst part of the day. Thursday, Audrey turned to face me at the table. "Mom, I have to tell you something. The best part of my day tomorrow is going swimming. (Unfortunately, the pool birthday party scheduled for today got rained out. I have a feeling I know what the worst part of her day is today). My best part of today was my bike ride." One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up singing. Then you'll spread your wings and take to the sky.

Summer is for growing: green lawns, vegetable gardens, and toward one another. Those extra doses of sunshine encourage us to stretch that bike ride just one more street, to weed one more row together, to share one more story, one more laugh, one more moment. Today, amidst a pile of paper and crayons, Audrey turned to me. "You're special to me," she said, "because you're my mom." But until that morning, there's a'nothing can harm you, with your daddy and mammy standing by.

Summertime, and the smiles come easy. A happy weekend to you. Enjoy.

*Lyrics to Summertime by George Gershwin