What I'm Not Hearing...

There are sounds in summer. It IS still summer, but some of the sounds are gone.

Because of the Central Indiana draught, there are no sounds of lawn mowers. Grass just isn't growing.

There also are no songbirds in the trees at dawn. I miss that. The robins...most of them...have moved on.
(I will never forget the look on granddaughter Robin's face at dawn one early-spring morning three years ago when I called her to the front stoop to listen to the birds singing up the sun. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she heard her feathered namesakes doing their thing.)

Taking inventory of the summer (so far), I have:
1. Enjoyed a visit with my sister here for the Indy 500.
2. Enjoyed the Fourth at Hummel Park by myself. (Can't see the fireworks from my house, and couldn't bear a Fourth without that!)
3. Flew to California with my grandchildren so they could visit their mother. We ate well and had a good time. Got to see Monterey and its world-famous aquarium, Cannery Row, lots of smelly seals, Napa Valley and a winery tour, a petrified forest, a Chinese grocery store, lots of ducks, the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk midway, and lots of greedy ducks and sea gulls.
4. Had my daughter and grandchildren here for a week or ten days for Robin's 8th birthday roller skating party in early August.
5. Had the grandchildren here after their mom's departure for a week, with the other grandparents. We saw a couple of movies, went to the Children's Museum, did the State Fair, played here and at Grandma Judy's.
6. Drove the grandchildren to their new home in Zion, IL, and stayed for almost a week. They got a chance to adjust to the new digs while preparing to enter a new school.

I guess I can't complain of having a boring summer!! I'd like to find a way to fly to California and see things without the grandchildren in tow. I usually just acquiesce to do things I think they would like...

They keep saying that we will get rain soon. We'll see. We had a shower yesterday, but it wasn't enough to make a difference.

Trying to plan for the holidays now. Once upon a time, it was easy. Now, there are so very many schedules to accommodate and so much more distance that it has become tricky. Wish me luck!