Summer! (?)

It's not that I intended to wait on my next post until something resembling the actual season showed up - just seems to have happened that way. Perhaps this will become a quarterly blog...

I know that I spend too much time complaining about the weather, especially given that Seattle is about the only place fit for humanity these days - but here's confirmation of my endless lament.*

I've developed a new mantra, however: It sure is good sleeping weather! (and I mean that sincerely). 'Nuff said on that topic.

What else has been going on since May, you might wonder? Well, the garden has blissfully ignored the external signals and carried on its merry way, and we've been delighting in our early summer harvest - rhubarb, strawberries, eggs, romaine, kale, raspberries, blueberries, and flowers galore.

We've had some time at Hood Canal feasting on sea protein of every sort, and in Eastern Washington soaking up the sun and sage.

We've been catching up (when I say we, I mostly mean Bob) on a significant backlog of deferred maintenance around the house.

We've been integrating our chickens (the 'babies' are 18 weeks old, and living out in the coop mostly amicably with the old lady hens) and amusing ourselves endlessly watching them express their inimitable chicken-ness.

I've been studying meditation, and spent my weekend at a retreat led by Sharon Salzburg - a little birthday present to myself, and time well spent.

We've been planning a little trip to the SW at the end of August, and getting excited about that.

We've been trying (slowly) to catch up with family and friends who may have been lost in the shuffle of what was actually a very busy 2010-11 school year!

We've been rejoicing with friends bearing good news (pending babies, good health restored, major accomplishments) and sending love to those with not so good news (passings, illness) - and carrying on with all that life brings us.

With that, I'll post (for goodness sake) - and promise to return soon.

* As it turns out, my birthday weekend was like a beautifully wrapped gift - two entire days of sunny, 80F weather. And I was happy to share it with the entire city, before it came to an apocalyptic end around 8am this morning.