End of Summer

 I feel like summer just came for a few days, but we sure have enjoyed it.  

The apartment pool has been a fun place to visit, and it's nice to have it so close and usually almost empty.  One day it filled up pretty fast with several families, but as long as there aren't any big kids wanting all the room, the rest share nicely.

Elise goes sometimes by herself, not always getting in, but lying out on the chairs and soaking up the warmth.  She can get a suntan if she wants to.  I won't mention the bad effects of the sun - the age spots, the wrinkles, etc. - I think they come or not, no matter how you treat your body when you're younger.  My generation just played outdoors every day it didn't rain and stayed tan and healthy in our youth.  Later on, some people ended up with skin cancers and some didn't.  Some people wrinkle more than others.  I just don't spend much time looking in mirrors!  

I'll just download all the pictures I see of the pool.  I have to say Jennie and the new management keep it so clean and nice - just sparkling.  It's supposed to be heated, but I do hear a lot of complaining about being cold.  The sun doesn't do much warming until 2:00 or so, and then the sun drops behind the tall trees, and we're cool again.  

Yesterday I found my usual chair empty but half in the sun.  I just put a towel over my exposed arm and leaned back for a some good sun therapy.  I love it, looking up at the sky through the trees and having a cool breeze blow on my face.  Summers are really lovely here.  

Kate was perfectly happy in these pictures but within 15 minutes, she had a headache that made her cry.  I guess it was something to do with pressure and sinuses and tight goggles.  Whatever, we headed home and babied her.  Ice pack on her forehead, Children's Tylenol, a popsicle and some juice after wrapping up in a blanket.  Then Graysen took her a few snacks to feed her and my phone with cat videos, and I heard giggling pretty soon.  

This is the look when you have a sleepover and stay up all night and then get up late and decide to go swimming.  

These are some earlier pictures in my camera of other trips there.  The girls asked if we could get some diving toys, and I found two sets - some sticks and some "jewels."  They like the jewels better, but I worry that they'll conk someone on the head with them when the pool is crowded or someone will step on the pointed top.  So far, they've followed the rules really well and enjoyed them.  Earlier this week when Kate was here alone, Elise stood and tossed them in behind her, and she would dive down and get them as quickly as she could.  

They have been told sternly that they are never to be left on the floor in the apartment for us to step on either!  They aren't really as sharp as they look, but still.....

I don't have a picture of the diving sticks, but these are the ones I ordered from Amazon.  They stand on end when in the water but sink to the bottom.  They seem safer but aren't quite as much of a challenge and definitely not as pretty!

This is where you go to warm up.  It's so funny to me that a group of kids, all about the same age, will sit in there knee to knee and never say anything to the ones they don't know, even though they've been swimming alongside each other for weeks.  The mothers and grandmothers will try to initiate conversations between the kids, but they all seem pretty shy.

This is Elise's favorite section.  She reads and maybe even sleeps when she's by herself .  It's a good place to talk to people that you normally just see in passing.

Aunt CeCe trapped in the float.

I think the whole family will try to take advantage of the last days of hot weather today and tomorrow.  Then school starts on Tuesday, and that might be it!  One good thing is that those of us who want to take our coffee and sit outside can still meet inside the gates on good mornings and take advantage of the sunshine. Our porches are too cool for enjoying mornings much!

I was hoping we would have enough people who knew how to play mahjong soon, but we only have 3 at the most at the apartments.  

I have enjoyed several times of playing at the Y lately.  We get a quiet room with tables just for ourselves.  On Thursdays, I play with Sharon, Jan, and Tom, and we have gotten comfortable with each other's quirks and craziness and have a good time.  I'm not sure Tom has as good a time as his wife and her friends, but he's a good sport.  In mahjong, you can't do much chatting during the game because of having to concentrate, but we make up for it before and after, so I feel like I have 3 new friends.  I visited my old group that I played with before I broke my shoulder and had to stop playing.  A couple have moved away, but there are 3 or 4 left that I played with, and they remember me.  I don't feel like I'm back in their league yet - maybe never - but it was fun to catch up with their lives and watch them play.  

We now have 2 days a week available to play at the Y and one at the senior center, so I should get all the playing I want this fall and winter.  I still enjoy playing on line though, especially when it gets cold!  Mary plays bridge a lot so hasn't joined us, but we'll find a time when we can all get together, I'm sure.  

I want to take more pictures later, but this is just what the table looks like.  We normally have 14 tiles available on our rack and the center is full of discards.

We took a walk to the library this week, the girls and Elise and I.  We went by the UPS store to return an Amazon package, and it took all 4 of us, but we got it done.  Then we walked across the street to the library where I found a sunny corner to relax and wait.  I don't bother with looking for books much.  I just order audio ones from the available one and wait for them.  I love seeing the girls browse though.  They have so much fun.  

Here, they're reading the C encyclopedia!  

I noticed they checked it out too.  I didn't even know you could check out encylopedias, but I guess they're not quite as sacred as they used to be, with Google searches, etc.

Gray has reached 5 feet tall this summer, almost catching me.  She has that PopPop way of standing and his legs!  

Kate petitioned for a Swirl - a frozen yogurt - but I told her I didn't have enough money.  But once we went outside and it was so hot, I gave in and headed down the street instead of crossing it.  I love making them happy, even if it is just food - expensive food!  Kate asked me where I was going to get the money.  I turned my head for a minute, and she got a huge bowl of mango, vanilla, and one other flavor yogurt topped with gummy worms, and Graysen opted for a mango smoothie.  Even with my savings card that I cashed in, it was still $16.  That's why it's not an everyday treat!  

Last Few Weeks of Summer

 It seems like we have had such a short summer.  It barely got warm in time for the girls to enjoy the pool, but I have been loving every minute of this warmer weather.  We're cool inside even without air conditioning or a fan.

Noreen was going for a walk this morning and said she would look for me outside on her way back, so I hurried to get dressed and grab a cup of coffee.  It was a little chilly there in the shade, but not too bad once I was there a few minutes.  It was good to get caught up again on our lives, since she has been out of town for a few days and then celebrating a grandson's birthday - who is now a teenager.  We have a few more months to go before we have one.

Speaking of which, that 12-year-old has been at Camp Seymour since last Monday and is finally coming home today.  We've all missed her, but Katherine has been extra lonely.  I think the first day was good with all the attention and only-child privileges, but by yesterday afternoon, her good mood was wearing thin.  

She did get some pool time in though, first with Carly and then alone yesterday with just me watching her from my poolside chair.  Elise loves going in with her and playing, but she doesn't have the desire to stay in for hours like the younger ones do.  

The pool is beautiful this year.  Maybe it always is, but I don't remember going much last year.

Kate would just stay in there all day if she could.

The whole area looks nice with the new furniture and the clear water.  It's always spotless when we've gone.

Elise called me from the car to look at the sunset the other night.  

The girls and I walked to the library one day last week, and it's easier than it used to be for me.  I still took advantage of this little corner near the magazine section where I could sit down while they looked for books.  

The downtown flower baskets are beautiful this year, as usual.  I wonder how they keep them so lush and green.

I don't have pictures, but Elise has gone to the Community Center outdoor concerts the last two Thursdays and really liked them.  On her walk last night, she noticed a group of martial arts students practicing on the grassy area near the park.  She thought the outfits looked familiar and as she walked by, she saw Katherine out there doing her thing.  Elise said she looked like she was doing some teaching herself but noticed Aunt CeCe walking by and gave her a little wave. 

It's quite a busy place with the new splash park and the existing skate park and Community Park up the hill.  We've been watching the progress of the splash pad for months, although the girls think they're a little bit too old to be going there.

It has to be wonderful for the young families to spread out blankets and take a picnic or snacks while they watch the kids play.  It has a Big Foot theme, which makes them roll their eyes, but they do have neat waterfalls and water dumps for them to run under.

I enjoyed it too.  We just decided all of a sudden to go one hot afternoon.  My folding chair stays in the back of the car, so that was simple to set up.  There was plenty of parking, and Graysen carried it for me and set it up.  I found a place on a rise where I could see the whole park well, and a little breeze added to the pleasure of being outside on such a nice day.  In spite of feeling like the oldest ones, they had a ball and played for well over an hour.  

Right across the parking lot from that is the YMCA where we play mahjong when we can get the correct number of people together.  Yesterday was one of those days, and it was a fun, low-key afternoon, although I felt either unlucky or brain-dead - maybe both - because I was awful.  I had no jokers to help me out and none of the combinations grabbed me, so I was just struggling to remember what I wanted to do with my tiles and what the others were trying to do.  I've enjoyed making some new friends, and I hope we'll get to play once a week now that school is starting soon.  

The family will be going to South Dakota Tuesday for a long overdue visit with Ryan's parents and siblings.  There's a very cute little 2-year-old cousin that the girls can't wait to meet.  Elise and I will try to keep the cats fed and happy and water the plants in the yard and in the garden.  

The next week, they're going to visit friends who have a cabin in Idaho at Priest Lake.  That should also be a fun time, although a good bit of driving is involved.

I'm not thrilled over any books I've chosen this month.  I'll check them out, listen to a chapter or two and then send them back.  

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah is what I'm listening to at the moment, but it's so depressing I can take only small doses of it.  The fate of the French in World War II as well as the Jewish people in Germany remind me of how close our country is of losing our freedom.  What a horrible, horrible time for so many people, and it takes all I can do to not be pessimistic about the children's futures. Already media is being silenced if they don't agree to the dictator in the White House, and the corruption is just running rampant among the administration's choices for leaders.  

So I'm just trying to enjoy the beauty all around me as well as the company of good friends and family.  I'm thankful every day I'm where I am right now.  I'm not thankful for more than usual cougar sightings have been reported and not far from here.  Bears are seen sometimes too, but they usually don't care to hang around where people are.  It's the cats that scare me. 

Emily has received confirmation of her new position, but I'm not sure what her title is now.  I know she's relieved to have that part over with and to get on with her new responsibilities.  So proud of her.  

While I have cat and plant duties next week, I'll try to get some pictures of their flowers and vegetables and of the almost-whole-house remodeling that's gone on for years.  Lots of pretty things!

Shave Ice or Shaved Ice?

 I can't figure out which term is correct, but we always called them snow cones when we were growing up.  

Yesterday Graysen and her friend Ellie set up a shaved ice stand at Ellie's house and had really good success.  I think they made $52, including their first customer, a UPS driver who overpaid for his!

I thought that would satisfy the entrepreneurial passion for a few days, but it certainly did not.  The girls got to my house early this morning already knowing the ropes and wanting to set up one at my house.  I had so many excuses.  So many.  None of which caused the blink of an eye.  Everything I was negative about was contradicted by those who had just finished successfully carrying it through with almost no help from parents.  I think they were both mad with me pretty soon,  and I didn't quite say no.  I texted their mother.  She wrote back much too late saying to just say no until they had someone to help them.

With the addition of a friend and a little thinking and even more cooperation from Dad, they were on the crushed ice train.

Ryan brought over an extension cord and the ice machine plus all the flavor bottles, and Elise went to Safeway and picked up a couple of bags of ice and some straws.  We already had  colorful cups and spoons and some small tables and chairs, so it started coming together.

Oh, we first walked down to the office to ask the manager Jennie if there would be any objection to our setting up a little stand in front of my apartment.  She approved it heartily, and we were on our way, stopping to admire the flowers out front that are always so pretty. 

Taking a delivery from Dad and Woodrow.  

So busy!

I took this picture to post on the Snoqualmie Ridge Facebook page for more exposure than their chalk arrows and little signs.  

It was not a steady stream since this street is busiest in early mornings and after work, but their first customer showed up pretty quickly and gave them hope.  Several sweet little boys walked by and promised they would be back later.  Then Katherine was greeted by the owner of the martial arts studio where she had just received some new patches that I was sewing on.  She got her refreshing treat and promised to send young guy instructors down later and also to do some advertising for them.  It worked, and they had a lot of success from her advertising.  

They did get a little hyper and silly towards the end and were running up and down the sidewalk yelling "Shaved Ice." By that time, I was ready for the clean-up and rest.

They ended up with $54 and started making plans to pool their money and buy a rolling cart to take their business on the road.  No amount of negativity could dampen their enthusiasm, and they got a little aggravated with me for not being as excited as they were.  

Sweet girls right in the middle of the sidewalk where scooters and bikes travel.

I just found this on my phone where they had searched for the perfect vehicle for the new business.

No arguments - bumpy sidewalks, no electricity for the ice machine, storage, a week-long trip to South Dakota next week, camp for Graysen the week after that and then school starting a few weeks later - made any difference.  They are stubborn little things.  But what a fun day to be able to give them.  I need to enjoy them while they are somewhat patient with me.  

Is is Summer Yet?

 Yesterday morning was not any indication of a warm-enough day for me.  Noreen, Melissa, and I found our front-row seats for the big parade on Noreen's porch.  She had a little bit of sunshine - just a hint - but better than my gloomy one.  Besides, Elise was sitting there with Wuffie to watch.  He is a "different" cat.  Even the sirens and kids screaming and riding past didn't cause even a blink.  He handled the fireworks well later on too.  The only problem is that they couldn't go outside, and that made all of them unhappy.  We had a cougar sighting just a mile or so away, but we can't explain that to them.  

N's daughter Carrie is in Spain for a 10-day trip - so envious! - and Mike and the boys watched the parade from the porch too.  It was here and finished before we even got a chance to take a good picture.  I think they're briefly in a video that I'll post if I can find it.  

Some pictures Em sent me of "sugaring up"  at the Community Center.

I was sent this to taunt me, I think.  It was for the afternoon party and fireworks that I was invited to but chose not to go to, so I deserve not having any.  This trifle bowl of Mama's is only used for banana pudding, for some reason, and it does look pretty.  I thought about it a lot yesterday and think I might can put one together once I get the ingredients.

I opened the blinds at 10:00 and watched the fireworks for a little bit over the tops of the houses across the street, but it's not the same as being there.  

Noreen sent a picture of her boys enjoying pizza in 2019, before we knew them.   

These kiddos chose cotton candy - after hot dogs.  Camden and Graysen have known each other from birth.    

Funny how we were in the same place but oblivious to each other's lives then.  One thing - among many - is how much we love these sweet babies - and they'll always be our babies no matter how old they are.  

I looked at the video to see if Woodrow was walking with the family, and he was not.  Maybe a good idea.  He does get excited!  We got just a glimpse of them passing by, and Graysen came up to give me a hug since she wasn't on her bike this year.  I wonder if this is the last year they will participate.  😢

I got hung up on re-reading some other July 4th blog entries and got a little sad when I got to July 2016.  We would have only 1 month left with Mike and had no idea.  We did get all the living we could out of what we had, and I'm thankful for that but so sad we didn't have more.  I doubt we would have done more if we had known.  Mike looked forward to the visits with Dr. Kaplan, and we made a good day of the July visit.  He didn't feel great most of the time, so I spent a lot of time with the girls.  

Besides all that, I found out about the flash floods in Texas and all the little girls at a camp who are missing or have died.  I cannot imagine.  It will be hard for me to let Graysen leave in a few weeks for her camp.  I pretty much stayed up all night, not able to sleep for thinking about the families and the heartbreak.  Seems like so much is keeping the joy away from me, but we just go on and make our own happiness, I guess.