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.