End of July

We are starting to get produce from our garden!  Kevin has been working hard on it. I am enjoying fresh cucumbers!! And we have made two batches of zucchini bread already.

Pool is delightful!

Rose is very creative making things with paper!

Kevin and Lydia at a church picnic yesterday. I had a headache and stayed home while Kevin took all the kids to the picnic. I was alone in the house. I seriously cannot remember the last time I was alone in the house. It waas kind of nice. But I was happy when they got home.

I intend to start homeschooling the younger four in a week or so. I always start very gently; usually just math the first week, and then I add things until we are full throttle in early September. I feel a little intimdated, but that is not unusual. I always do this time of year. Just getting organized and started seems tiring. Once we are in the groove, I am good!

Angela is taking two college classes and is also going to do some math and microbiology on the side. She is thinking about a medical career so learning microbiology, in particular, should be helpful. She is only 16 so we are in the exploration time of her life. This is to say I don't think many 16 year olds are SURE what they want to do. I certainly wasn't at her age! We will see.

My allergies have been bad but by the grace of God, and thanks to hot water and pools, I have not had one chigger bite all summer, so far anyway. I am very thankful as they are EVIL. I take two showers a day and swim often as well. Go away, evil chiggers!

I wanted to write a lot this week and thus far have succeeded. I am writing two novels at once, both Pride and Prejudice variations, so it is FUN keeping the plots separate! Actually, I am doing fine with that. One of my gifts, definitely! The Lydia Bennet in one book is a total idiot and the other is quite a bit more sensible. That kind of thing!

I don't want to spend a lot of time on political stuff on this blog but I am thankful Biden isn't running for re-election. He obviously is not very well and I think he should relax on a beach somewhere. There is arguing about whether he should step down NOW... we will see what happens there! It has been a tumultuous political season. Who knows what will happen next?

I am inclined to be anxious about it all and keep reminding myself of the following verse.

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Also

Matthew 6:33-34

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I tend to be an anxious person so this is hard for me, but I am trying my best. I am also very thankful for Lexapro!

More Political Stuff

I have been quite upset since the attempted assassination of Trump. It really shook me. And grieved me. By the grace of God, he was only grazed, but a 50 year old father is dead, and two other men are in serious condition in the hospital.

I have read the Jack Reacher series off and on, written by Lee Child. The protagonist, Jack Reacher, is a lone wolf sort of guy who wanders around helping people who need help, with great violence, usually.

One of the books I liked the most involved Reacher assisting in the protection of a vice president who has been receiving death threats. The author has done his homework, and describes in detail all the ways that security details have to think about possibilities in protecting their protectees.

Obviously there have been many failures in security in the past; Reagan was shot by an insane man in 1981, which was the last time something like this, where there was an actual injury, has happened to a president or presidential candidate.

It obviously isn't an easy job. One lapse, and your person is injured or dead. Or, in Trump's case, grazed.

I do confess to being startled, and horrified, and sad, that the assassin was 20 years old.  I have two sons close to that age! How does a young man get to this point? Not just the assassination part, but to be so ... depressed? Angry? to do something that will likely result in one's death! To kill civilians?

I am thanking God for saving Trump's life, even as I submit to the reality that God is God, and He does what he wants. Other presidents and presidential candidates have been attacked and died; Lincoln (major security lapse) and Garfield, who apparently had NO security, and Reagan, of course...

Reagan would probably  have died if shot in the 1800's, since the medical profession didn't have antibiotics and scanners and stuff.

I am rambling. I am grieved that four men were shot a few days ago. If Trump had been killed, this entire presidential election would have been very different. 

One man was killed - a husband, a father, who is younger than I am. It breaks my heart.

Mid July

 

Now my right foot has plantar fasciitis! So annoying! My left one has had it off and on for a few years now but just in the few months, the right one is bothering me. I wear my boots at night when I can stand it. Two boots are way more annoying than one boot. Often I just wear a boot on the right foot. And during the day I wear supportive shoes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I wore this outfit to church last Sunday. A fancy-ish dress and Hoka shoes!

Our church holds an annual rummage sale; lots of people donate stuff, and then for three days in July we sell things to the local community. Last Sunday, Isaac and Joseph went to church in the afternoon and spent hours toiling with carrying items from the storage rooms in the basement into the fellowship haul. They are both remarkably strong and I was told on Monday that the ladies running the sale were extremely grateful.

On Monday, I took the four younger kids and we spent more than an hour organizing tables. And today, I took the three younger girls there today and we emerged with a ton of stuff, including a great many swaths of fabric, for very little money. So that was fun.

I don't like random stuff pouring into the house, of cours, as we have enough people in the house that we could quickly be overwhelmed. But today's haul was good. You can see much of it below. Now I am not a seamstress but Angela is and she is excited at all this random fabric!

It has felt like a busy week, but they all do. We will start homeschooling up in a few weeks and I feel intimidated. I ONLY have three kids to teach this year, but I had hoped to write a TON this summer but we have been busy enough that I haven't written as much as I hoped.

Angela is taking college classes this year, as is Isaac, and Miriam and Joseph are working full time. So far they both really like their jobs, which is a huge blessing. Thank you, Jesus!

Right now I am writing two Pride and Prejudice stories simultaneously, which is a little silly, but I'm the Talent. I can do what I want!

Part of the busyness of the week was that Kevin spent hours and hours and hours and hours working on first, listening to an audio book and checking it for errors, and second, going through my last book (which is 109,000 words) and checking for punctuation and other errors.

So yeah, he has been busy! But he is done with both of those projects.

We had a bit of Hurricane Beryl, just the remnants, this week. We had a lot of rain Tuesday night, and wind the next day. We didn't lose power so we are happy.

I am still watching the political stuff with interest. It is such a weird situation. I keep remembering that I am not a politician and I can watch and observe and think about it, but I can't DO anything about it except for pray.

Kevin has been working on our garden regularly. We hope to have zucchinies and cucumbers and green beans and tomatoes and squash and carrots this year.

We have deer that have been nibbling a few things so Kevin tied smelly laundry sheets to stakes in the hopes of discouraging the deer.

Political Stuff

 So obviously a lot of weird things are happening politically.

I am not a hugely political person. That is to say that I have strong views about a variety of subjects, but I also know that I have no influence on the presidency so while I pray for our government, I don't spend a lot of time stressing about stuff that worries me. I have enough worries of my own with life and kids and all that.

From Matthew 6

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I do not approve of most of President Biden's policies, and I think that he should step down now and make way for the Vice President. Of course it isn't that simple. Politics is super complex and there is posturing and this and that and the other. I do believe that the president is in the midst of major cognitive decline and is not well enough mentally to lead our country.

My own parents are actually almost exactly the president's age (within a few months) and they are literal globe trotters these days. Sharp as tacks. The age isn't necessarily the issue; the problem is that Biden seems to be suffering from dementia. Though I am guessing my parents would say they are slowing down physically compared to a decade ago.

Anyway.

I was doing some poking around online and I had forgotten this: Joe Biden has lived through some horrific tragedy in his life, and so has his family.

Hunter Biden, the president's second son, has been a mess for years: drug abuse, promiscuity, more drug abuse, gun charges, weird and doubtful business decisions, random illigitimate daughter. I hope he is off cocaine now. I guess he is?

I re read this a couple of days ago and it whacked me, figuratively, on the head.

In 1972, Hunter and Beau Biden, along with their little sister Naomi and their mother, were in a horrific car accident around Christmas time.

Naomi and their mother died.

Hunter and Beau were badly injured; the former had a brain injury, the latter broken bones.

Joe Biden was a Senator elect.

The incredible tragedy of this blows me away.  These poor little boys, ages 3 and 4, mother and sister dead, father crazy busy, in the hospital for months.

It is weird to ME that Biden continued to pursue an ambitious political career. If it were me, I would settle down into something less busy and spend time with my two little boys. But as Kevin said, no one ever becomes presdident without being super ambitious.

Biden is also a war child. He grew up in a very different generation. He pushed forward. I would imagine that Hunter and Beau both battled some significant emotional challenges after the death of their mother and sister.

Hunter did, anyway.

And then Beau died young. It really is terribly sad.

Anyway, people are complicated. Joe Biden wants to keep being president when it seems like WOW, this man has worked hard for decades and he is old and why doesn't he want to just sit in the sun and enjoy retirement?

Why is Trump running again? I think Trump is healthier than Biden, but still, he is old too!

What makes old men DO that? Ambition, I guess? Genuine commitment to serve their country?

We will see what happens with the President. I think it would be best for the Democrats to shift to Kamala Harris. She is young and cognitively doing well.

But we will see!

End of June

 It was a busy week. Our church had Vacation Bible School Sunday through Thursday evenings, and Kevin and three to five kids went each night, except for Wednesday, when I took Kevin's place.

It was really good and Rose and Daniel (who attended) and the older kids who helped all enjoyed it. The only downside was that we picked up an illness; no surprise given all those little people running around! I felt pretty badly on Thursday and am better now though still tired and moving at about 80% speed. Kevin is still pretty sick, poor guy! The kids have been sick as well but mostly getting over it rapidly.

Yesterday I was feeling really sluggish and spent a couple of happy hours working on a puzzle and watching gymnastics.  Peacock (NBC) had a cheap deal so I purchased a year's subscription, and have really been enjoying the Olympic trials. Gymnastics at that level is a dangerous sport with all that twisting and leaping and all that. I was watching uneven bars and was interested, and pleased, to see that they have spotters and mats that are moved in an out when a gymnast is about to do something really dangerous. Of course, when they do their dismounts they are doing twists in the air and nothing can be done if they misjudge and land on their heads.

The men's gymnastics was also interesting. The strength of those gymnasts!

Also, being tall definitely is a bad thing in gymnastics. For the ladies, I was watching Jade Carey performing after Simone Biles and Jade seemed so tall though I know she isn't. So I looked them up.

Jade Carey is 5 ft. 2 inches tall, and Simone Biles is 4 ft 8 inches! Simone Biles is about Rose's height!

Biles is also an incredible athlete. She is top of the world at age 27, and few gymnasts last that long.

Anyway, it is fun.

My book that I am second editing is not fun. I know I sound whiny because I am whiny! It is the longest book I have ever written, and that combined with being physically off and extra tired means it is taking me FOREVER to do my edits. Whine whine whine!

No, really, I am grateful for the ability to write books and SO grateful for self publishing.

I am a person who likes to get projects done and this is a big project looming, so it annoys me. But I will get it done and we are not publishing until September, so I have time.

But I also have an internal drive to finish it. One does not get a Ph.D. without being able to finish things, and I always feel a little agitated when I have some big project that is ALMOST done but not QUITE done.

Birthdays and the pool

 I have said before that our family is funny where birthdays are concerned. There are 11 of us, and we have no birthdays at all in January, February, March, or April! The rest of the year, the birthdays are heavy on the ground and we have reached the summer birthday season.

Daniel is now 12.

Rose is now 10.

The boys all like the same orange shirts!

The cat is still fat.

Lydia is now 23.

We have a few more birthdays in August, then one in October, two in November, and three in December!

It was a good week. I got a lot done on my latest book. It is almost done -- the first draft is, anyway.

It was also super super super hot. Wow. So so hot. I mean, for Ohio in June. It was mid 90's five days in a row!

The pool is really nice, not surprisingly.

I am trying to swim at least a little every day. It is healthful.

Fun and Busy Weekend

Naomi kindly arranged for the entire family to go to the Dayton Dragons (a local A baseball team) on Saturday. Her employer offered tickets and a catered meal to all of her immediate family. Lydia wasn't well but everyone else got to go.  We had a ton of fun!  The Dragons do lots of silly things in between innings, so even the people not that excited about baseball thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

And extra bonus was that the Dragons were behind 4 to 2 in the 9th, and came back to win it!  Everyone went kind of crazy. It was great.

This is Moonbeam, one of our older cats. He is fat and happy.

I am almost done with this 1000 piece puzzle. I have been working on it for more than a month.

We celebrated Rose's birthday this weekend. She is indeed 10 years old. I adore her and am proud of her.

Rose with one of her presents.