where did the week go?

 It's already Saturday.  It was a tired week.  Everyone was tired--even p.j. stayed home to sleep on Friday.

These are pictures of my perennial garden.  It's overgrown, and I kind of love it, though I would like to neaten it up, not sure how that would be done.

 See the tall plants with the pink fuzzy blossoms?  That's milkweed, and I let it go nuts specifically because it attracts Monarch butterflies.   Last week I spotted four monarch caterpillars and today butterflies.

 See them?  They're kind of magical.

 This morning Jay worked and so did I--showed a couple houses to a very pleasant couple I've been working with for a while now.

I wanted to go to the cabin.  Well, not exactly.  I wanted to BE at the cabin.  It's hot and gorgeous and something about being there is very soothing.

Jay said we could go.  But the effort to get out of the house and get there?  I pondered on it while he was gone, but no.  We'll go next week.  Maybe I'll clean the office and file papers tomorrow. That would actually feel really good.

In the afternoon we went and watched this kid play baseball.  It's Little League, which does not ever change.  He played catcher and we saw him get a nice hit, and saw the other kids too.

After supper we took an extension ladder over to a friend who is painting second floor windows and having the house power washed.  It's impressive, the mountainous task she's taken on getting all these tasks done.

Later in the evening I stood on the patio in the dark, in a warm summer breeze.  My beautiful puppy was there, holding a shoe in her mouth--which is a her form of greeting, to bring something to the one she is so happy to see.

There are those inspirational things all the time on Facebook, "Change your thoughts and change your life."

No way.

Oh, hell no.

Apparently my must thoughts should hang on.

I love this weird old house, all the kids who inhabit my life, their dad, our complicated business, the summertime, the conversation I could hear across the field, soccer players departing.

July, it's my very favorite month.    Love you all so, Val