Friday at Last

Isn't this beautiful? Only two of my sunflowers have bloomed so far, but I fully expect that by Next Friday I will have more to show you. The other one is a lighter, more pale version, although if I'm not wrong, I think my seed packet was for mulch-colored flowers. I love the short height of them and I will definitely be planting these again next summer. I love that they take all summer to bloom, and really are a late summer/ early fall flower. We all know that I am most at home in fall.. and the colors.. who doesn't love fiery reds? My only regret is that the boy killed off a bunch after I planted them and so we only have about half of what was intended. It's ok though. Some is better than none.


One full week left and then it's back to the grind. I normally look forward to the start of school. Getting together with my friends and co-workers, back into a routine and the general hustle and bustle of life that it brings. This year not so much. This is largely due to the fact that I worked all summer. I saw my friends quite frequently and I feel like my vacation just started. Still, 2 weeks is better than none. My daughter however is besides herself. She loves school and would prefer to be there year round. Every day she peppers me with how many days are left, and I have to hold back reminding her that I go back a few days prior to her and not rub that in. She's entering 4th grade this year and I'm happy that her love for school and learning is still strong. I wouldn't be surprised if she grows up to be a teacher. I did see on The View today (boy daytime tv is bad!) there is a college in upstate NY (love it there) that offers majors in video game programing. I can't wait to tell Mr. Man. That's what he wants to do when he grows up.
On the injury front, we are making some progress. I won't show you photos because 1. it's feet (ewww), and 2. there is some UGLY arse bruising going on and .. well.. quite frankly it's a little bit scary. I think my sprained foot is going to be better before my ankle. Which makes sense because the ankle originally gave out, and also made that awful pop noise. The foot is mostly a muscle injury and swollen and bruised. For the most part it feels better than the ankle.. except at night when it swells more. Night is hard for both of them, and so is morning after they've been in bed all night. I have a whole new appreciation for "I feel stiff today." (all you perves can just leave now).

Turns out I have choke cherry trees in my yard. Which makes me happy. I love to know what things are. I did a little google-wacking and discovered they are edible. The American Indians used to eat them. So long as you take out the pits, which can make you sick. You can make jams and spreads and syrups with them. They are ripe now, and the birds are loving them! I am not loving the mess the birds are making with the pits and their droppings, but it's lovely to look out the windows and see the birds enjoying the berries. And it's nice to sit here and here them chirping out the window. I forget who suggested that they were choke cherries, but thank you. I enjoy them a lot. I thought about making jam, but having never tried choke cherry jam I figured this year I would pass.