all I've got to show for it is some nettles and a dead luna moth

this week has been some kind of summer wonderful, and it's only Wednesday.  first, there was a hike to a local waterfall.  she hiked the whole way on her own two feet and we splashed around in the water and she and I even climbed up and went behind the falls (quite the fairyland behind a waterfall, what with all that spongy vibrant green moss and such).  I picked nettles and they foraged for wineberries.  papa attempted to teach us both how to make owl sounds by blowing on our knuckles but it just sounded like we were blowing on our hands.  the next day we rode bikes down to meet friends at the splash pad and then in the evening we headed to a lake with friends for some swimming and paddle-boarding, canoeing and pizza-eating.  and then today I dropped Claire off at farm camp for 5 hours and took myself for a run and then for a massage (there was a shower in between),  followed by a solo outing for tea (tulsi chai) and cake (a black sesame and ginger tea cake) in the sunshine at the tea shop in town.  and then we met friends at the pool and she is thisclose to getting the hang of swimming.  it isn't pretty and it isn't graceful.  not yet anyway.  but her proud, beaming face and squeals of accomplished delight just about made my heart explode.  there has also been a lot of melon and a lot of summery fruits like peaches and blackberries.  plenty of iced tea and a couple batches of garden fresh pesto already made.  it looks and tastes and feels like summer, folks.  here it is.

of course, there have also been tears of frustration, nearly a third of the basket of peaches were covered in fuzzy black mold after I ignored them for a mere day and a half (okay, note to self: if you live in a temperate rain forest (so they say) and you buy a basket of peaches and plan to keep them in your not air-conditioned kitchen..... tend to the little suckers immediately!), and for some reason my personal patience reserve has been not quite adequate lately.

but still..... it's summer.  and it's a sweet one.

all I've got to show for all the aforementioned goodness is that photo of some nettles and a dead luna moth- both prizes from our waterfall hike.  the nettles went into a quart jar to tincture and the luna moth was added to her nature table.

soon, a canoe trip, a bounce house party, and a backpacking trip.  but I think tomorrow we'll stick with lazy reading and gardening, some peach canning, and a trip back to the pool with papa so she can show off her new skills and work on getting even closer to being a true little fish.

I hope summer is being good to you~ rotten fruit, tears of frustration, swimming holes, bonfires, family vacations (possibly gone awry), and all.  cheers!