I guess there hasn’t been much to talk about other than the usual themes of money and political fears and rages. We’re all in countdown mode - three weeks of school left for both kids, plus a few throw-away days in June. For Bobby, at least, he still has several days of school left AFTER he graduates on June 4. I’m not sure how to make the case that he should still attend. It’s wild - and scary - to think he’s starting high school in just a few months. Of course, for him, unlike me, the transition will be barely noticeable; he’s staying at the same school he’s already been at for two years, with all his same friends, some of which he’s known since kindergarten. I, on the other hand, was transferring from a small elite private performing arts school to a large public school in a completely different area where I knew no one and would suffer in isolation most of my freshman year until an extrovert adopted me in April. Bobby will not have this experience, and I love that for him.
He’ll also be joined by his brother who, having been at the feeder elementary school for three years in which nearly all of his friends are switching over with him, will no doubt be awash in friends. Theo wants to check out the sports program and I hope he does. I still feel a lot of guilt about never getting these kids into sports - but I had my reasons; first, the pandemic hit right at the time most kids start sports, then budget was always a concern, then I didn’t want our entire lives eaten up by practices and games (pretty much every mother I’ve talked to with a kid in sports tells me how much they hate it). But if Theo can get his sports kick at school, bring it on.
After jumping through various hoops, Bobby has been accepted as a CIT at the rec center summer camp. I think the resume, the interview, the applying was all just procedural, really - only three kids applied and we still have to pay full price. But I’m pleased he still wants to do it, and at least we have one more summer of both kids being occupied and fed lunch for the final five weeks of summer. Who knows what next summer brings, but for now, one summer at a time.
For some unknown reason I have become obsessed with reviving my long dead failure of a vegetable garden and have been obsessive/compulsively putting it together for weeks - and just in time, too, since we’re at the very end of plant season here. I had a friend come over and do a general consult on my space - she recommended utilizing all the southern light in the front of the house, and using my many abandoned pots so I can move things around if they’re failing. Something about her light and fun approach to gardening was really infectious - if something doesn’t thrive, pull it out and try something else, just enjoy, it’s fun! Gardening has such a HUGE learning curve and can be so frustrating, but I think if you look at it as a learning experience and an adventure and not something that has to be 100% successful, it’s a lot more enjoyable. For me, having everything in front where I see it every day has been a game changer - I remember to water, I keep an eye on their progress. So far everything is doing well except the Thai basil. I currently have: two tomatillos, two tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, jalapeños, shishitos, lunch box peppers, two mints, Thai basil, thyme, parsley, stevia, a raspberry bush, dill, and I planted a “living lettuce” and living basil from the supermarket. I also have calabacitas squash, Japanese sweet potato, strawberries and zucchini along the side of the house where the chickens used to be. In the fall I’d like to turn the shady back yard planter into a mushroom hub and plant a passion fruit vine along the fence on the east side. I don’t expect all these things to survive or be fruitful, but I’m getting a kick out of watching them grow. Maybe I needed something hopeful in these dark times? Perhaps.
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