I’ve been a trifle down and complainy lately. Sometimes my everyday life feels stifling and the grind of it freaks me out. But yesterday and today were great days and I feel like recording some of the highlights.

* Spending time with friends around the pool yesterday evening. Visiting. Chatting. Sharing the bounty that my parents give me with others. Eating good food. Showing off my fabulous Amazon Kindle to people who appreciate what it is.

* Watching Lucas playing with two of his dearest friends: splashing, dodging, chatting, rough-housing, and laughing like maniacs. Seeing the three of them retreat to the farthest table to eat by themselves away from the grown-ups. 

* Seeing Lucas swim like the fish he has become. Some of my fondest memories of childhood revolve around my grandmother’s swimming pool and the countless hours I spent there. I love seeing him feeling truly in his element in the water. It fills my heart with gladness that he can feel the freedom, weightlessness, and complete in-your-body delight that playing in the water offers.

* Finishing a novel that I was reading for fun: Anne of Green Gables. I’m not sure exactly why I didn’t read this book as a girl, except I suspect it was because some teacher or grown-up told me that it was something I Had To Read Since I Was a Girl. Whatever. I was always ignoring such advice then. To approach this book now as an adult was fun, easygoing, and sweet. It was an indulgence. And I read it for free on my KINDLE!

* Delivering Lucas to a friend’s house this morning for a play date and watching he and Andrew just fall into step with one another. Both can talk your ears off and it was delightful to see them so engrossed in conversation while they swung on Andrew’s play structure. I also loved hearing Andrew’s mom Heather say how much she loves having Lucas over to play, that he is the easiest of Andrew’s friends, and that having him there takes some of Andrew’s intensity off her. Hearing that my kid is loved and appreciated by people who don’t have to like him is wonderful. I felt so proud of him.

* Visiting with my new hippie friend Peggy today at my house. She has a baby daughter (Willow) who is just about to turn one. We met in Mommy Baby Class at Sacramento Waldorf and I feel like Peggy is a friend who will last. She is a hippie mommy in the most beautiful sense—works at Elliot’s Natural Foods, carries her daughter everywhere, farms, breastfeeds, etc., etc., etc. And yet, from her I get nothing of the judgment that I sometimes feel around people who live greener than I do, who live more alternative lifestyles than mine. When I’m with Peggy, she seems so sincere and genuine and affirming that I feel GOOD about life. We shared lunch together. Asher tried repeatedly to bop Willow on the head with a plastic shovel, but Peggy took it all in stride.

* Watching Asher extend his small strolls of ten or so steps to walking across the kitchen and throughout the house. He now walks, pauses, turns, changes direction, and walks more—he’s much more confident on his feet now. He periodically gives himself rousing applause for his own daring do, too.
 
* Spending some time with just Lucas and Asher at my parents house today. My folks were still out of town but on their way home. We three went over this afternoon to clean up a bit more after the party we had there on Sunday and to swim. We skinny-dipped per Lucas’s suggestion: “Mom, can I swim there naked?” It felt wonderful. Asher and I floated together on a raft while Lucas swam circles around us. For a while, Asher laid his head down on my chest and I just looked up at a beautiful blue sky—the first truly blue sky in a week because of the terrible smokey wildfires that have plagued the valley! Asher has come to love playing in the water, too. He now just falls off the pool edge into the water assuming you’ll catch him.

* Picking green beans, a gorgeous yellow tomato, and a fat cucumber from our kitchen garden. I’ve kind of neglected the yard lately because the air has been so bad and I haven’t wanted to subject my asthmatic self or my kids to it more than necessary. I was delighted to see that my plants are still living and producing despite my “vacation” from the job of tending them. The four of us ate homegrown green beans and cucumber pieces after dinner tonight, in addition to enjoying some of Peggy’s homegrown apricots and figs for dessert. Scrumptious.

* Watching Asher taste an apricot for the first time. He has become a rather picky eater, much to my dismay! But tonight he tried something new and loved it! He ate two whole apricots for dessert, after a gorgeous dinner of Daddy’s stir-fry, his absolute fave.

* Talking about G/god at the dinner table with Lucas. We’ve had a number of deep conversations over the last several days. Tonight we asked him what god was. He answerd, “I think god is people and animals and plants all mixed together and everywhere.” Ian and I decided we couldn’t really beat that definition, but told him that asking that question was worthwhile all our lives—that we each ask it, and friends and family members all ask that question, and that it’s something worth thinking about, worth pondering. Earlier today Lucas and I had a conversation about conservation and being Earth Guardians and what extinction means. Lucas said he wants to grow up and be on TV on a show like Steve Irwin’s show.

* Being shown the little grave of a dead bird that Lucas found in our yard a couple of days ago. Lucas found the bird and was sad about its death. He and Ian decided to bury it in our side yard, near where it was found. Lucas had written on a flagstone in his childish and unschooled way: “Dear Birdie, I’m sorry u died.” It’s the Circle of Life, you know.

* Sleeping uninterrupted last night from 10:45 p.m. to 5:45 a.m. Glorious! Asher was in his own bed.

* Sleeping in the arms of the man I love, spending the weekend with him, and enjoying being together in the midst of kid chaos. Ian got stung by a bee yesterday evening and I was very relieved that he didn’t get sick or have a bad reaction. I rushed to the supermarket for Benedryl, which seems to have done the trick. Ian is bee-phobic thanks to a nasty run-in with several dozen of them once when he was in high school (or maybe Jr. high?). He spent that long ago night in crampy agony on the bathroom floor, too weak to tell his mom he needed medical attention because of all the stings. I think this was the first sting since then. It’s my job to take care of all bees that get in the house. He handles nearly everything else. He’s my hunky hero.

* Paying a half-year’s tuition in one fell swoop today. I’m so pleased we can do that because it takes so much stress away. Writing the check felt good even though it was a painfully large sum. Next payment: December.

* Starting a new strategy guide copyedit. Bring ’em on!