Are we done yet?

I stepped outside into the night air to see this fine mist of rain falling. Lit only by the glow of the security light, for just one second the rain looked to have a snowlike quality. I felt happy for just that second.
 Stop swearing at me, I like the snow.

Maybe it's not the snow nearly as much as the calm of it all.
Here we are in July already and the summer is really whizzing by (in my best goat voice).

All winter long Ohioans moan and groan about the snow and cold. Oh, the high hopes of what summer will bring. Everything will be perfect once the snow melts and the temperature rises about 65 degrees. Such pressure. Aside from gardening, which technically could be done during the winter and all year long, summer is not that big of a deal to this chick.This summer, my garden has been pitiful.

Weeds have overtaken and I'm okay with that.I did manage to harvest some chamomile flowers. For tea making this winter. They look like ordinary daisy flowers but this is chamomile. I probably have tons more out there in the sunshine waiting for me to pluck them. It could happen.

Two things have stuck with me as of late. First is this image.

How do you balance the battles of mind and heart? Intuition is a mysterious combination of the two if you ask me. I have spent a good deal of the summer surrounded by adults who I have little or no respect for. Not by choice of course, necessity as part of being a parent. A huge percentage of parents whom have children enrolled in sports are assholes. One doesn't have to be a psychologist to learn where all of these bullies in school are learning their dirty tricks. Just attend a local soccer game and you will see exactly where these little darlings get their skills. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Thus my battle of mind and heart. My brother (RIP) use to always say "kill 'em with kindness or baffle 'em with bullshit" Some people I just cannot muster up an ounce of kindness for these days. SO I'm fine tuning my bullshitting skills. Gawd, I'm too old to be learning new tricks.

Look pretty flowers....now read my whining words for a few minutes....

And look an adorable sleeping doggy. Yes, this little pup has my back. She's intuitive also. That's probably why all dogs go to heaven.

And look, fancy little baskets that I crocheted. A catch all basket, yes indeed.

The second thing that has stuck with me as of late. A quote I read on a church bulletin board.
"One person with courage makes a majority"
 Trust me, I was shocked to read something that profound on a church board too. Usually the words are one of fear, and punishment but this particular quote was timely and applicable in my life.

The whole brain and heart thing. Sometimes my brain tells me to shut my mouth and play it cool. But other times my heart just grabs hold and I can't hold back speaking my opinion as a matter of heart. I will never back down when I see children being ridiculed or belittled all for the sake of a sport. Come on...really. It's not like these kids have a matter of life or death hanging in the balance and it's okay to scream at them to perform perform perform. It's a sport!

 So, as you can see this lovely summer... when everything is suppose to be perfect... now that nice weather has arrived... I found myself sitting at softball fields surrounded by thoughtless reckless people.

For the most part I was the minority. If anyone agreed with me and my stand against the debauchery, no one had my back. Not even my Mister. Which disappoints me the most. However, I feel like my brief moment of courage to stand up and stand my ground made me the majority.

And look, we caught fish. Happy little fishes. Which were caught and released.

The poofy white clouds of summer surely must mean everything is okay and the world is filled with sunshine and lollipops.

Forget it, I know better. But at least when the snow is falling Ohioans are too busy complaining about the snow and no one has time to be snarky to another. When the snow is falling, I can hide inside with my cookbooks and crochet. I'm not anti-social. I just need people around me who are somewhat kind, refined and civilized.

I hope your summer is going well. Personally I'm ready for my jeans, a hoodie, and the smell of autumn leaves.

Let's bake snickerdoodles and fuhgetaboutit!