July - fun with family

 Whelp – so now it’s the tail of July, and just now I’m getting around to another blog post. I expected to write more frequently now that I’m less burdened with work life, but here we are. On a more positive note, I’ve read four books since procuring a library card, and I just started another one yesterday. Reading has caused me to remember how a person can lose themselves in a good story. 

Earlier this month, Someone and I vacationed in Myrtle Beach – his favorite place in all the world. I have attended the annual Someone’s extended family’s Myrtle Beach trip nearly every year since we’ve been married (perhaps it’s been 32 years – I don’t keep tabs on that statistic). For the first time in so many years, his parents (now 90) decided they couldn’t go. Someone invited our girls to go to entice me to go. As much as I dislike the beach, any beach, of course I wanted to go to spend time with my kids and grandkids. It may have been more delightful for all of us (except him) to visit a different beach or place we’ve never been, but he is always wanting familiar experiences. *sigh*      

Rain was predicted for the entire time we were there, but the weather was mostly nice. We had a great swimming pool. The little ones enjoyed the beach – digging in the sand and splashing around in the surf. Elizabeth was particularly delighted with the ocean experience. Of course, we adults were always standing close by to keep little girls from getting swept out to sea (God forbid such an unfortunate event, but it happens). A few times, Elizabeth lost her balance and face-planted into the water. An adult was always very quick to pick her up and set her back on her feet. She would start to cry, but as soon as the next wave washed in, she would giggle. Joy outweighs fear in most cases.

We also visited Ripley’s Aquarium, which I think we all enjoyed. Elizabeth waved to the big sharks a few times when they swam over her head. Catherine delighted in the interactive exhibits and the strategically-placed climbing/play areas. It was a beastly hot day so spending a few hours in an air-conditioned building designed for entertainment, education, and adventure was a welcome respite.

On our last evening in Myrtle Beach, we had a little birthday party for Someone. How lucky for him that he got to celebrate his birthday with family in his favorite place in the world.

Once home, we retrieved our sweet pups from the kennel. I hate putting them there, but Gracie’s disposition does not lend itself to having our neighbor boys take care of her for us. I hire two brothers to come and do our cats. We are blessed to have wonderful neighbors. The dogs go to a kennel when Erin or Emily can't stay with them. I love our animals. Pets are such a life gift!  

Mick missed us!

Happy homecoming!

With all the rain at home while we were in South Carolina, our garden went crazy!  We’ve never grown so much produce from our pathetic little plot. Our cabbages expanded to the size of volleyballs. Our corn grew at least another foot taller – it’s just now ready to consume. We have more bell peppers than I know what to do with, and they are gigantic! The most notable is the butternut squash! Even though the deer ate or destroyed several of them, there are at least 7 or 8 big ones to do something with. And the beans!  Someone picked nearly six pounds of beans when we got home.

Garden maintenance takes a bit of time, but it’s an enjoyable hobby for Someone and I. My houseplants are barely surviving this summer on the screened porch…I need to start spending more time tending them. Several need repotting. Several need to be cut back. All need to be fertilized and given some appreciation. My plants do better when I give them positive affirmations while I’m attending to their needs. Someone would say that concept is utter hogwash – plants don’t communicate. It must be that he can’t speak their language. 😊  

mean KYLady

If tomorrow were not a holiday, I’d slit my wrists. Returning to work from a week of vacation has not been pretty. No sir. There’s nothing about it that I want to be part of….except for the paycheck aspect of having a job. Damn. I hate working for a living. It’s not that I want to be a trophy wife because, really, even the trophies have to put up with their husbands 24X7; it's their job (and not likely to be a picnic in the park all the time, no doubt). If I were dependent on my husband for money, I’d feel obligated to be nice to him….rather than just being nice because I want to be nice. Maybe I’m just not predisposed to being very nice. Poor Someone, stuck with me. Not really…nobody is really stuck, but sticking it out is sometimes better than alternatives.

Unlike me, vacation was very nice. Not much sunshine, but it turned out OK anyway. We visited Myrtle Beach (again) which is Someone’s most favorite place in all the world. This is not the usual time we go.  Emily has cheerleading camp and practices so we had to take vacation now or not at all.  Someone will take another vacation in a few weeks without us and hang with his family (clan) at the beach house they always rent. Good for him! Erin didn’t want to go without Emily, and anyway, she has lined up some babysitting and tutoring jobs for the rest of the summer. Good for her! Because I won’t be in Myrtle Beach the weekend of the Fiddler’s Convention (our usual week), I will get to watch Sarah sing and perform. Good for me!!! Everyone wins this year.

We had lots of rainy days and evenings during vacation, but there was always at least a brief opportunity to walk the beach and play in the waves every day, even if only for 30 minutes between thunderstorms. We picked up shark teeth on the beach, shopped, read, watched movies, worked a couple of jigsaw puzzles together, played miniature golf, visited a museum dedicated to UFO sightings, and visited Ripley’s Aquarium. We collected enough shark teeth to almost build a new shark. I played my guitar most evenings, so I’m glad I threw it into the van at the last minute.

Do sharks need better dental hygiene?



We stopped by a great zoo on the way down. It’s in Ashboro, North Carolina. I love good zoos, and this one is spectacular. Lots of long winding paths through the woods, rocks everywhere, beautiful flowers and bushes, no prison-like cages (animals probably disagree with me on that one), and great exhibits of primates. I love apes. The gorillas had some adorable babies, but my photos sucked so none are worth publishing. I like looking at the rocks, plants, and sculptures as much I like looking at the animals. If I lived near a zoo, I would volunteer to work there.



Zoo trail



Anyway, the dean finally signed off on my dissertation and now the ball is in my court again. It’s time to reformat the whole thing for publication. Most universities just have you format the paper for publication to begin with, but for whatever reason, my university wants to be different (more difficult, extra work for candidates). I will reformat the damn thing, my chairman will pretend to look it over and approve it, and then I’ll send it in and wait for the dean’s approval (AGAIN). If he blesses it, he will process me for completion, conferral, and graduation. Hopefully this will all happen before I die of old age.

By the way, I probably wouldn’t slit my wrists. It’s much too messy and dramatic.