The girls also started jobs last week. J is working at the library for the 3rd summer in a row, and L is a junior counselor at a Christian day camp not far from home. This is her first summer job. They were both placed through a job training program, which typically lasts for 6 weeks during the summer. L's job only goes through July this year.
We took a little day trip to go horseback riding the week before work started. It was a fun diversion, topped off by ice cream at our favorite place.
I have been exhausted the past 2 weeks - merely adding the 2 working days a week seems to do me in. I haven't stopped working on stuff at home though - I think you all would know by now that I am not one who tends to sit around for the most part.
My garden is in and doing well. The strawberries are finished, and we have moved on to blueberries. I have been picking 1-2 gallons every other day, but they are starting to slow down too. I canned a second batch of strawberry jam, and have frozen 4 gallons of blueberries. We have also harvested lettuce, radishes, zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers from the garden. L has baked several loaves of zucchini bread. It has been very dry for the past 2 weeks, and even though I have used the sprinkler to water the garden from the rain water cistern every other day, the cucumbers have grown extremely bitter - inedibly so. We finally got a bit of rain last night, so maybe things will turn around.
We have been getting in the pool as frequently as we can. A hose blew the other day right before L and I got in. I was able to patch it up with duct tape, and ordered a new one from Amazon, which arrived today. I swapped them out, and we should be good to go again.
I cut up some more t-shirts into yarn, and have been braiding another rug. I like the first one so well in my bathroom (it's very absorbent by the shower) that I want to make a bigger, more oblong one for in front of the sinks.
My dad has prepared some pieces to put a back splash on the bookshelves over the stairs - we keep so much stuff up there, that we wanted something to keep them from getting knocked over. He also prepared a board to fill in the space between the mattress and the wall on the Murphy Bed that JP has been sleeping in for the past 4 months. The void swallows his pillows! I stained and sealed these (have one more coat on the back side of the backsplashes) and then my dad will help me install them next week.
We did some shopping for summer clothes for the girls, and since J's idea of shopping is at the thrift store, I usually end up with some alterations to do after that - I've been getting through that slowly. I also sewed some more masks so that the girls would have enough for at work. The governor announced mandatory mask orders about a week ago.
We had a fun July 4th celebration here - made what I am calling a "Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie" for dessert and set off some fireworks after dark. One night, before it got so hot, we made s'mores outside and then watched a movie on the veranda.
So...life remains a bit upside down, but it has honestly been a big relief to return to some sense of normalcy. It is extremely hard that JP is still self isolating, but he is seeing positive COVID patients every day that he works, and for safety, he should quarantine for 14 days after each one. I feel very alone, and I'm really tired of feeling this way.
I hope you all are remaining safe and healthy!
No comments:
Post a Comment