Full-swing Summer

Today watching "coffee talk" from SmartHer News (love her and how she presents the facts) she said a couple things I've been thinking about...

One was that as pediatricians look back to Dec/Jan there were some strange sicknesses with kids and apparently there's some discussion of COVID-19 being here earlier than we thought. I have been wondering this as some people we knew had a bad cough/respiratory illness in February that in hindsight seems a lot like Covid. I'm convinced (as a person with no medical training) that more of us have had it than we think. But of course I could be totally wrong about that.

Another thing she talked about was Trump's first rally and his main points about if the democrats win we can expect "anarchy, loss of freedom, loss of guns, and higher taxes". She mentioned that White, Suburban women are one of the key groups (just like in 2016) to impact this election. Realistically, Indiana is never a huge factor in the election, so I'm not sure how much this applies to me, but it made me think as I am in the demographic of white/suburban/woman. Trump's message seemed mostly to me about instilling fear in people that if he doesn't get re-elected we can expect "total anarchy". He must think white, suburban women are prone to fear...oh wait... I for one will not be giving into his scare tactics.

This fear thing is so real. I think it's the number one reason white women don't want to engage in the race discussion. So much talk about "losing our freedoms"...this is fear-based. Fear that somehow this comfortable American Christian life we've created for ourselves won't be quite as easy for us if the playing field is leveled. That's a harsh observation but I really believe it's playing a huge part.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything I just said...regardless of if you agree.

So, summer...

Man, these days are long. So fun and full and long. We've been getting in lots of pool time, splash pads, popsicles, parks, etc. Some days the boys are outside before 8 am and since it isn't dark until 10...that's quite a bit of space to fill.

My two peony bushes were fantastic. I only wish they lasted longer.

After a long time searching we finally bought an outdoor dining set, but are now returning the poorly made chairs. Sigh.

My parents took the boys for a couple days so I could finish painting Soren's room and we also needed a babysitter for some friend plans. An unexpected gift was kayaking with 3 of my favorite friends for a couple hours on a perfect 70 degree day. 

Soren got his first real haircut which aged him like 6 months overnight. I felt sad, but he's still v cute.

The older boys are still very into making their own breakfasts...

This past Saturday was the summer solstice. We always celebrate with the standard menu of charcuterie, wine, and whiskey. Devin smoked trout which was a big hit. John and Emily joined us - it's always fun and easy to be with them.

And then Father's Day! Devin golfed with John and Matt in the morning, took the boys to the pool, smoked some ribs, and we all ate too much. I don't say Devin is a great dad out of obligation...he really is very kind and thoughtful when it comes to the boys. They adore him for good reason.

Happy June! The days get shorter from here on out!