3-week update

Yes, it's been weeks since I've posted. Call it summer vacation if you will.

Linda is happy to have warmer weather. It makes getting around a lot easier if she isn't cold. We still don't go out too often, just because places are hard. But we've been getting to the gym off and on, we went to coffee shop recently.

We've all been outside more lately. I put a couple of roses in the yard. They're tiny now, but will presumably become sizable and fragrant. They've gone for a couple of weeks and haven't died, so I expect that as long as I remember to water them semi-regularly that they'll do well. I also dug up an oak tree from the pasture and transplanted it. It hasn't died yet, although I expect it to look weary for a while.

Linda often sits out with us, as long as she isn't too tired. I had to rehang her porch swing since a nasty wind blew it over and lost the hooks, but it is solid now. We've been working on strategies for her to get into and out of the swing without assistance. Actually getting to the swing is no problem, it is getting out that is challenging. In a pinch, she could crawl (across the concrete) but that's kind of a drag.

Ellie and I have hiked in the pasture several times. The ticks are bad, and the grass is getting to tall for Ellie, so we're probably done for a while until it comes time to cut hay. We found what looks like blackberry vines, but they haven't set their fruit yet. I'll have to go back and check, now that it has rained some, and see if they are coming along.

Ellie finished pre-school last week. She is going to do pre-kindergarten summer school in June at the public school. She is really excited about that, especially about riding the bus. That will be an adjustment for her, because she'll have to get up early. I mentioned what time the bus comes a few days ago, and she got all serious, "I'm not going to like getting up that early."

Otherwise, we've just been doing regular summer stuff. The dryer was squeeking, so we had it repaired. I've been upgrading computers at work since no one is using them heavily right now and it will be minimally inconvenient. I've been working on some extra projects. We've done a lot of reading. I'll be teaching again in a couple of weeks, so I'm really trying not to stress out too much during the off time.