The end of August reminds me that summer is ending. Kids
will go back (or start) school in another week. Here in Michigan, it’s the law—I’m
not kidding—that schools cannot start until after Labor Day. Tourism might
suffer. My granddaughter is anxiously looking forward to starting third grade,
while my grandson is just anxious. After five years of daycare and preschool,
he starts kindergarten. My daughter is singing “Halleluia” that both kids are
now in the same school.
I remember when my life revolved around the school year.
First as a student, then as a teacher, and finally as a parent. What a relief
when both kids were on their own so Hubs and I could take vacations whenever we
wanted. I love traveling in the fall. The colors are phenomenal and well worth
trips Up North.
When we moved to our new house
almost two years ago, it was to be close to our grandkids. This summer, we've
seen more of them than ever. Daylong visits and overnights, together and sometimes separately. Hubs let grandson help build an HO model train car. Bo-ring, according to
g'son. This from the kid who assembled a Lego Death Star that had a
92-page instruction manual. Building a birdhouse to take home was more fun. I'm teaching g'daughter to sew clothes for
her American Girl doll. At least it isn't a Barbie. I don't know how my
mom had the patience to sew Barbie clothes for my sister.
Besides all the visits from the kiddies (planned and impromptu), it's been a busy summer.
Busy but enjoyable. I’m glad August is almost over. We started the month
preparing for a visit from the Arizona contingency (son, his wife, & their
precious new daughter). My daughter and I (mostly her) made sure they had
everything they needed for an infant but didn’t have to bring on an airplane. Their
visit was great. First time all the grandkids were together. I loved it!
After a week, we all decided the visit was too short. Too bad they
needed to get back to their jobs.
On the writing front, I had two week-long blog tours set up
by Novel Book Tours for The Protector
and The Case of the Bygone Brother. I
learned the hard way never to do back-to-back tours. Especially when trying to
get another book ready for my editor. As soon as it goes off (supposed to have
it to her tomorrow), I have to work on my short story for this year’s Roses of
Prose Holiday Stories. This will be my third year. I’ve really enjoyed writing
short, which is difficult for someone whose books normally run over 100k words.
Challenging but fun.
I think I need a break. LOL A trip to Traverse City
sounds great.
How about you? Has your summer been laid back or crazy busy?
