Swimming has a down side.

Whilst it’s a great way to kill multiple hours, enjoy the sunshine, and be active, there is a formidable downside to so much swimming. The ear ache. And my youngest has had a number of them this year. Never before, but now we are on instance #3 for the summer. Once from lake water, and twice from the pool. I think it comes from how much more diving, and time spent underwater in the pool versus the lake. So she has had a low grade fever, and lots of ear pain. One time the ear pain made her jaw hurt too, so that’s a new one for us. Drops of medicine in the ears, rest, and keep an eye out for the need for Tylenol for pain/fever.  It hasn’t lasted for more than 3-4 days, so luckily not a massive problem for my little one. Still uncomfortable though.

Yesterday’s rain brought the overall temperature down by nearly twenty degrees. The roses appreciated the break from the heat, and the additional watering it provided. My tomato plants, while sprawling and large, have only produced two ripened tomatoes. One that was eaten into by ants, or some other bugs, and one which my kids harvested, and is currently sitting on my kitchen counter. I had plans to make salsa or sauce, but one ripe tomato, and 100 green ones just won’t do. That’s the issue you run into with my brand of “set it, and forget it” home gardening. I’ll either end up with more than I could ever eat, or next to nothing for my troubles. My grape vine is set to have a banner year for grape production. My tomatoes? Yeah, not so much. Well, if all the late in the season green ones live to turn red, and grow to full size I’ll be able to make both Salsa and Sauce. But I shan’t hold my breath for it.

Now we are on to the last Thursday of August 2024. It is also my mother’s birthday today. She is not home right now though. She will spend six weeks at a cancer ward in a Victoria, British Columbia hospital having a second tumor radiated five times a week over the total length of her stay. Last year it was for the tumor on her right side bundle that was causing eye issues, and Aphasia. This new growth is on the upper most portion of her brain stem. So that meant a new facial cage be moulded, and built to suit. 45 mins a pop, bolted face down on the table. I’m told she has a sedative to help remain in position. Happy birthday! Will any of these ease the increasing number of migraines she has? Doubtful. Was told that the two things, cancer & migraines, were unrelated. I know very little about it so I couldn’t say one way or the other.

The last long weekend of the summer is almost here! Summer Break 2024 is almost over, can you believe it? Doesn’t much feel like nine weeks have gone by. But then last November’s trip to Florida doesn’t feel like it was nearly a year ago either. Time has felt weird this year. 41 days of vacationing will do that to you. Same with visiting the same four spots month after month, after month makes it hard to distinguish one trip from another. I can hardly believe that the 14 months I spent with my spouse at home has already gone by. Wild. How did we do both so much, and so little over the course of fourteen months. Boggles the mind. Yatzhee!

I am saddened by the thought that we can’t have our standing lunch dates anymore. Or run errands together, child free, during the day, like we were back in our twenties again. That was a lot of fun. Watching movies, and reading side by side, just enjoying each others Company, whether we spoke or not. Now it’ll be just the puppy and I. Not the same! He’s not much of a conversationalist. Neither am I, but you get what I’m driving at here.

I am excited to start the tear down of the house to clean it from top to bottom. That will give me purpose, and an objective to aim towards. My table build and fair stuff will fill in any gaps. I have new books, so between paid work I should be all set between now and Christmas. Wow.