Friday | I Think It’s Summer

I think we can say it’s summer? I put away the snow boots and winter jackets this week, we’ve had some amazing rainstorms that have looked and felt like summer, and the trees and grass are the most lovely shades of green. So I’m calling it. Summer!

The peony bloomed this week! The header picture of this post is the entire peony bush so you can see that we got several flowers on it, but this one is the star of the show. We planted this bush last year and there was just one bud on it that never bloomed. So this is the first year that we’ve had peonies and I’m over the moon! I’m glad I took the picture when I did because some little hands have already ripped off most of the petals. It was nice while it lasted.

I considered stopping this post there – the peony is a showstopper and has brought me enough joy to last the entire summer, I think. But I was able to come up with a few more things:

A Few Things I’ve Loved This Week:

• I just started the fifth episode of the fourth season of Stranger Things and have been transfixed. This season feels way scarier than any of the others and I am here for it. It is so bizarre and over the top but the characters feel like my best friends in the whole world. I adore them all. I don’t want this season to end! I am so glad there will be a second part to the season in July.
• We’ve had some lovely rain. I love it for so many reasons and won’t bore you with them all, but I’m happy whenever I see showers on the radar and even happier when they actually appear in real life.
• I’ve kept the window at my desk open all week and it catches the best breezes and bird song. My life list on the Merlin app keeps growing. I got a recording of a broad-winged hawk this week!
• I’ve also learned that the bird I hear most often isn’t a finch like I thought. It’s a red-eyed vireo, which I had never even heard of.
• (Last bird thing today, I promise.) I often see bright yellow little birds flitting through the trees and have always assumed they were goldfinches. I’ve been surprised by how many different yellow birds there are!
• My kids are finished with their dentist appointments for the next six months. Phew!

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I’ve been playing with my morning routine lately. I missed my spin bike when I was so sick and have been using my early morning writing time for bike rides. I love exercising early in the morning for so many reasons, but I still think this time is best left for some quiet reflection at my desk. Despite all of the wonderful exercise endorphins, I’ve been quite melancholy and aimless without this morning anchor. I’m going to go back to exercising in the evening after I put the kiddos to bed. The only true “free” time I have is the early morning and late evening hours and I can only fill it with so much. And as much as I want to do other things lately, like sit at my sewing machine or with my knitting needles, I have to prioritize the activities that have the greatest impact on my mental and physical health — writing and exercise.

All of that is to say that I’m going to try a slightly new blogging routine so that my posts are shorter and more approachable for me (and you!). I hope I can get started next week. Wish me luck!

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Matthew and Colton were both home yesterday because of Colton’s dentist appointment, so I spent the whole afternoon thinking it was Saturday. Now it feels like Sunday morning. I’m thrilled to remind myself that today is only Friday and the entire weekend still stretches before us. I have no idea what we’ll be doing, but I know chips and queso are involved because of the Celtics game tonight.

I hope you have a weekend full of exactly what you need. Take good care.