Yay, December!

Can I tell you how happy I am that it's December?

There's no real reason. Well, okay, there is. But even if there wasn't, December would still be one of my favorite months, along with May and October. (My least favorites are March and November, with April tagging along with them and February maybe joining the group periodically.) I just like those months, the way you like a certain pillow or tree or painting.

Of course, I'm predisposed to December because it holds my birthday as well as Christmas. I don't care if I get any presents, I just love not having to do any chores on my birthday. I get to take the day off from work this year, and I'll sleep in, get a nice breakfast made for me, watch some TV and read and maybe go to a movie and out to dinner. It's always awesome, even the year my husband was sick in bed all day and I was recovering from a mega-migraine from the day before. I just sat in a chair and read all day, napping a little in the late afternoon.

I also love December because I feel like big things are going to happen. Sometimes they do, like a book contract or babies being born. Sometimes big things that aren't good happen, like my mother's terminal cancer diagnosis or a rejection from a publisher I was hopeful about. But it's not really about what will or will not happen, it's about the anticipation of it.

That's what I'm going to focus on. :)

I Don't Remember What I Was Going to Call This Post

This is the life of someone who blogs: Whenever you're doing something worth writing a post about, you think up the post while you do it. Am I right? You have the title and image layouts all planned, and some of the jokes or descriptions.

Unfortunately, if you can't actually write the post for a week, you forget all the details. Was I going to call it "This Would Exhaust Anyone" or "Annual Autumn Satisfaction" or Annual Autumn something cool that is completely irretrievable now.

*sigh*

Anyway.

Last Saturday was yardwork intensive. While Numbers One and Two and their father raked the backyard, I cleaned the gutters.

I love heights, so this is my job a few times a year. It would be safest to go up the ladder, clear what I can reach, go down the ladder, move it... But do you know how many friggin' hours that would take?! So I just sit on the roof, lean over to pull the leaves, maple seeds, and shingle grit mud out, then slide down a few feet and repeat.

The hard part is the trees. See the spruce poking up over the left side? We have those at three corners. They have more tree above the roofline than below it. If I don't take the clippers, hand saw, or chain saw up with me, I get poked all over the face and head by branches I'm ducking to reach the clogged downspouts.

I'm also very out of shape. My shoulders were super sore after I was done. Exacerbated by the raking I followed it with, as we swept 11 piles of leaves onto the tarp and dragged it up the hill to the front of the house four times.

Here's the result:

It's the biggest pile on the street, maybe the biggest we've ever had (there are a few feet to the right you can't see). We got to do all the leaves at once this year, due to the snow and wind and delayed pickup schedule. And we only have three maple trees! I always feel bad for people who have twice as many or even more. But then, those people probably cheat and use leafblowers or riding mowers, anyway. Our neighbor uses a massive riding mower for his 1/8-acre lawn. I have to admit, it looks gorgeous right now, like a carpet. But it's funny.

So that's our rite of passage into winter. Despite mild temps this weekend, we're bracing ourselves for a wet, heavy season. Hopefully, we get a few weeks off before the snow starts. Oh, wait...

My Favorite Part of Summer

I blogged yesterday about one of my favorite parts of summer, going to City Islanders games with my kids. Number Two told me to post it here, too, but I'm just linking to it.

The Islanders had a game last night, the first game in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, and continued their time-honored tradition of losing for 85 minutes, then tying, and winning in stoppage time. So we go back next Tuesday! We've made the quarterfinals for the last two years, getting dumped by DC United, so expectations are high.

What's your favorite part of summer?

Topping Off the Summer

On our last Saturday before school started, we took a day trip to Philadelphia and had a great day. I blogged about it Monday at The Gab Wagon.

It's been a good summer. Lots going on, many intentions that were never fulfilled, some stresses, but some good things, too, and overall, I'm happy.

Thank God it's Monday

Thank God it's Monday.

I know, but I really needed the reset. Last week was so LONG, and that was mainly because I kept thinking it was Friday. Starting on Tuesday.

Tuesday was the kids' last day of school. Number One was home before 10, Number Two around 11, and that feeling of leisure and non-urgency is usually associated with Friday. Every day, I felt like it was the end of the week.

So now we've had a weekend, and every part of my brain and body know it's Monday, and this week we start our summer structure. Number Two has strings camp through Thursday. The A/C guy is here doing the annual service check. We'll go pick up Number One's report card, start our weekly housecleaning rotation (today is the bedrooms and bathroom), and maybe go shop for bikes.

Next week they start Camp Nana, and this year, it's enhanced! Aunt Cindy will be participating at least sometimes, and the girls are excited about that. Aunt Cindy is girlie, so they paint nails and do hair and stuff when they're with her.

I need to explore things we can do that won't bore us to death and that are free. I'm very open to suggestions! All I can think of is biking or hiking in state parks. Number One is difficult to drag out of her room, and she will quickly come to hate me if that's all I force her to do all summer.

Has your summer started yet? Can you tell? :)