The calendar won’t announce the change for awhile yet, but as far as we’re concerned, this is the last weekend of the summer. Leah starts her annual back-to-school pilgrimage this coming week, with meetings ‘n’ such most days, and she meets her new students next week.
Oh, and speaking of school? Our little Sophie Bean (who is no longer so little) will be joining the pre-K crowd at the Orchard School after Labor Day. Yes, we’re about to become First-Day Dropoff Parents, and I’m sure it’s going to be terribly traumatic, even if (or maybe especially if) Sophie bolts from the car as soon as we pull into the Orchard driveway without so much as a look back over her shoulder.
But more on that later. For now, we’re enjoying the last fading rays of our family summer. I haven’t taken any vacation, but heck, I work from home — so even on days like today, when I’m hunched over the laptop trying to meet a deadline before 7:00 AM, I’m still here with everyone instead of toiling under rows of fluorescent lights.
We’ve had some guests, and gone on some adventures, and enjoyed our new “no work Saturdays” tradition. Yesterday, with our nephew Ethan and Leah’s sister Bethany here, we took a trip out to Stonewall Farm and enjoyed what was, weather-wise, basically a perfect day.
No, not just weather-wise. Just perfect. Late in the afternoon, I put down the magazine I was reading, roused myself out of my chair, and walked up the hill to get the mail. On the way back down, I spotted Sophie waiting for me on the deck; when she saw me, she walked out to the edge with her arms outstretched, gave me a giant squeeze, and shouted “I love you!”
The world, to borrow a phrase from Bob Schneider, continues to explode into love all around me.
Later: an update on our son the laughing maniac!