I suppose I should begin by letting you know that we found a new home for Maggie. (See previous post.) It was such a difficult decision, but I am so glad it all worked out the way that it did. She is just a sweet and lovely puppy, but it was not a good fit for us right now for a variety of reasons, and I was able to find her a fantastic new home where she is very well loved and cared for. The boys were fine with it (which was our main concern) and we are all much more relaxed and happy and able to enjoy the summer.
We've been to the beach several times over the past few weeks, which is always just what the doctor ordered. But taking kids to bodies of water is not nearly as relaxing as a solo trip to the beach with a book and unlimited time for walking, so I'm adding that to my to-do list. I think my body is protesting the pace at which I've been taking summer so far - I'm having headaches and haven't been able to fully appreciate that it's summer because I've been rushing to fit in all of the things that need doing. You know, all of the boring things like errands and housework. Time really slowed down on Sunday (which always means I'm doing something right) when we made an impromptu decision to go cheer on some friends doing their own two-person triathlon and wound up having the loveliest visit and simple-but-delicious lunch with a bunch of people who are just great to be around. Now that felt like summer. And getting ice cream from Murray Manor's crêperie this morning was pretty darn summery. Here's to more of that summery feeling.
I loved the show Kingdom. In the show's law office, there is a stunning painting which reminds me of the beaches in the opening sequence. I used to have a screen shot of it stored on my phone, just so I could look at it now and again, but in a fit of minimalism, I must have deleted it. Regardless, I was reminded of it when I was at the beach on the weekend and turned away from the water to look back toward the shore. That's the magic of beaches, I think - they're not really land, not really shore. Depending on the tide, they can be either.
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This rocked my socks. It is soooo good.
I stopped at our local store that carries Benjamin Moore paints, and bought the new colour for our front door this morning! House painting is progressing, and the weather is looking cooperative for the rest of the week. (I ordered our new house number last year and have been patiently waiting to put it up. There may be angel choruses heard when it finally goes up!)
We have a new niece! We are so excited to meet her, and I'm having fun getting together some practical and pretty things to share with her and her parents. It's such a hard time, those first few months. Equally wonderful and awesome, but so very, very hard.
Which makes me think of this and the news as of late:
'"Can goodness win?" "Yes, it does all the time." "No, it cannot: it loses all the time." Both true.' -George Saunders