Time To Put Away The Sparklers

Celebrating our independence this year is the party that just won't quit.  And well, um, I'm over it people.  Not to be a Fourth of July Scrooge, I just wish people would quit with the damn fireworks already.  

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time this past weekend.  I mean come on, what other family do you know that has a parade with a red, white and blue decorated tractor and kids singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy"? Followed up with the Pledge of Allegiance under the flag?  Seriously? Do you know any other family?


There was swimming, fishing, cookouts and more good old-fashioned Fourth of July fun.  It was good.  


But now I'm ready to put away the sparklers and get going with the rest of the summer.


Some updates:
Notice anything special about this picture? 

Besides the adorable baby Wade who I dressed in one of Peyton's old outfits?  The flowers!  Flowers that I planted and managed to keep alive in this mad drought.  It's a small miracle and gives me hope for my green thumb potential. (Click here for a brief history on my lack of a green thumb.)


JT is doing just fine with his broken arm.  Sure there are moments of bummed-out-ness.  We had to rig up some bubble wrap, plastic bagging for him to participate in the lake fun this past weekend (the cast is waterproof, but the Dr. advised against lake water).  He was not extremely pleased with what it.  (I of course wish I could put bubble wrap all over him and the other kids to protect them from everything.)

By parade time, nothing seemed to really be bothering him.  His behavior was a bit disturbing to me for other reasons though.  He was acting like he was the crazy fraternity boy in a drunken parade rather than a sweet cousin/family parade.  Oh boy.

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Garden Envy

These are not my flower boxes.  I have no flower boxes.

I sadly have no flowers, no lush garden overflowing with beautiful blooms.  

Nope, these aren't mine either.

What I do have is garden envy.  And a whole lot of weeds.


I always thought gardening was like cooking--anyone can do it.  Read a recipe dummy and magically a meal will appear.  But that's crap.  I've always struggled with keeping plants and flowers alive.  I read if they need full sun or shade, most of the time.  I water them regularly, sometimes.  Okay, so I'm not the best plant recipe reader/follower.  


We lived at our last house for 12 years.  I tried all different kinds of combinations of flowers and plants.  The two things I found that I could grow really well were Hostas and Impatiens.  It took years, but I finally got the place looking pretty good.  Not garden tour worthy, but good. (Never did get that vegetable or herb garden going that I dreamed of though. Waaaa.)


Our new place?  It is embarrassingly awful.  Maybe it's because we are renters and that's why I've been avoiding the whole gardening thing.  I didn't want to invest.  The weeds weren't my fault.  The remnants of failed gardening attempts by tenants who lived here before us were other people's mistakes, not mine for once.  


Finally though I couldn't take it and I planted my no-fail Impatiens.  But guess what?  I killed them.  

My sad looking yard, looks even sadder.


In fact, my yard looks like the bad guy's house in TV shows complete with a chain link fence in the back yard.  It's not good.

My crazy mother always has beautiful flowers, always.  Even when there are times when she can't take care of herself, there are those beautiful flowers thriving.  I come from a long line of anxiety-ridden, issue-filled women who can f-ing garden like champs.


I must have the green thumb gene in me somewhere.  Lord knows I've done my blood line proud carrying on the off-balance, emotional issues.  Maybe I just haven't tapped into my gardening gene.  But I have to believe it's there.  


It's time to commit to making this rental house our home, whether we are here for eight more months or eight more years.  It's time to appreciate and care for the space we are in right now, in this moment.  


So my apologies to my new-ish neighbors, but I will be trying a few planting combinations over the next few weeks.  Hopefully some will work and I will find my dormant green thumb.


While I'm not gardening, we are having fun.  Three days in and summer is officially pretty rad.

I should try this.  I relate to this commercial "the plants smell our fear." Love it.