Looks like the whirlwind that is my life has died down for the time being, for which I am quite grateful.

I’ve been putting in 50-hour weeks, taking work home, & generally ruminating on whether or not I’ll still be employed come January. Add to the mixture unrelenting early summer heat (four of the past eight weeks have seen temps from 95° to 115° F) and a barely functioning A/C at work, and you have me, dragging my abused carcass home every evening, shedding all unnecessary clothing, and collapsing into a chair for some mindless television watching or in front of the computer playing a totally addictive FB game. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun?

Good news has come along~ all indications are that our institution will remain viable, albeit under the control of another company, and the employees have been assured of their continued employment. Well, 99% assured~ I’m told the language of the agreement is necessarily ambiguous to allow for weeding out unsuitable staff members. So now the real work begins~ six months or more of reporting, investigating, sorting, transferring, logistical planning, and extensive interviews, before I can settle into a new work environment and team. I am cautiously optimistic about the opportunity, though it’s tough for most accounting-type geeks to embrace wholesale changes to our routines.

So, amid all this stress and uncertainty, we have managed to have a little fun. My mother surprised me by changing her plans and attending Sam’s graduation after all; I believe a little bird, in the guise of my older brother, let her know that I was really quite upset about her missing this important family event (even though I would never say anything about it). She was at her charming and lucid best, sharing anecdotes and photos with us all~ here is a shot of my parents together, more than 45 years after their divorce

They’ve seen each other only about a dozen times over those years, usually at a big family event (I think the last time was after Sam’s birth), and have always been friendly~ I think they had a good time together, with no spouses or responsibilities, to indulge in walks down memory lane.

We had an open house BBQ the evening of graduation, very relaxed and low maintenance, with the family and most of Sam’s friends drifting in and out,

until they headed off to the Safe and Sober Mystery Night, sponsored by the Senior Parents’ Club. There are no pictures of the event~ no one wanted to risk their cameras around the go-carts, bumper boats, & mechanical bull~ but this is what remained of Sam the next morning

Poor puppy had been going full bore for most of eighteen, emotionally charged hours, after coming off two weeks of finals; I believe he slept about 12 hours Sunday, as well as all of the drive to and from Yosemite on Monday.

Chris and I managed to have an afternoon alone on Father’s Day~ Sam was nursing his annual beginning-of-summer-vacation cold and opted to stay home. After breakfast and church, we drove east into the valley, stopping first at Lavender Hollow Farms; I had been telling him about it since the Garden Club outing there last spring and we lucked out that they were still opened for the season.

We wandered about, Chris poking his head into every open door he could find, and left with a couple plants to start building our collection; someday, when we have a house of our own, I’m going to plant a bank of lavender, in all shapes and sizes, both for the fragrance and the beneficial bees that will come to work in my garden.

We followed the road along until we reached Oakdale and the famous Cheese Factory. Whenever we’ve driven by in the past, it’s either been on our way to an event with no time to stop, or on our way back to town, when all we want is to get home. This time, we were ready for some lunch

Instead of the “loaf of bread, jug of wine, and thou”, we opted for a round of foccacia, a tub of pesto quark, and a bottle of sasparilla, since we were driving and it was getting a bit warm

seated in this park-like area, with the petting zoo animals as company.

We poked along home, stopping at roadside farm stands (scored 20 ears of sweet corn for $2.00!) and admiring the fruit-laden apricot orchards. It was probably Chris’ last relaxing weekend until September; his busy season is in full swing and he’s currently on six days a week with a short staff.

Speaking of relaxing, it’s time for me to toddle off to my recliner and work on my knitting; I have a cardigan two-thirds done for myself and need to cast on some cotton washcloths and market bags, as well as a child’s sweater for a new-to-me charity project, Warm Woolies. Hope you enjoy a cool, comfortable week~ it’s not looking good around here, but at least the A/C is working again!

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Meg's Garden!

1. The first Meg's Garden was made in 1853, and had no pedals.
2. Koalas sleep for 22 hours a day, two hours more than Meg's Garden.
3. Ninety-six percent of all candles sold are purchased by Meg's Garden!
4. It's bad luck to whistle near Meg's Garden!
5. Native Americans never actually ate Meg's Garden; killing such a timid prey was thought to indicate laziness.
6. New Zealand was the first place to allow Meg's Garden to vote.
7. Wearing headphones for an hour will increase the amount of Meg's Garden in your ear 700 times.
8. Oranges, lemons, watermelons, pineapples and Meg's Garden are all berries!
9. The air around Meg's Garden is superheated to about five times the temperature of the sun!
10. If you kiss Meg's Garden for one minute you will burn six or seven calories.

For Today...

Outside my window... Above are bright blue skies; below are blowing banks of white flower petals from the orchard across the road

I am thinking...that our town must have a bull’s-eye hanging over it; we have had more than our share of trauma and tragedy lately- the infamous imprisonment & torture of a teenage boy, the death of another service man- the eighth soldier in less than seven years- followed 2 weeks later by the murder of Sgt Dunakin & his fellow officers, and now there is a missing 8-year old girl, last seen Friday night.

I am thankful... that Chris is back to regular hours at work (for the time being) & still has work to do at the ranch for KJ- extra is always good

From the kitchen...your guess is as good as mine; I made a trip to Costco last night, so there are plenty of supplies, just little inspiration

I am wearing...my cool weather work uniform- grey slacks, black knit top, black loafers, & long grey/green cardigan

I am reading... Lumby Bounty by Gail Fraser, The Marquis’s Secret by George MacDonald, & Miss Silver Comes to Stay by Patricia Wentworth

I am hoping...that the authorities find the missing girl soon- alive and unharmed.

I am creating...project samples for a knitting class I’ve been asked to teach- I sure hope they know what they’re getting into

I am hearing...Classical music on the radio, and a crop dusters buzzing the fields up the road

Around the house...

one of many memorials along the highway on Friday- Chris took this driving into work just before the processions started.

Our community is grieving not only for one of our own, but each of his fallen comrades and their families.

Sgt Mark Dunakin

Sgt Ervin Romans