Under the Lindens

Maya got her horse ride for her 8th birthday

two trips around the corral  She was very nervous and wanted to bail but was quite excited afterwards

three kids in a tub. I tried to convince the boys they didn't need swimshirts indoors and the glasses would get steamed up but they had fun while their parents went out for a rare night

the sun was just rising as I got to Whitmore Lake last Sunday, an hour away to do my 32 mile loop

Chewy, the aerobic hamster we have for the week

I am trying to remember the good mood I was in earlier in the week. Now on the 4th of July, I am hot, bored and somewhat depressed. Shanna and Josh's families are out on vacations, the latter bringing the mother-in-law with them to Lake Michigan. Maybe later this summer we'll have a vacation with you.

So yet another heat wave replete with tropical humidity. I left on a run before dawn but still could not escape the heat. And the warmer and more humid, the woods are full of biting deer flies so I am constantly slapping them. I decided to do part of the run at least on the big trunkline near our house that doesn't get traffic until 6:15 or so reducing my deerfly exposure to a half. Biking is more tolerable in the heat, which I don't really feel but I come back just dripping in sweat. I don't think we had hardly any days last year near 90 much less having 2 weeks of them.

Maya was very excited about her horse ride, which was supposed to be a pony ride but they had only horses in saddle. Eight year olds are allowed to take trail rides but she isn't ready for that yet. She is very immature and not eager to try new things but she does like horses. Her birthday was the other day but she spent it up north with her dad. So much has changed since she was born 8 years ago. She is very sweet and pretty but I do hope she can catch up to her age mates at some point.

We had our Mom's group outside the other night on one of those hot days. But in the shade and with the setting sun, it was tolerable. Since I've been getting up so early, I 've been going to sleep before dark thus missing the fireflies and the stars which were out in full force along with bats and hummingbirds. Although in spring, my rhubarb plants were in full glory, they start to die back in summer. I did one last harvest to make a pie for the group. It did taste like cherries. The lindens now are in full flower so the moist, warm air was redolent with its orange blossom aroma. I notice them on my rides through neighborhoods. In  the wetlands, I can smell sweet grass which smells even better.

Shanna's kids came to spend the night and play in the jacuzzi Saturday. As they get older, they are much easier to deal with. I was left with their hamster while they vacation in Canada.

I did spend part of Monday with my son who finally took me out for Mother's Day and in part to sort of make up for not letting me go to the beach house he is renting because his mother-in law and sister-in-law get first dibs. A nice lunch followed by bubble tea and then some shopping at the sports store. I need a new lighting system as I misplaced one of my flashers and left the other on so now it is too weak to be useful. I did ride with a headlamp the other morning.

Another night, I watched more A Handmaid's Tale with a friend. It is very well done but I am finding it more and more painful to watch. I read the book years ago when it first was written but now it is hitting too close to home with the fake Christianity ruling all while hideous things are done to people and the earth is so polluted (we don't need those business crushing regulations) that only a few can reproduce.  I listen to podcasts at night but hate to listen to the national news to learn what new edict that immature tyrant has cooked up. And he can do no wrong by so many people, which is even scarier than the fact he is president.

I thought since I had so many orioles in the spring that at least some of them would decide to nest nearby. After 4 orioleless days, finally one stopped by again yesterday.