Right Now

I just got Echo all set up for a satisfying poop: stool turned just so so that her feet rest on the bottom step and the book on the top.
The chickens are revisiting the compost pile and fighting over a watermelon rind.

The carrots are sprouting in Echo's birthday garden. (Shh! Don't tell her she hasn't noticed yet.)

The laundry is folded. An epic feat completed by Nathan in the middle of the night in preparation for our trip to Alabama.

Xi is at school, waltzing through her last two days before summer. (Yesterday I took Bella to school for our recess duty and OMG did the dynamic on that playground change. Bella is enormous, not only in height but in personality. Five minutes into the recess period I was wondering if I'd made a mistake. Fourteen children surrounded Bella as she theatrically spun and ran and pretended to barf and fell in the wood chips in exaggerated prat falls. I was supposed to be watching all of the kids to make sure they were following rules and staying safe but how could I take my eyes off the hurricane? And in the end there was no need. Bella had all the action cornered and the seventeen times I called her over to inform her of school rules and generally try to dampen the mayhem was enough supervisory action (thankfully!) to keep the playground in check.)

Nimbus the grey cat has two slivers of fur sticking out from his back, evidence of his romantic advances on Frau and the resulting whacks to the back he once again got in response.

My running clothes lay on the counter as I'm hoping to squeeze in a solo dog run before Nathan leaves for work. I'd rather not have to coordinate three children, the leash, the stroller, a running bike, two scooters and several helmets today.

I'm halfway through book three in the Song of Ice and Fire series- may it never end.

It's day three of our parenting course and I am filled to the brim with tenderness for all of the participants. So far they've introduced themselves and shared their hopes for the class (these make me tear up) and today we presented the concept of Same Team.

It looks like more clouds and rain today. The garden is loving it and I don't mind either because soon we will be on the beach in the gulf cradled in the love of grandparents.

There is a drawing on the counter, next to the running clothes, of Bella holding hands with a boy she hopes some day will be her boyfriend. The prospects are looking pretty good as he signed her yearbook with his phone number and "Call Me". She's texted, so far no response. (I am so tickled that parenting means getting to be involved with this stuff!)

My rain boot is at the base of the stairs with a yard stick stuck in it because Echo needed it last night to put "pretend garbage" in it. (I don't understand it either.)

What's happening for you right now?