The Year Winds Down

Finally school started to come to a close. May was a jumble of little things - I just decided to scroll through my photos and pick out things to remember.

My wild flowers have had their second year of blooming in front of the house without being replanted. I don't know what to do with that space. All through April, May and June I love love love them. Cornflowers, flax, poppies - wonderful wild flowers. But then in July they totally croak and look like the most horrible gangly weeds. I pull them all out, shake them over the dirt hoping to get them to re-seed, and then we have just dirt there for the rest of the year. Tell me if you have any better ideas of what to do. 

My birthday was fun - this was not The Big Birthday year for me - that will be next year. I always enjoy just choosing things to do that I know will make me happy. I got a pedicure. I met up with The Becky for lunch, and amazingly, we did not get ramen. There's a ramen little shop close to my house that we go to regularly. But somehow hot soup didn't sound that good on that warm sunny day. (We have had it since then though, right smack dab in the middle of the hottest July SLC has ever known, so don't ask me how that works.) We went to a little spot in her neighborhood, and then went for drinks. I got a massive Diet Coke with lime and grapefruit, my favorite. She got sparkling water. Becky and I are alike in so many ways. And different in so many others. Then I wanted to go buy some new tennis shoes an outlet in Lehi and I convinced Becky to come with me. It was so fun to have her come along for the ride. I got my new Altras and also I was very spoiled and got these beautiful Dansko sandals that I have been ogling for a long time. I love them.

That night Troy and I got some dinner before going to Romney's final madrigals performance of the year. It was held in the chapel of a beautiful old presbyterian church. We learned there in the hallway what "pardon my French" really means as an actually-French student arrived for the concert in the middle of the first number and let fly with a mighty curse word and then excused herself. Troy and I laughed about that for a long time. We were a little late ourselves and slipped into a pew to enjoy the heavenly sounds of the singing. They sang beautifully. And the kid who fainted due to locked-knees and was of course standing on the back row managed to time his faint absolutely perfectly with the end of a piece. 

What a night. 

 This is just a tiny clip but you get the idea

Oh also someone dropped off flowers for me but I don't know who. That made me feel good. I still have the tag on my fridge. What a nice gesture of kindness. And also I got a LOT of cookies. Both of my brothers, unbeknownst to the other, ordered Crumbl cookies for me and had them delivered. One even sent ice cream. It was a LOT of cookies. Apparently that's my love language. Cookies. 

Emma got ready for the last day of her 7th grade year by making this dress. I love that she still enjoys her sewing class. Her teacher is the most wonderful woman on the planet and I'm thinking she could maybe adopt me. I was so proud of Emma! She did a great job on this dress. It's very neat and tidy and she has come so far in her skills. 

 

There were some less pleasant events as well, especially one bad situation with Romney and a certain crazy Spanish teacher. I'm debating on whether or not to include the photo Romney took of herself in the bathroom at school when she was a hot mess of tears. It ended up working out - not with the best grade ever, but not the worst, and a few emails to administration. That was memorable. 

K I'm including the photo. Sorry Romney. 

Oh she's so cute. That was a hard day.

Let's see, let's see. What else? Our chickens are thriving - we have really let them just roam free all over the yard from morning until night and I guess we are just rolling the dice with the daytime predators. Currently we have the following chickens:

Sissy, Doris, Judy, Mean Francine (aka Frannie), Honey Dumbas, Friar Tuck, Chrissy and Keister Marie. (Ok, that was true in May and June. In July Doris succumbed to some unknown ailment and died. I'm sad that we no longer have the granny twins of Doris and Judy. Judy will have to just keep going on her own.)

Sometimes though one of them kind of underachieves when it comes to egg laying:

We got new garbage cans. I thought it was about time after like 17 years or something. Romney promptly took charge and created labels for them:

Oh my kids. I love them.

So that's all the little flotsam and jetsam of the end of the year. It was a good one, a tough one, and we were excited for the summer.