Summer: Monday 7-1-24

Five years ago, a tiny baby doodle was born at Creampuff Farm, a doodle that would, eight weeks later, become our Farrah. Happy 5th birthday to the sweetest doodle in the world! 

To celebrate, we all piled in the car to get ice cream at our favorite spot, because they have Pup Cups--ice cream topped with a strip of bacon. We were horrified to discover that they are closed all week for vacation. Instead, we bought ice cream and bacon at the grocery store and made Farrah a Pup Cup at home. We gave her two new frisbee-like toys, her favorite thing to chase around the yard here. Can't believe we've had her for five years. Can't imagine life without her.

Greta and I got up early and went running. She did 2.5 miles while I wheezed through my run/walk. However, to be fair to myself, my training program now has me running for 5 minutes at a time--as a non-runner, being able to run for five minutes straight without keeling over or injuring myself is an accomplishment. Every morning I look at that day's plan with dread, because at some point--maybe not this week, maybe not next week, but some week--that number is going to go up. 

Lucia and Andrew worked on math, Greta and I played a full game of gin, and then Andrew had a full workday. (I took off today and tomorrow--true New Hampshire vacation.) The girls and I read in hammocks, hung out at the pond (the girls stayed on the dock; the turtle made yet another appearance), and played Rummikub. 

Tonight Andrew made steak mock frites from the NY Times--one of our favorite recipes, which we make here every summer.

Today Lucia resisted playing Chinese checkers with me, and I was horrified, explaining firmly that playing Chinese checkers is a TRADITION and we have to do EXACTLY THE SAME THINGS EVERY SINGLE SUMMER, IT'S NOT A CHOICE. She of all people should understand that, prone as she is to raising an alarm if activities and annual dinners up here aren't progressing in the order she believes is typical. Still, she held firm, her teen-ness rearing its head, reminding us of its presence. Hopefully it, like the snapping turtle, will sink back down into the deep. 

What We're Reading:

Margo: finished The Upstairs Delicatessen by Dwight Garner; I'm now without a book. I'd planned to bring another one up here but Amazon delayed its delivery and it didn't arrive before we left. No matter--two books I'm excited about are being released tomorrow, so to Books-A-Million we'll go.

Andrew: Proust

Lucia: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Greta: finished Practial Demonology by Claire Rees; started All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody