A jackdaw perches on the corner of the playhouse. I can hear the summer sound of children laughing and bouncing on the trampoline as the sun slides into shadow at the end of the day. A tiny spider dangles by a silken thread from the edge of the porch roof, legs wheeling frantically as it motors upwards. All the greens have evened out, darkened into summer shades; the neon edges of newness no longer vibrant and jarringly alive.
Today is only Tuesday. For once, the week seems to be strolling through the days; no frantic sense of time slipping by too quickly. It’s only Tuesday! I have time to get things done, to devour another chapter in the intricately written book I’m immersed in, to walk out to the porch and sit in the lounge chair and wonder if that honeysuckle is dead. It looks pretty dead. There are only a few leaves around the bottom. I can’t remember if it’s a late bloomer, like the sad little red-leafed bush that I almost give up on every summer only to have surprise me each August, or the pathetic brown and withered looking laurel bushes by the garage that redeem themselves by autumn.
Martin is in here, reading over my shoulder, head in hand leaning on the desk. He’s taller than me now. He’s funnier, too. He won’t let me write exactly what I want to anymore. I have to wait until he goes away again and, since he’s reading this, he’ll probably never leave now. Heh.
Paranoid teenagers.
Karin is at soccer practice. She and Anders biked over to Södra Sandby, the next village over. It takes not quite half an hour to bicycle there. Karin has made the trip several times by herself now, though I still get a bit freaked out by the idea that she’s old enough to be allowed outside the neighborhood. 🙂
It’s very quiet here right now. All I can hear is the hum of the computer. The trampoline-bouncing kids have gone inside. If I was out on the deck, I could hear different bird calls: blackbirds, crows, pheasants now and then. I could maybe hear a bumblebee. It’s been too dry and nice for mosquitoes, huzzah! (Huzzah was Martin’s idea, he’s good with words. Also ideas. Also, being silly)
(He’s still reading)
Today at work this morning, I was a presenter for our international new employees. Later, in the afternoon, I was the moderator/presenter for another meeting. I’ve been told I’m good at it, but I’m self-conscious about getting up and speaking in front of people. Fortunately, I talk reallyreallyreally fast and get it over with quickly. Ha! I have to be the guest speaker for our AWC meeting coming up in a couple of weeks, and the topic is “Treasure-Hunting on the AWC website” …I figured it was a good topic because we have tons of great info and resources on the website which most of our (over 200!) members don’t even know is there. But so far, only 5 people have signed up (including me) and 3 of them (including me) are board members.
Nothing is urging me to take care of it at the moment. That is a strange feeling. Even Martin just looks at me and shrugs when I ask him what I should be doing.
Anders just came in, early. “Are you home already?” I asked, because Karin’s practice isn’t over until 8:30, it turns out he had THREE flat tires on the way and Karin ended up going on by herself and he’s been walking home for the past 45 minutes. Guess I should have gotten him a pack of inner tubes for his birthday!
I think I’ll go lie on the trampoline with Martin and count the summer sounds I can hear. What sounds are filling the air around you right now?