3 Months of Summer

The computer is telling me its been three months since I last opened Steemit. Summer went by in a blur and today its the first day of school. I thought about logging in and sharing a few things over the summer, but real life and family always takes top priority.

I'll briefly share a few of the things that happened this summer then if the baby naps long enough I may get around to a post about the strawberry jam I made this morning.

• We did some traveling. We drove to Oregon in June, took the train to Minnesota in July and flew to California in August.

_{We've seen the Pacific Ocean three times so far this year. Not bad, considering we live over 400 miles away!}

• My garden consumed a lot of my time. First it was the endless weeding and watering, now I'm harvesting and putting things up for winter. The last couple weeks I've been out picking beans every few days then blanching and freezing them. The last couple times I've been so tired of seeing beans, I'd almost happily let them rot on the plants. We better really enjoy those beans this winter.

_{Work really doesn't seem that bad with cute little helpers.}

• We are planning a move in the spring so I've been downsizing our animal population all summer. We're down to a dozen chickens, our dog and two cats. Its been quiet, but I won't miss dealing with all the water heaters and shoveling paths through the snow this winter.

_{Reina and Tom. Sadly Tom disappeared this summer. We miss him, he was such a good cat.}

• I've been disciplining myself to read more this summer. Its not hard when I get into a good book, but I do have to take the time to find good books and trudge through the first couple chapters till I get really invested. I'm currently without a book, any suggestions?

_{My summer reading material.}

• We have a big house and for the last four years have always had 1-3 people living with us. Our latest arrival is dairy and gluten free so I'm learning to make a gluten and dairy free dinner every night. This weeks menu includes three brand new meals, Balsamic Chicken Bake, Louisiana Style Red Beans & Rice and Sweet Potato Curry Chicken.

After a busy summer I'm usually glad when the school year starts and we begin to shift back into normal. While I'm not ready for the darkness of winter, I'm craving a little bit of normal.