The Last Friday In June

Hello! Happy Friday. This week went by so quickly for me. Did it for you? It was Monday morning, then Wednesday, and now it is Friday again. What happened to what my momma used to call the "lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer"? Remember when summer days seemed to last forever? We got up early. Ate a Poptart while watching The Price is Right. Then we would put on our play clothes and head outside, or put on our suits and head to the pool. After a bit, we would come home, and Mom would make us lunch. My favorite? She would put some ham and Swiss cheese on two slices of Wonder Bread, wrap them in a paper towel, and microwave them just until the cheese started to melt. I can still taste those sandwiches! After lunch, we would watch some TV or play a game while my mom ironed or talked to my Grandma on the phone. At 4:35, my sisters and I would gather around the TV to watch our favorite show, The Brady Bunch. After that, we would help Mom get dinner ready. Sometimes I would make a pudding or a jello pie for dessert.

By 5:30, my dad had pulled into the driveway from work, usually in his truck, his arm resting on the rolled-down window. We would sit at our spots at the table in our yellow daffodil kitchen and talk about our day. After dinner, my sister Margie and I would clean up the kitchen and then either head outside or run through the backyard to the playground. The playground had activities from 6:00 to 8:00 every weeknight. We would play kickball or swing until we were ready to head home. Most nights, Dad would ask who wanted to go for a ride, and we'd pile into the truck to drive around our small town, and sometimes we'd stop for a hard ice cream cone. When the sun finally faded, we got cleaned up, grabbed the pajamas that we had put under our pillows that morning, and headed to bed. My two sisters and I shared a room, so sleep was secondary to games, books, giggles, and arguments. Finally, I went to sleep in my cozy spot on the bottom bunk, happy, content, tired, and blissfully unaware that those precious summer days would not last forever.  

Now, the days seem shorter, and the weeks pass more quickly, and suddenly I am the mom of grown kids. I pray I gave them the same wonderful summer days when they were young. Looking back, I remember we sure did have fun. And we still do, because there is no expiration date on having fun with the people you love, is there? 

My camera roll is filled with pictures from morning walks, and that is about all! We did get rain, so everything is green again. And the pond is filled once more.

If I am not walking, doing laundry, cooking, or homeschooling, you will find me here, on our screened-in porch, coffee in hand. 

And lastly,  a few images from Pinterest to finish off the week, just to remind anyone dealing with OCD or anxiety that you are not alone. Sometimes it can pop up out of nowhere when you are just living your life,  simply to remind you it is still there. Just acknowledge it for what it is and move on. 

One more to leave it on a lighter note:

Have a nice weekend, my friends!

BillieJo