Every summer we spend as much time at the lake as we can, fishing, boating and swimming. This year has been no different. The best thing about this year has been taking our dogs out on the boat, they love it and seem to really enjoy going fast on top of the water, they hang their heads over the side and bark with glee. I had never known that a dog would love the water so much. When we pull in a big fish they sniff and bark at the fish like they were responsible for reeling them in it is so very funny. A couple of the dogs even like to get out in the water and paddle around, Dottie and Diva really like it the best I think, they jump in when ever they can. Over all this has been a great summer and I already can not wait for next summer to get here.
Swimming lessons
My six year old grandson is taking swimming lessons at the YMCA this summer. It was distressing to me that at his age he had no clue how to even tread water! He is one week in to his lessons and is doing well. He is not afraid of the water and that helps him to be a good student for his swimming lessons, as soon as he learns to swim I plan to take him to the beach and let him see the ocean. He loves the water and this will be a good trip for him this summer.
Damage
Almost every house along our street has some damage from the wind and rain last night. It hit here about 5 pm and we did not get our power restored until about 9 last night. We have a couple of small limbs torn down that fell into our yard, but just a few houses down a whole tree came down barely missing the house. I am glad we did not have any drama like that and they are calling for more storms tonight, lets hope they are wrong. We have had a storm filled June and I for one will be very happy to get on further into July and see if the weather will calm down a bit with summer getting here.
AC problems
Go figure, this week has been the hottest and most humid weeks we’ve had so far this summer and the air conditioning unit went on the fritz. Normally in my younger days, I could handle the heat and wasn’t bothered with it at all, but now…not so much.
To say everyone is rather miserable, despite of fans in the windows and the floor and ceiling fans it feels like they are just moving the hot air around. The heating and air conditioning guy is booked solid and can’t get out here until this coming Monday. Umm, a bit late I would say, considering the heat index will no doubt drop by then. At least we are all hoping so.
In the mean time, I’m drinking plenty of iced tea and water, and my son and I are putting ice cubes in the dogs water. Everyone is kind of irritable including myself. I just keep thinking about when we didn’t have an AC and how we coped with it. People have dealt with this issue a long time ago, and didn’t have an air conditioner so, if we must we must.
New lawn furniture
By putting off buying lawn furniture until now, I’ve been looking at all the styles and sets on sale and there are some awesome buys and deals out there to be had now that summer is nearly over. There are two sets I’ve sort of got my heart set on, but haven’t decided which I’m going to buy yet.
I would like to get a set that will go up on the deck around the pool, since the furniture I have now, doesn’t seem like it’s going to last through another summer. It’s starting to look worn out, because it’s been bleached by the sun and the fact that the chemicals in the pool are on it from everyone sitting on the furniture while they are wet. One will have that and I’m glad the seat coverings aren’t made from fabric.
There is a set that I particularly like, with a table and an umbrella, that would be perfect for this deck also. The seats are made out of a sort of woven non fabric material that I think would last longer than the tufted and stuffed cloth type material that I have. Decisions, decisions…
Already August
I can’t believe it is August 1 already. Summer has flown by it seems. It’s still hot as blue blazes outside, and my gardens are all dead and have been since we are in the middle of a drought, but the fact that summer is nearly over just kind of amazes me in one way, and also makes me a bit sad.
My youngest son will soon be back in school…the battle of getting him up in the morning will begin. He is the roughest one to wake up and always has been.
Time for getting school clothes and supplies and also time for getting the house at least semi ready for winter. With the weather the way it has been all summer, it’s hard telling what the winter will bring.
Pool and Spa service
This time of year, everyone either has their pool ready to fill or may need repairs done, and my daughter was telling me that her husband had been looking into True-Blue-Pool-And-Spa.com to do the repair work on their built in swimming pool. When they bought their new home, of course they knew that the pool would need some minor repair to get it ready to be filled for summer fun. He owns his own concrete company and was able to get the walkways around the pool finished, but after realizing that he would not be able to repair the pool and then put in the liner himself, he decided to look into the professionals to do this.
The kids have been really patient for the pool to get finished, an it has to be kind of hard on them seeing the pool every day and not being able to swim in it, but they know it will be great once it’s repaired and since there is a heating system for the pool, they also know that this will extend their swimming season a lot longer. True Blue Pool and Spa has a wide array of services available for the pool owner and I personally would want someone to maintain my pool, as no matter how hard I have tried, I have never been able to keep my water clean for extended periods of time. I think it is less expensive for someone who is a professional to do this, and it would save money in the long run.
Summer is my family’s favorite time of year, so we are all swimmers and love the water. I enjoy the fact that we don’t have to pack up all kinds of swimming gear and things to have a cook out at the lakes, unpack it and then pack it all up again. I have a feeling that my daughter is going to really enjoy her pool once it is repaired and filled. Judging from what my son in law told me, it won’t take too long for this to be done. They will all be swimming in no time!
Gardens for my daughter
After looking at hundreds of garden plans, my oldest daughter has put the decisions about what to do with the yards of her new home they will be moving into in a week. I realize I don’t have the time that I need this year to have them looking great, but it’s awesome that she would like my advice. She was never into gardens and gardening while she was growing up.
I’m thinking about putting in some simple raised beds for the time being and when she finds what she would like, then we’ll go on from there.
I have a feeling this is going to be an exciting but long summer for some beginning gardeners, for instance, my oldest daughter and my son, who is starting to get into it also!