Today was my first day of school! Though Ben is the only family member not involved with school these days, the rest of our lives revolve around an academic schedule, so he’s along for the ride. This year, in particular, I feel that we wrung out every last drop of summer we could. How do we do summer?
We travel.
We celebrate with friends.
We chill.
We take the same quick trip to Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, that we’ve taken for years.
We play dominoes when it rains.
We take weekend convertible rides whenever the “perchance” of rain is below 7%. (I don’t know why that’s Phil’s tipping point, but it is.)
We explore new places to consume massive burgers.
We travel with jumper cables.
We say we are staying home to clean the house.
We sleep on the sleeping porch.
We watch the neighborhood babies grow up.
We sit on the front porch.
We make easy-peasy meals that can hardly be called cooking.
We visit family.
We go barefoot.
We eat ice cream.
We get ready for school.
And finally, when there is no more summer to be had because we had it all, we jump back into a new school year, breathing sighs of relief as we return to schedules and predictable routines.
Taco salad is a great summer dish because it is quick, easy and adaptable. This week’s version included lettuce, ground beef with taco seasoning, fresh corn cut from the cob, grape tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, a dressing made of sour cream mixed with salsa, and corn chips.
Ben chose the purple bag. Size matters.
Crazy corn.
It is tempting to wish for eternal summer (which is what retirement is for teachers, I guess) but would summer be as sweet without fall to bump up against? Let’s just say “no” and embrace what we’ve got, which is a shiny, brand new school year. Have a great one!