But it's STILL SUMMER

 I feel like I'm SO CLOSE to being able to settle into my fall routine, after the bonkers four days of twelve visitors. But first I go to work for a couple of days this week (we start the week before school, which is fine but also annoying) and then we go to see Angus in Charlotte for the long weekend. And THEN I start normal work, and finally weed my out-of-control flower gardens, and get to all the areas of the house I haven't gotten to all summer ("I'm going to clean and organize this summer while I'm off work" I said. "I'm going to say YES when my friends want to do fun stuff and not stay in my house like a whiny depressive malcontent" I also said. My stupid friends had so many fun plans my house remains a disaster and I don't see how I can be held responsible for that), and go back to physio for my piercing neck pain and spasming lower back.

The burgeoning roster of visitors was fantastic, exactly what we needed to distract us all from the fact that Angus was leaving Monday and I was taking Eve back Tuesday. Zarah and Sophie got here Friday the same time as my brother-in-law with his family. I didn't even realize until they got here that Angus had never met Mitchell, my nephew, who was born in fall 2019 when Angus was at Elmira and then, you know, Covid. Mitchie and Lydia are so hilarious and energetic and social - they loved playing with Lucy, and Mitchie was highly into the play possibilities of a new cousin that is quadruple your size. 

Saturday Eve wanted to go to the Nature Museum, which we used to do every year with all the kids when Zarah used to come with her son Alex too (working now, stupid adulthood). At some point we sort of maxed out on it and stopped going, and it seemed like a good time for a return engagement.

I asked Sophie and Eve to recreate this photo from 2014. We didn't manage it exactly, but it was close enough to be satisfying.

It's a cool museum. I will never be too old to be amazed by the mammoth skull and the dinosaur skeletons. The wolf exhibit was also really neat, although at one point I whispered to Eve that I suspected they might have found one particularly photogenic wolf and just photoshopped it into a bunch of different locations. Eve said she could never be trusted with actual wolves, because she would absolutely pet them and they would be her best friend and there would be no respecting of their inherent wildness and it would almost certainly result in her death. 

We expected these to be plastic, but they're actual ice!

Eve doing a Horse Girl photo with a dinosaur

We also wandered around the market downtown and went for ice cream at the Merry Dairy, our new favourite place because they have delicious and plentiful vegan flavours for Eve and Sophie who can't have dairy. 

AND I parallel parked like a boss and Zarah and Sophie were gratifyingly complimentary (full disclosure,  the spot was pretty generous).

Sunday Zarah and Sophie went out for a bit to see family and Eve went to see her friend Davis who was back in town for the weekend (like everyone). My sister and her husband got to my parents' place in the early evening and Matt and Angus went over to have a drink and hang out because they hadn't seen Angus for -- I'm not actually sure, maybe a couple of years? Zarah and Sophie and I watched Theatre Camp, a really funny movie for anyone who has ever been involved with or known theatre kids. We finished packing Angus's car.

Monday morning Angus left for Charlotte, with an overnight in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Zarah and Sophie left. Eve and I went over to my mom and dad's to see my sister and brother-in-law. We finished packing Eve. We watched theatre camp again because Eve hadn't seen it. It was just as good the second time. 

Tuesday Eve and I drove to Hamilton - fun drive, music and talking, brief periods of intense rain. We got to her student house at almost the exact minute that Angus drove into the parking lot of his new apartment. We unloaded, hung out with her housemates for a bit, went for dinner and then I went to my hotel for the night. Eve remembered how much she loves her cozy, cute room in her student house. Wednesday I took her grocery shopping, then drove back home.

Oh! Remember (probably not) how I always say I want to start listening to podcasts? Then I never ever listen to podcasts? On my drive home I LISTENED TO PODCASTS. I am a podcast girl now. Probably in the way that I am a running girl now, in that I ran sometimes for a brief period and then jacked my knee for life and never run anymore, but I'm counting it. 

I guest-posted in Engie's carnival of guest-posting to celebrate her 20th year of blogging. It was challenging and fun, which is a good thing for something to be.