This Summer

I was reading an article in the paper about how summer is almost over.  I was looking at the calendar and after we get back from our trip, the kids have 2 1/2 weeks until school starts.  It is almost time to jump out of the swimming pool and dive back into the carpool.  I, for one, am not ready.

Last summer was, in my memory, long and breezy, filled with relaxing days.  This summer has been hot and a bit oppressive.  I wake up every morning at 6:00 because the dog is panting so hard I can't sleep through it.  I am looking forward to sleeping in once school starts.  I feel we have not had the wonderful idyllic summer we had last year.

What is different?  Bob has a job, so fear is not my consistent companion.  We have some money, so we have been able to do some fun things like Disneyland.  I have only two thoughts about why I remember last summer as so great... 1)  Our lives were so miserable at that point, the fact that Bob was happier improved everyone's lot so much that everything just seemed better.  Or 2)  We were so scared about the future that we appreciated everything a lot more.  The kids were just better because well, their mother was on the brink of a nervous breakdown, that they didn't want to push.  Or I was so distracted by fear and consumed by worry, I didn't notice.

I tell myself, and prove it by reading old posts, that the kids did in deed fight and argue with each other last year.  I think California was so awesome last year because after the winter I had had, it was so nice to go and have my mom take care of me.  This year, well there is a lot of stuff going on in Cali.

For what ever reason, this summer just isn't as awesome as last.  That said, I am not really looking forward to walking the kids to school everyday.  Mostly because, very soon after the first day of school comes the first snow, and then it is cold for another 10 months.