Brightwood Lights

So. . . this story is a few weeks old now, but it is funny nonetheless.

In July, a good friend emailed a group of moms and asked if anyone wanted to go peach picking in early August.  Now, I am ashamed to admit that, despite being from PEACHTREE CITY in the PEACH STATE, I had never been peach picking before.  And since I do love peaches, I figured a Friday spent picking peaches in the fresh non-city air would be fun.  So I replied that I’d be up for it.

Come Peach-picking Eve, however, I realized that the next day was going to be a *mite* crazy.  I was scheduled for a 20-mile marathon training run, and we were supposed to meet in rural Virginia at the orchard at 10:30 AM.  Little did I realize that the orchard was an HOUR AND A HALF drive from our house, which meant loading up the kids to head out by 8:45 AM.  But by then, I decided it was too late to back out on my friend, despite Caleb’s urging me to reconsider.

The next morning, I overslept and did not end up with time for my long run.  That meant another day of hydrating and mentally preparing to run 20 miles.  In the meantime, I got the kids ready and headed out the door remarkably punctually, since I had an extra few hours in my morning.  We made a quick stop by the gas station to fill up, and somehow I managed to spray gas all over myself in the process.  After a brief debate about whether or not to run home to wash off, I opted to wipe down with baby wipes and continue on my way.

The peach picking itself went fairly well.  Minor “episodes” included Andreas eating part of a leaf and a handful of dirt, but otherwise, the morning in the countryside was great.  The drive was indeed a bit much, but I was feeling pretty good about the whole outing. . .

Peach Orchard
   

. . . until I got home.  And realized that I had about 50 peaches, 15 tomatoes, and one HUGE zucchini to deal with.  I didn’t have any “canning” supplies, so I spent HOURS over the next few days looking up recipes for peaches, zucchini, and tomotoes.  Caleb gamely helped out in the kitchen, though I doubt having “bake night” for 3 or 4 days in a row was his idea of a good time.  We mashed and froze peaches for Andreas; ate LOTS of peaches ourselves; made zucchini bread, peach pie, and peach-berry cobbler (twice); and STILL had peaches to use up.  Some went bad, but we made a valiant attempt to not let any go to waste.  We suffered from a terrible fruit fly infestation (that I think we have just about under countrol now), and there were even a few ants appearing in our dining room.  I felt incredibly domestic. . . and I think Caleb just felt incredibly like he did not want to deal with ANY more peaches.  His estimate is that between driving, picking, looking up recipes, baking, cooking, freezing, mashing, etc., we probably spent a good 20 man hours on those peaches.

    
Moral of the story: If your gut AND your husband tell you it’s not such a great use of your time, you should probably listen.

The unseasonably cool summer has given way to the steamy, sultry weather typical to DC at this time of year.  Another season of interns and congress and everyone else escaping the city, while those of us left behind muck through the stagnant, oppressive heat and look forward to the return of crisp fall air.

As a child, I eagerly anticipated the return of the school year.  I loved finding out who my teachers and classmates would be, planning what I would wear for the first day of school, shopping for new binders and notebooks, and wondering if my friends would even recognize me with my new perm / braces / haircut / tan /etc.  (Shockingly, they always did.)

And, truth be told, I have finally- at the age of 28- admitted to myself that I am a nerd.  So I confess that I enjoyed the routine of the school day, the busyness of extracurricular activities, and even the challenge of learning Spanish / geometry / world history / grammar etc.

This year, I look forward to the end of summer because Simona will restart her “school year” at Little Learners Playschool.  Though I have absolutely loved having week after week with absolutely no structure to it, I am ready for a return to a bit of a “routine.”  Don’t get me wront- I have loved the relaxed mornings at home while Andreas learns to crawl, Simona dances to “Muffin Man,” and I do chores around the house.  Time at the playground has also not been scarce, and we have done our share of museums/ (water) spray parks/ zoo outings/ recreation center visits/ playdates with friends.  And we won’t be THAT busy with school two mornings a week.

Still, it’s time.  I need the routine of “having” to be somewhere on a regular basis, and Simona will benefit from seeing her little friends on a set schedule.  We will all be forced to be a bit more efficient about getting ourselves out the door some mornings and about using our time wisely, which encourages discipline and order.  (In addition to embracing my nerdiness, I have also embraced my German half and believe with all my heart that “Ordnung” is a good thing!)

I’m hoping that my rediscovery of discipline will include greater consistency in my priorities and better time management.  And, for you, my few but faithful readers, I hope this will translate to more frequent updates of the “photos” page.

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Other thoughts:  I started to write a really heavy post about some issues a few friends of mine are going through, but I didn’t have the emotional energy to do the subjects justice.  Let’s just say that a few friends are struggling with issues relating to childbearing and could really use prayers and positive thoughts.  These people and their challenges weigh heavily on my heart, and I am humbled by the lack of control we have over the situations life throws our way.  Savor every silver lining, but cry with every friend who’s hurting.  Painful, but real.