Summer happens fast - already it's August and the cloudy day makes me feel like summer shouldn't have started, yet, and here it is more than half through. Or maybe I'm just getting older, so time flies faster. Who to blame?!

I didn't get even one picture at our "Day in Damascus", which was an absolute blast. For about $20 our kids got t-shirts and jumped in a bounce-house, raced goldfish and wooden cars, ate pizza from Papa Murphy's, got finger-printed and a police sticker, a fire-safety slap bracelet and dug thru hay for candy. We could have even taken a ride on the Monster Truck if our time hadn't already run out and Shad was off to a birthday party! It's hard to pack in all the fun sometimes!

We've had other fun, tho, too! Diamond went into heat and we had to move Dollar down to the patio for his own sanity temporarily. He hates being on a chain, of course, after living in his doggy-suite, but he found out he could squeeze into my planter box this morning, apparently. It's at least 10 years old, so it won't survive our 70 lb dog, but I didn't kick him out. Before we move him back "home", we'll be cleaning out the storage. A rat family moved in and made themselves at home. Since we live out here with coyotes and wild rabbits and the occasional cougar, I suppose it makes sense, but we've had the eebie-jeebies as we've tried to convince them to move on (or pass on!) It was time to re-arrange things, anyway, and get rid of stuff we're storing for no reason besides not wanting to throw it away, yet.

Sometimes it's nice to hold on... hold on to summer or stuff or youth. I mean, I can't believe our boys are old enough to go to birthday parties and bowling parties on their own! At least, I still drive them to and from! I felt like I was prying my hands deliberately back from holding onto Aidan too tightly yesterday as I dropped him off at the bowling alley with some friends. Growing up is Ok, I guess! I'm not done with summer, tho... we've got some campground hangin' out to do with Aunt Kristi and Uncle Dwight up from Mexico, the snake man at the library, the Burn's Feed store pony painting day... day trips to the lake and the beach... ?! "Sieze the day!"