Musing Along on a Monday in August

Happy Monday to you! The first Monday in...August. *gulp*

(Is it me? Or is this year really flying by?)

"Leechie" is shifting about in my belly, reminding me that "D-Day" isn't too far off. We finished buying all the supplies we need for our home birth...and the cradle is set up...and the blankets are washed. So we're at least ready for the debut. The baby's room is coming along a bit slower than that. But it's progressing, nonetheless.

On the home front... The Lord is exceedingly good to us. We have a team of guys at our church who have volunteered to help get our house's eaves and gutters painted to satisfy the borough. It may mean asking the borough for any extension but I think that will work. Most people were incredulous at the "heavy-handedness" of the officials, warning of a fine and possible jail time if the work isn't completed. I've gone beyond that feeling to one of complete mirth, imagining Stuart in jail, explaining to the other inmates that he was in for "peeling paint." It isn't funny really...but it seems a bit ridiculous in the long run.

Only a little less than 2 weeks until the debut of Mirrors. I don't know whether to be excited or petrified. *wink* Our new IMAX theater opens up in R-City this week. We're not sure if they'll show Mirrors on their screens, but you never know? Then again, any movie theater will do. And I saw another trailer for the 24 - Exile telemovie -- a. k. a. the Season 7 prequel -- and it looks...well, let's just say my pulse races every time I see it. It looks AWESOME!! I think the studio made good use of the "down time" from the writer's strike and all this may work in their favor.

We headed down to Conshohocken this weekend to get some things fixed on our new car. Afterwards, we hit the IKEA across the road -- which was fun since we didn't get to do that the last time we were down there due to the fact that I had a "Leechie" appointment to rush back to. You have to love IKEA. We went to get a snack and ended up with a full breakfast for $1.99 each. Eggs, bacon, frenchtoast sticks, and hashbrowns. How could we resist? And it was still morning. We wandered about, looking at everything. We were most interested in the mattresses since Emily's loftbed is from IKEA, and she'll need a replacement at some point in the future.

Speaking of the kids, school starts in a few weeks. Well, it might. We have the option of starting August 18th or September 2nd. Being that we have another little family member coming at the beginning of our school year, we decided it might be best to get a jumpstart on our lessons this year. But August 18th? Sheesh. I haven't decided yet. I have to get all the school stuff unpacked and set up before we do anything.

Ah, well. It'll all get done in due time, right?

Sigh.

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5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• speaking kindly
• shortbread cookies and Earl Grey
• weathered gray houses
• playing games instead of watching TV
• corn on the cob

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One of the joys of going to Nags Head, N.C., in the Outer Banks every year, is seeing all the weathered gray beach houses.

Of course, there are plenty of more colorful houses, too, since that seems to be the popular trend at the moment: to paint the houses all sorts of wild colors.

Still, the older, more-weathered houses continue to prevail in certain sections, or peek out from between the freshly painted purple or aqua abodes and businesses, reminding us of other beach vacations gone by.

My mother has always described the older beach houses as the stoic, old matrons of the sea. The ones who have watched over the coastline for decades, weathering the storms and seasons, absorbing the salt air and marking time.

After fleeing several hurricanes while we were down there, I'm amazed that some of them are still standing. The fury of the storms and the shrinking sand dunes make me think that these houses should be long gone. But somehow they stand on, firm despite the shifting sands and storms of life and constantly changing weather conditions.

An example to us all.