Sounds of Summer

 Tomorrow both the girls and I will begin a new school year.  This is always a bittersweet time of year for me.  I share the excitement of new friends, new clothes and new challenges.   But, I'm always sorry to see our peaceful summer days end.  The girls and I were reflecting on our best summer memories, and I decided to share some of the sounds that made our summer special.  Here they are:

The way KatyAnn says "pizza;"

The whir of Cassie's pottery wheel, and the hum of the sewing machine as Cassie finished the curtains for the playhouse windows;

Lacey telling me that she didn't need any new school clothes because she had so many great hand-me-downs from Cassie;

Being woken by an incoming text on my phone that read, "Hi Gramma.  I'm Gaby."

Hearing the Star Spangled Banner screeching through the sound system at the fairgrounds - Cassie and I were demonstrating knitting in the Home Arts Building at the county fair.  When the music started, we pushed open the big sliding door in the building.  Everyone who was in the building stepped outside to face the flag.  For those few seconds, the many different people at the fair - the carnies, the vendors, the farmersand the spectators - were all united.

The girls reading aloud to dogs as part of the public library's "Read with Rover" program;

The earthquake and Hurricane Irene;

The sound of rain on the cabin's roof;

Outdoor concerts at Orkney Springs;

Silence.  The leaking faucet in the kitchen has finally been repaired.

The playhouse curtains

Cassie knitting at the fair

A summer picnic

Lacey at the fair - she loves cows

Cassie's impressionist drawing - Best in Show

Lacey reading to the dog

Orkney Springs

Cassie sewing

Hurricane Irene

Picking raspberries

Cassie and Gaby

American Girl Place