Tallying up the Pluses and Minuses of these past three Summer Weeks

First there was a week of camping, the Second Annual Assateague Excursion.  This time, no child was recently post-operative (plus) but the heat and mosquitos were oppressive and there was a thunderstorm (minus).  But, no jellyfish (plus) and the waves remind me of swimming in the South China Sea which to me equals some kind of nirvana (plus).

I sent Opa (in Vancouver) several pictures like the above of the happy minions beaching and he responded that he hoped Wisp got over her anorexia soon . . . Sigh.  Moral of that story is that Opa, who lived through internment in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp in Indonesia in the 1940s, just doesn' "get" picky eaters.  Anyway: don't they look happy?  Opa also commented that my photos are blurry and I should get better at photography. (Thanks, Opa)

After Assateague, I got a week of staycation with Voice and Smile which included: Trip to Nature Center (Monday); Stay at home day with excursions for gelato and toy store (Tuesday); Visit to  the Dentzel Carousel (Wednesday); Stay at home day with bike ride during which Voice mastered, for the first time, the art of riding with pedals (Thursday); and Bouncy Castle playtime with Bow and Wisp followed by ice cream (Friday).  I'd say 5 pluses right there.

Friday Smiles felt ill (minus) and then got a fever (minus).  Saturday Smiles and Voice left  for Illinois with their Dad (minus).  He phoned at 11pm to say that, on arrival, he'd found a "massive, engorged tick" on Smiles' head (hidden in the massive curls, I am guessing) (minus).  Combined with the fever, and the sore neck Smiles was complaining of, Dad decided to take Smiles to the ER (big, expensive minus).  Now Smiles has amoxycillin to take, which may cure his fever and/ or any Lyme disease he may have been incubating (plus).

And Boyfriend and I went swimming last night, in the neighborhood pool, without kids. The water, freshened by afternoon rain, was cool and blue and tranquilizing.  So decadent.  A definite plus.

Score:
Pluses: 10
Minuses: 6

I guess it really has been a good summer.