The End of August

Here we are on the last day of August, and at least here in Philadelphia, it's hot, humid, sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast, and frankly I'm done with it. I mean, I was done with it at the beginning of August, and we had some nice days, but I still live in the past weather-wise, where towards the end of August, really hot days were not that common. 

Also, it's Monday. I've gotten some things done, and The Tim is at work, but everyone else is quite loungey. 

Katie came home from the dog park and was exhausted.

Esme and Alfie are still enjoying this Chewy box from about 2 months ago ...

Milo the Koodle was feeling cute - which means he wants you to try to scratch his belly so he can maul you. Today I did not fall for this ruse!

*****

So here's a bit of a summer summary (as opposed to a summer summery) for you. I know there are still a few weeks of the season left, but I'm one of those people who see September 1st as the time to close out some summertime activities.

Plan 1 for the summer: 

Knit a tee and a tank.

Knit several pairs of socks.

Finish summer cross-stitch.

Actually accomplished:

Knit one pair of socks. 

Worked on summer cross-stitch once, got quite a bit done, never picked it up again.

I am still knitting a tee. I thought I was nearly finished, after knitting the neckline yesterday, and getting ready to do the sleeves. Tried it on, and in spite of what my measurements told me, it was not long enough for me. I know a lot of people look good in cropped tops. I just like to feel like when I sit down, my top will still cover my back down to my butt. So this morning I started picking out the bottom hem, which is especially fun, since it is an Italian bind off. I know you're feeling jealous right now. At least when I have the new length knit, only two short sleeves will be left to do. I originally wanted to have this finished by today, but last week I did not knit a single stitch so everything that's left won't be happening today, LOL!

Plan 2 for the summer:

Clean up the garden, and plan for planter/plants in front of house.

Call landscaping service to trim trees and bushes.

Buy some new/additional furniture for the garden.

Sit outside as much as possible.

Barbecue and/or eat outside once we have a table.

Actually accomplished:

I did clean up the garden, and was able to keep it in good shape. I found the perfect planter that I wanted, but could not afford it, and then of course nothing else appealed. I've told myself that next year, I will definitely decide on something, rather than have nothing.

I called the landscaping service, and they were booked at the time, so I said I'd follow up. Forgot all about it until last week, but I did call, and we are currently waiting for an estimate.

Bought no new or additional furniture for the garden, for the same reason I did not buy a planter; went to look to see what might be on sale last weekend, and every place was pretty wiped out. So much like with the planter, I will try again next year and try to be less finicky.

I did sit outside a lot, with Alfie at first and then with Alfie and Katie. We were fortunate to have a lot of nice days, or at least nice mornings, when we would be out there for an hour or so. Of course there were long stretches when it was unbearable to even think about being outside, but this is one thing I really felt I accomplished like I'd hoped.

We never got a table for outside, so never ate a meal out there. 

So as you can see, it was not all that I'd planned or hoped, but since I'm only responsible to myself, it's really OK. Do I wish that more had been accomplished? Sure. But it wasn't so I'm just adjusting things and moving along.

*****

You may recall that Patrick, my niece Amanda's husband, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia right before last Christmas. He has been receiving intensive treatment, and at the beginning of July he had a successful bone marrow transplant. Last Friday, he was able to ring the bell to signify that it was all successful and he is now considered healthy again! All of us are so incredibly happy and relieved that he has done so well, and that he and Amanda can get back to their regular lives. I wanted to thank those of you who said they would keep good thoughts and/or say prayers for him - they made a difference! 💗 Since they live in Baltimore, he had care at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, so he was extremely fortunate to be in a place where they could provide the latest in treatment. 

Now I would like to ask you to keep my brother-in-law Patrick (Amanda's father) in your thoughts and prayers, since he is also dealing with a health journey that is very unlikely to end with a cure. But we are all hoping he can get to the point where he can enjoy whatever time is left to him. So if you would keep him and my sister in mind, that would be wonderful.

And on that happy/sad/hopeful note, I'll finish this post. I hope your August was as good as it could possibly be. I have a couple of small things to finish doing this afternoon, and then it will be time to sit down and get back to picking out that hem! 😡

I'm telling myself that it will build character ... but I've also decided that character is overrated ... 😏

See you next month!