Fourth of July (yawn, stretch…)

How was your 4th of July holiday? Fireworks cool to watch? Get together with friends? See a parade? Get yardwork done? Sleep in? That’s good. Ours was quiet, meaning just the right blend of fun rest and housework. And discovery.

The discovery came from Alice’s absence. She went with a friend and her family to their cabin for a few days. (On the east coast, people go to the shore. In western Michigan they go to the lake. In Minnesota they go to their cabins.) For my part there was no sense of relief or space. I was happy for her but also realized that when she really goes, there will be a big gap to fill. Parenting is such a demanding side job, that when it goes into second gear there’s a need to find a new way and different direction for the energy.

There’s still plenty of time to figure all that out. Call this weekend the early warning system.

The weekend also brought sleep, a good movie (Public Enemies), some minor household chores (enough weeding, cleaning and grocery shopping to stave off the guilt) and a very interesting walking tour of the Summit Hill neighborhood of St. Paul by the Minnesota Historical Society. No fireworks, though. We tried to watch some from our deck, but no dice. We could see some lights and color and hear commotion in four directions but the darned trees blocked our view.

That’s OK. A little fireworks for me go a long way. The few I saw from the convenience of my back deck were just fine. No traffic. No bugs. No waiting.

~ by modelmom on July 6, 2009.