And Seven Years Later

I haven't posted in about seven years.  A lot has happened since then.  We've moved - built a new house (not an old one, obviously) and the girls are now officially in middle school.  Anjali is graduating from fifth grade next week.  Graduating. From. Fifth. Grade. And the school is serious that this occasion deserves attention.  I told her she didn't graduate from anything because fifth grade was not hard work.  Graduating from college is hard work - that deserves a party.

Anyway, Priya is now officially a seventh grader - I let her play hookie on the last day of sixth grade because they weren't doing anything anyway, so what was the point?  I also missed work due to a school picnic (the last one at the girls' elementary school) so Priya and I went shopping.  She enjoys spending my money.  We bought items for summer camp.  Both girls are going to their first sleep away camp this summer for one week (thank you Jesus).  I've asked them to consider a four week stay, but this is all they can handle.  Really?  You really want to stay home and sleep until 11:00 and then watch TV and eat cereal all day?

"Yes, Mom.  We do."

The rest of the summer is filled with multiple camps to keep them busy (which were difficult to find given that they are old enough to feel too old for camps but too young to do anything on their own).  It's not been easy but I think we have a good plan.  We have Archery Camp, Adventure Camp, Photography Camp, Space Camp, sleep away camp, and Aquarium Camp.  I'm several thousand dollars poorer, but they will be busy and engaged learning new things to keep their soft brains from rotting.

We are growing a garden in the lot we purchased next door.  It is a raised bed garden and we are trying to grow tomatoes (like everyone), zucchini squash, Japanese Eggplant, regular ole' eggplant, strawberries, peas, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and various Indian vegetables that are a mystery to me.   We are making many mistakes but will not worry about our losses.  Consider this a learning season. I go out there every day and putter around placing poison on the plants getting eaten by the beetles and considering transplanting one of the 15 or so tomato plants we have.  They are too close together and will not produce much fruit that way.  Just my opinion.

And we have two guinea pigs.  Flo (for Florentina in case we want to call her Flo or Tina) and April.  They are just two overgrown rodents that require weekly cage cleanings and twice daily feedings.  They bite when you pick them up and poop everywhere.  So yes, we are stupid.

That's it for now.  I really don't think my little life is interesting, but I feel I've neglected this blog long enough.