As summer winds to an end.....

Less than a month left of summer.

As usual I am not ready to let go.

The squirrels are burying food deeply in my planters. They started getting frantic about it last month. Is this an indicator of an early winter?
I have had to buy new plants to cover the damage they have done.

Lilly and I have had a full fun summer.

We made it to the outside pool almost every day. I am deeply tanned, she has a nice light tan. I used SPF 12, she was covered in SPF 50. I'm also on a lot of medications that say do not go in the sun, so I tried to limit us to less than 3 hours a day.
Neither one of us is a morning person. We would spend our mornings lounging around watching educational TV. Lilly considers toast with peanut butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and excellent snack. She still adores her hot chocolate.
We would usually go swimming by mid morning and be back for lunch around noon or so. We would then have a quiet time of rest. Followed by other play, reading stories, coloring, or crafts

She makes friends as easily as I do. For the first time, I was pushed away. As soon as any other kids would show up, she would tell me to go swim in the deep end because she was going to play with them. Whether she knew them or not. She was going to make a new friend and obviously hanging with your gramma isn't cool. She would always promise to play with me next time.

I have taught her that to make a new friend all you have to do is say, "Hi! I'm Lilly!"

So I guess it is my own fault.

Lilly was having some concerns about kindergarten.

One day out of the blue, she announced that if she just said 'Hi, I'm Lilly' it would probably make friends there too. I assured her it would work.

She was concerned about missing me, but thought she could call me from school if that happened. She was very worried when I said that wouldn't be possible. The school would only call me if she were sick or had an emergency. She thought maybe if she told them she were sick. I discouraged this, speaking of the importance of truth. I told her she could call me every day after school and tell me how her day went. That seemed to appease her a little.

On Monday Lilly's school had an open house to introduce new students (and parents) to the school. Lilly was so excited! She put on one of the new dresses I got her for school, her new shiny black shoes, and frilly socks. Lilly had her mom put her hair in pigtails. She was ready by 8am. Mind you the open house wasn't until 4pm.

She spent her day here in the morning in nervous anticipation. That afternoon she was going through all of her school supplies and discovered I had wrote her name on her gym shoes - she had a melt down. I happened to be on the phone with Senator Harkin's office.

Timing, sometimes, is everything.

Lilly has now spent her first day in Kindergarten. She bragged that she ate her lunch all gone. Hot dog, broccoli and animal cookies. We received details how how they on their towels at rest time on the floor and it was kind of comfy. She played on the swings. And when she came here She said in amazement, "Every day will be this long"!

Yes, they will my little pal.

I miss you already.