Say good-bye to May.

Writing-wise it was a sparse month. Maybe though it was time to refill the well because I sit here tonight feeling content and happy with the results of the month. I met new people, improved important skills, I reconnected with old friends, spent contented hours with family--some of whom I hadn't seen in years, I got my hands in the dirt and planted flowers that make my front porch a little oasis all my own. All in all, it was a rich, full month, even if I didn't meet the smallest of my writing goals.

By way of example, on Saturday night we had one of the most laid back and enjoyable evenings I think we've had in a long time. R decided he had a hankerin' for some shrimp and he dug out the last of the butterfly venison steaks from the freezer and put some bodacious smoke in them. We sat out in our front yard on the south side of a ferocious, tornado-filled thunderstorm (which was moving northeast of course; we're not stupid. LOL!) and watched the light show through the clouds. What a churning bubbling mass of energy. Incredible in shape and changing in color as the sun set and the clouds billowed and ran across the sky in thick molten layers attended by veils of scud that at times reminded me of cotton candy. It was too tremendous for words. When the worst of the wind in the backdraft was over and we were no longer in danger of having the plates blown away if we let loose for a moment, we nibbled on shrimp and steak along with a nice Zinfindel and for a few hours became human beings instead of human "doings." It was much needed and so much enjoyed.

Then the following night we were invited to my inlaws for dinner. We feasted on grilled hamburgers and bratwurst, potato salad, green salad, her "famous" baked beans, and cherry pie ala mode for dessert. To work all that off, we started out with a few sets of badmitton to get the blood flowing before we ate, and then after we continued. I have never played so much badmitton in my life! It was 10:30 before we left. We laughed so hard and just had a beautiful evening together. We need to do it more often.

Those are just samples of how generous May has been.

I'm ready to settle into a routine that's a bit more home-centered, hoping against hope that June will settle down a bit. After the graduation party next weekend. Oh well, it's good for me I guess. It's just that we've been gone a lot in May! But I do have some paperwork and house-keeping jobs I want to get off my shoulders so that when I hit November I don't have things niggling at me while I'm writing the draft of my blockbuster novel during NaNoWriMo. :)

We're gearing up for A's trip now and his potential graduation. It's a toss-up really. He's ahead by a year, but staying in school may open opportunities for concurrent enrollment in some college programs and/or vo-tech. He's still undecided with just what he wants to do with himself, and I empathize. I wish I had had more time to just explore--really search out just what it was that ignited a fire in my soul and then press forward to make my work my play. Or vice versa. A has so many talents, so many unique qualities and abilities that I do want him to take the time to understand himself enough to know what he likes, what he doesn't, what will make him wake up in the morning eager to enter the day and accomplish the most good that he can. Most of all, I think I would just die if I ever saw the light in his eyes disappear under a work load that was an inescapable burden.

And that, I guess will do it for this month. Here's to a precious June....