finally back to it. . .blogging

What a summer! i was just reading thru my last blog post (june 17th, my bday) and just want everyone to know my life didn't stop. It just got too busy for blogging. I vowed to start up again as soon as the kids were back in school, so 8 weeks later, here i am!

It was a beautiful summer, not too humid. We spent the entire month of August driving, nearly coast to coast. We went east to Syracuse, NY the first weekend and stayed a week up there, then home for a few days to do laundry and re-pack. We then drove West, and after 3 days, met my mom and some siblings in West Yellowstone. Stayed there for 2 days and continued west to Oregon. What a whirl-wind visit there. My family is so big, we didn't manage to see everyone in the 5 days we were there, before heading back to Ohio. But, all in all, a great experience for the kids and great sanity-saver for me. I like to be going and doing, and am always happiest when headed west!

I love fall! It's become my favorite season since we moved here. The colors are brilliant, the weather is crisp and fresh, but not too cold. The smells of wood smoke, burning leaves, spiced candles and pumpkin something baking are irresistible.

We went to Peifer Orchards this last wknd and got pumpkins, apples, apple cider, and honey. They also have these giant cookies that are made with pure maple syrup and they are divine. We love doing that with the family every year and creating a memory and a tradition for the kids. We've learned to wait to carve the pumpkins until a few days before Halloween, otherwise they rot, badly. My parents also visited over the weekend and that was wonderful! It was also Jacklin's 9th birthday, so we celebrated on Saturday evening and tried to spoil her rotten; I think she felt loved, i hope so.

So, I've been a bit down since summer and took St. John's wort in pill form all summer. I quit taking it when the kids went back to school, but noticed I was not feeling better, just more and more sad. So, thanks to the love and kindness of my friend, Leah, I am back taking the herb, but in liquid form. It tastes terrible, but it really seems to help me and steady me. I know i probably shouldn't self-diagnose and self-medicate, but I really can't afford to go to a doctor. I read that this area of the country typically has high rates of depression and suicide. Maybe it's all the manufacturing???? The air we breathe isn't very clean, and i really wonder about the water. Also, there's all the fertilizer for the fields, so even in the country, you can't win. I just notice that I have no interest in life, no care one way or the other, and feel often sad and homesick. I think I felt better today, cuz I actually thought about doing something fun with Rona.

Well, I need to go to bed and get some beauty sleep. I stayed up late reading last night, trying to catch up on the Phillipa Gregory books from this year and last. They are good reading and I recommend them. The Other Queen and The White Queen, if anyone is interested. I won't make promises about how often I'll post, but will try my best to keep it up.