Hello everyone! Today feels like fall, it’s practically chilly outside, and I am loving it. I took my coffee outside this morning and listened to the birds and watched a firefly make its slow way around the edge of the table. It was probably getting ready to nap for the day, just as I was getting ready to do the opposite. The sparrows were hopping in and out of the honeysuckle, and the wind was gently pushing the curtain back and forth, while the sun bounced through the gaps.

My summer is both parts stressful and emotional, and yet also filled with happy moments; it feels strange to me to have both of those at once. But I guess that is just how life works. We go on. We live. We do what we can. And I have an 11 year old, and a husband, and me. I’m coming to terms with some things as best as I can, and one of the things is that I can’t fix everything. I can’t be everywhere, all the time. I can only do the best that I can, and I have been told I can’t lose myself too so I am working on that, and I am following those instructions given to me out of love and friendship.

We spent some days indoors due to the wildfire smoke that was reducing the air quality here. One day Detroit had the worst air quality in the world; not a distinction I wanted! However, I know that the people enduring the fires had it much much worse. We just needed to ride out the storm, so to speak. Wait for the smoke to clear, literally. And we could deal with that minor inconvenience. We painted and watched tv and read books. I ordered books for the next school year, Wyatt played with his toys. On Saturday night we had a family game night which we haven’t done for ages and I think we all missed! We played How to Train Your Dragon Monopoly, which was so fun, and to make it even more atmospheric, I played the soundtrack to the movie while we played. It made the game very dramatic.

On Sunday, the weather was nice, and the AQ was elevated only for those sensitive to it, and so we headed out to the Detroit Book Festival! I had to promise Billy I would wear a mask because of my asthma, which was smart anyway, but I am used to masking when I have to so it wasn’t bad. (Plus, I love the masks we have. They are made by Enro and they are comfortable and are comparable to N95 masks)

And then while wandering through the crowds and booths, hardly being able to see over all the people in front of me due to my towering five feet, I spotted the author Jim Benton and his booth. Just crammed in there, between all the other booths. I fan girled to Billy and then had to join the line to get his autograph. We picked out a book for Wyatt, since there were so many other readers there we couldn’t get him to that area, and then Billy maneuvered him over to Mr. Benton. I was stuck down the table but I still managed to get a shot of them together. He even drew a picture for Wyatt which was awesome! He was extremely nice, and asked me about Wyatt’s reading.

Eventually I couldn’t bear to fight the crowds anymore, so we headed out. Not before I stopped at the Sleeping Bear Press booth though. I love their books and have been buying them for our home library before Wyatt was even born. I had to pick one up, and so I chose one about Shipwrecks. It was just so pretty and shiny. Lol.

I don’t know what the rest of my week entails. I have some loose plans, to get ice cream with some friends and Wyatt’s friends (it is nice when your kid’s friends’ parents are also your friends), a drink with my cousin, and then we are doing something with my brother and nieces this weekend, although we don’t know what yet. We are continuing on the slow roll of summer that we embarked on, our Frog and Toad summer.

And that is it from me today. I hope that whatever you do this week, you do something that makes you smile!