and you are….?

Do we even know each other? It’s been so long….

Just kidding.  I know you’ve been bouncing in your collective seats, biting your collective nails, wondering wtf is happening in Starrhill.  There’s nothing so exciting as the news from here.

In no particular order:

1. nothing – for real, nothing.  It’s summer and that’s how we roll around here.  I’ve been taking care of various children to pay the bills and sitting on the porch with drinks and generally doing nothing.
2. small skunk sighting – not a baby and not an adult, but cute.  Also surprising enough to make me jump.  And cute enough to make me think of Pepe Le Pew and worry for my little girl kitten, who does look a good bit like the little black cat Pepe’s always after.
3. vacation – woo and hoo!  I haven’t had a real vacation in years.  Years, I tell you.  The gf and I went up north, stopping at her folks’ in LI and then on to Western Mass for a wedding (as a side note, the officiant made a very low-key and lovely comment at the start of the ceremony about how marrige is a right and that we hope soon it will be in everyone’s reach – warmed my little gay heart), which is totally at the top of my weddings-attended list.  Then post fab-wedding weekend (yes, it was a whole weekend, yes it was *fab*) we went back to LI/NYC.  There was beach time, there was boat time, there was city time.  We ate more Korean food than you can shake a stick at.  The gf’s mama gave me a skirt.  And some beach glass.  I got to see the gf drive a boat and yes,it was a hot as you might thing.  I slept late and got tan.
4. I haz an air conditioner in my bedroom. Some people are more, shall we say “sensitive” to the heat.  Oh, the things you do for love.
5. not pregnant – again.  And then again!  *sigh* And, yes, this has been the blight of my summer.  If I had gotten knocked up, or if I were not ttc, this summer could be labeled as One Of The Best Times Of My Life.  But no.  TTC fucks everything up.  Don’t let me discourage you, though.
6. RE visits – see above.  RE visits with company, and by company I mean the gf.  Yes, Clem, I’ve changed her name, just for you.  I’ll remind y’all again that my RE is the best RE:  full of science and stories and willing to explain any and everything he does *and* immediately and totally inclusive of the gf – asides to be sure she understood terms like ICSI and full eye-contact and hand shakes and generally just being great.  Keep in mind accompanying me on RE visits holds no additional meaning for us.  So don’t jump to any conclusions – yes, I’m talking to you.  And you.  And, yes, you, too.  Good lord, y’all.
7. drugs – not recreational ones.  Just my old friend Femara.  You might remember that The Pregnancy That Wasn’t occurred sans meds and so I opted to continue trying without them once I got back on the horse January last.  Oh dreams of un-assisted conception, how far and hard you fall.  Anyway, yeah, I’ve given up on that shit.  Western medicine.  Bring it.
8. the peeps – um, well, ah…. things have changed with the peeps.  They are big now, as you might guess.  I almost don’t recognize them in those pictures from a few months ago.  So, ah, the other thing is that both those peeps turned out to be roosters.  Ha.  One of them started crowing and getting rather aggressive and so I passed him on to a friend in the country.  He eventually got eaten by a dog but he had a good run at country life for a few weeks before that.  Before his passing, but after his exile from Starrhill, I bought 3 more peeps off of Craigslist.  All girls.  They are blue laced Wyandottes we like to call Mary, Kate and Ashley.  And, yes, you counted right.  There is still one of the Original Peeps here in Starrhill.  We like to call him Lola.  I would end up with genderqueer chickens.
9. IVP visit – Woo and Hoo!  We squeezed in a visit with Jude and her fab and adorable fam.  They are fab and, yes, I pretty much love Northhampton, like the good lesbian I am.
10. June visit with my cousin – woo!  She’s big now.  It was like a real adult visit.  I heart her.
11. the gf – yes, I know some of you are stalking me just because of her legs.  I see you over there, hoping for another picture of her in shorts.  Sad to say, my camera is broken.  Anyway, it’s pretty damn good these days, y’all.  Blissful and lovely for here, please.
12. work – what work? (Ok, I am looking forward to it just a little bit, as cho-girl is coming to teach with me again.)
13. fermenting – so far I’ve got pickles and sauerkraut and radishes under my belt.  Some are more successful than others.  Also plum jam from plums the gf and my roommate scavenged from the tree by the school.  I’m sure there will be more putting up in the next weeks as I try to hang on to whatever summer I can.

It’s time for a nap after lunch (leftover fritta with leeks and zucchini from the farm, maybe some peaches).  Log your lunch.  I’ve missed you.