Ahh, July 3rd...one of my fave days ever in a calendar year because July 3rd meant that the Bock family was Up North at Pleasant Lake, in Deerfield NH.
Growing up in Westchester County, NY was fab, but my mother loved to "summer Up North" and I am blessed to have been one of those kids who spent summers outside, lakeside, and oceanside. We never spent the summer in NY, and even though I have a set of in-laws in a lovely part of Westchester, I still hate going to NY in the summer...it unnerves me!

Deerfield, NH was the location of some of my most cherished memories of summer, including, but not limited to: fishing for sunnies (sunfish), paddling my own 1923 Old Towne sailing canoe named Madeline, eating highbush blueberries right off the bush while wading in the lake, camping out in the woods without parents, swimming, sunning, simply being.

But most important about July 3rd was it meant that I was reunited with Meg. Meg was and is my true twin sister from different mothers...we are stereo speakers, finishing each others sentences frequently, or giving each other the exact same gift for Christmas (it has happened more than once, just ask a family member!) We giggle together, still, and speak our own language.

Meg now lives south of the border in sunny Florida, where it seems so many of my loved ones meander, but I love July because of Meg, Deerfield, NH, and memories.

It is July 2nd, and I am posting my second blog of the month! I am on target to become a daily blogger! This is an exciting event for me, as I have only recently entered the world of blogging, tweeting, and facebooking. I have found all forms of communication addictive and enjoying.

I started with a simple daily fix of Facebook, playing countless silly games, looking for faces from the past, learning the rules of on-line interaction. I check my FB daily, and love how it has kept me in touch with many folks from my life that I had either lost contact with, or saw everyday (but love to post on their walls and tag them in silly photos). My best friends have both moved to Florida, and my sister now lives in Africa, so it has become the easy way for me to stay in contact with my pals.

I stumbled on to Twitter a few months later, and fell in love. Twitter limits you to 140 characters, spaces and punctuation included. I became entranced with the quick simple statements posted (tweeted) by the famous, infamous, and normal folks. I quickly began posting everyday, usually about nothing too urgent, but important to me. I also began "following" a great deal of people I am interested in, leading to a good five to ten mins of reading every night, before I posted my own tweet. I love Twitter!

After I tweeted for a couple of months, I realised that I could post a daily blog, and that it didn't need to be earth-shattering important, but simply me, writing. The challenge is to blog everyday, so here I am, blogging away!

By the way, it is raining again in N.H., meaning that we are 0-2 for the month of July and sunny days. We had 27-30 for June...27 rainy days for June! Today, I feel like I am finally living in Seattle...I don't know how they do it!

I stand corrected. Today IS July 1st, so I haven't missed a day in July yet!

Dang! I meant to post on this blog everyday in July, but I already missed July 1st! LOL!
This is SO me...the best of intentions, then life gets in the way!

One of my bestest friends ever, my separated-at-birth Michigan sister, Kristin aka Bob (who's favorite color is purple-fyi) as a dedicated and fabulous blogger. Check out her wonderful and insightful blog at www.ttelroc.blogspot.com, and look at all of her links to other creative bloggers.

She is my inspiration for many of the creative aspects in life, such as just living life in color! Bob goes out and just IS creative. She blogs daily, she writes very well, she carries a camera with her every where and takes the coolest snaps EVER...but she is lacking a few Manatee mailbox pix...oh well, not everyone is perfect!

Bob has always been a devoted sister, daughter, friend, and wife. If you are lucky enough to have a Bob in your life, you are truly blessed! I highly recommend finding one of your own, 'cause I will share mine, but you cannot have her!

I LOVE YOU BOB!

Jeffrey is off camping with his buddy, Jeremy, for the next few days. He might be back on Weds, or he might not (I am guessing not). He will need clean clothes soon, but hey, what is summer with a smelly teenage boy running rampant...at least he will be next to a lake, so bathing might occur by accident!
Lily has started day camp at Camp Wildcat today. She returned home, smiling, happy, and hungry. Yippeee!
I am child-free this week, and it is kind of delightful. The house settles down, the cats pick their napping spots, as do I, and we simply just are...at home. Yippeee!

Loving summer vacation! I went out and treated myself to a professional pedicure, shopped for a gift at B&N (spent only $40!!!), mowed the lawan and reseeded it, and flipped the living room rug. Took a brief nap, flipped laundry, and just kinda "let go".
I am reflecting on the passings of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson...I have such sorrow for their families....but I am also thinking about who I was, and where I lived (and who I lived with) when they were super hot...so much of my life doesn't match where I was then...
Thank you to Smitty Smith, who loved me then...

I skipped an day (yesterday) because my son "graduated" from eight grade last night. It was a wonderful night, filled with joy for all he and his classmates had accomplished. Since I have known many of his mates since preschool, it was wonderful to watch them cross the stage as teenagers, walking towards their futures with sweetly innocent and excited faces.
Jeffrey received a Presidential Scholar award for academics. I am so very proud of him, he is a wonderful kid with a good head on his shoulders. I think he is going to have a blast at the high school, even with me in the building!
Lily has finished up at the elementary school today, it was a bittersweet moment (for me) when I picked her up after school, as I will no longer be driving to that school. We have moved on, but a tiny bit of me is sad...the passage of time and all.
Here's to summer and progress!