Not Lazy, maybe a little Hazy, but definitely super Crazy Days of Summer at the Bit-o-Earth!

I don't know where I ever got the idea that

summer should be
Lazy or Hazy...
but mine certainly is Crazy so far

This past week my sister-in-law, niece
and their best friends have been at our house.

What did we do?

EAT
TALK
EAT
TALK
CAN APRICOTS


EAT
TALK
And a little SLEEP

They have never learned to can fruit,
and asked me to teach them.


I have done it most of my life,
so it was an easy "yes"



We have a blast

It was a ton of work



but mostly it was girl time,
and I loved that~

My sister-in-law (Stefany) is going through her first
"empty nest" experience,
as my niece just graduated from high school
and is headed off to college this fall.

Stef's best friend (Carol),
just married off her eldest son,
and
is sending her youngest (Haley) off to college
this fall
and will have a truly empty nest
for the first time in her life.

Both are suffering the beginning effects of "that time of life"

ME?

I've been there with all of the above,
so my job was to assure them
that all turns out well.

The heart breaks
and is sad

but then life moves along
grandbabies join the nest
and life is good again!

(:

I like my job



So this week,
we head up to "the ranch."

A lovely place with tall pine trees,
warm summer days,
mountain weather,
and best of all,
my parents~

Its our annual Family Reunion

Each year my parents,
siblings
all the grandchildren,
and now the great-grandchildren

join together to celebrate being "FAMILY"

My mother is the hub of the wheel of family
We are the spokes,
and we all revolve around her capable hands and heart.

She has American Indian blood that runs deep in her veins,
and has raised us kids learning their ways.

She's deeply spiritual

She has given each of us an Indian name
and a symbol that goes with that name


My father bought her a huge tepee,
which we have painted with all those symbols,
and our hand prints beside each.
Last summer
Aiden and Ashton were added
OH HOW they LOVED that!



At the top of the front of the tepee
fly two beautiful American Bald Eagles
that represent my parents

but they've never been given Indian Names
so this year my siblings and I have chosen names for them
and will present them in a special ceremony.
I don't want to share them here,
in case she peeks at my blog (:

(We always document it with video, photos and writings,
so maybe I can post about it later)

Shawnee is her tribe
Their names will be given in English
as well as the native Algonquain language



I hope you're all having a wonderful summer
dear Blog Friends!
I'll be gone for a little while,
but back soon to catch up with all of you~