I loved the line in the Julie & Julia movie, "I can blog.  I have thoughts."  It takes a lot more than thoughts, Julie, it takes discipline.  Something you found and I've lost.  A maelstrom of events has sucked me down, absorbing energy that previously might have gone into a blog or two.  Life is moving quickly and changing, all for the good but also difficult.

Big winds blow through my household, reorganizing as it does every year, our schedule for the coming year.  This year, Lauren will be off on her own at college.  It is the exact right college for her, and she is very much looking forward to it.  Anna will be returning, having spent five weeks away at the Governor's Scholar Program.   William grows older, requiring more structure.  I have much to do to be ready for this fall.

My foot surgery has hampered my normal "step aside, I'll just do it" attitude.  I have had to sit and let be.  I have had to let go.  I am ready to get back to work, but my foot says no.  And somehow, my lack of physical ability diminishes my thoughts, as if I must literally think on my feet.  I expected by now to be pain free and though wearing an ugly surgical shoe, back to nearly normal.  I guess my expectations were out of line.

Notes:
I have written about the two inbred idiot chickens that went broody and sat on imaginary eggs.  We tried integrating them into the large coop to keep them from sitting on (and pooping on) our good hay in the barn.  Lacking in intelligence, one expired due to heat exhaustion and not getting up to eat or drink anything, lest her imaginary eggs go unprotected.  The other, a black hen, was rescued by Lauren yesterday who thought she was headed  for a similar fate.  Lauren took her from the big coop and put her in a cage, where she ate and drank a lot.  Old grandma farmers were smarter than we hobby farmers.  This chicken should definitely be in the stew pot.

I miss my horses.  I suppose, now that the heat has broken somewhat, I could groom them in the cross-ties, but I must stay away from the miniature horses.  One misstep, and their little hooves on my bad foot could spell disaster.

A good part of this summer was spent preparing for Lauren's big graduation piano recital.  Surrounded by friends and relatives, it was wonderful.  It kicked off the 32nd Annual University of Louisville Suzuki Piano Institute, which took place all of last week.  I don't know how watching my kids take classes all day can be so exhausting, but it was.