End of the School Year

It's hard to believe that another school year has already come and gone. For the past several days Princess had been creating new excuses to stay home faster than the pumpkin vine in the garden is producing new blooms. I've been offered the typical "my stomach hurts, my throat hurts, my head hurts" as well as the slightly more creative "my hip hurts, my elbow hurts, my tongue hurts (that one was an infected taste bud)". Honestly, though, I sometimes doubt her a bit too much. A couple of weeks ago she complained of her throat hurting and I decided that rather than take her out of school the next day to go to the dr we would go to the walk-in clinic that evening. I was 100 percent sure it was just allergies - until I saw the positive strep test. So she isn't always just trying to skip school.

I can't say that I blame her efforts, either. It's been so pretty here outside lately. Princess is definitely my nature lover. She tends our small backyard garden with all the love she has. She faithfully waters the garden (even when we've had days of rain) and visits each of the plants, talking to and about them. For example, "She's looking good today, isn't she Mama" (said about one of the tomato plants). Or, "She's the prize winner today" (said about a different tomato plant). Princess can make anything grow. She planted radishes last year and we had fresh radishes all spring. The plants reseeded themselves and we are again enjoying fresh radishes - all from the first time she scattered her seeds in one tiny row. I've helped foster her love of plants by helping her plant several veggies in our garden this year - corn, okra, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and cantaloupe.

With all the "graduation" ceremonies, birthday parties, end-of-school year parties, sports parties, and various other activities, I may be coming down with a case of summer fever myself. That way Princess and I can spend a little while in the garden talking to our plants.