Hobby Calendar Warning!



I actually enjoy walking past this calendar each day - it reminds me of time spent in the mountains with J. And a good back story.



Readers!!

Hi.
How are you?
Are you knee deep into summertime?
Do you feel like it will be over before you know it? AAAAHHHH!!!!! NO!!!!!!
Do you wish for snow like J?

(this shot was during winter so it didn't make him salivate too badly for some fresh 'pow.')



Things have been low key. And by that I mean low energy. Another taper loomed in and turned the world upside down. I didn't know what to expect and so I had to stock up on some movies cause that is about all I can do once I am below 10.

One of my doctors commended and acknowledged me for getting there. Do you know how good that felt? It felt like I had won a ribbon like J. did in his races at the end of the school year. Too bad they look like they will have to be ironed before I can scrapbook them!

(can't see this well, but there is no snow and a guy jumping over algae. Hope his skis found snow on the landing) 

To make things upbeat before the taper into the tavern or torture, I did some things with J. that we like to do for little dates: Great Harvest Bread or treat and eat it somewhere while we just talk.
Sonic. (Bless you PowerAde.) The library. J. could care less about this place unless it weren't for the fact I get to use the scooters. Which he had to try. And I can usually find some flicks he likes and we can lose and get a fine for.

Scooters are fun until you HAVE to use and then the novelty is lost. But I am okay with it if it gets J. into the library and talking about watching Shakespeare's: A Midsummer Night's Dream vs. Macbeth.

Now that we are knee deep into summer time, our jeans are rolled up so we can feel the coolness of the water it is time to pull out memories and make traditions.

A friend of mine used to celebrate, "Christmas in July." Her mother would play Christmas music, bake goodies, decorate in a minimal way and there were small gifts. I loved the smell of her home during the middle of summer: Christmas! It was different and it was fun.

Like our year round skiing calendar.....

Hiking uphill to ski downhill in the backcountry of Colorado.



So this July I thought about that and didn't do anything but think about it and how, if I was healthy, that would have been fun. However, I had to remember that J. talks about it (skiing) all the time. Why?

It isn't the presents and toys- it's the skiing. I played basketball and so I don't have the advantage of developing a huge love for it but I love snow capped peaks. And being there to see him come off of them and have some hot cocoa with me.



(Kurt at Piggy &Dirt made this cool looking Fancy Star for his store on etsy.com)

One of the traditions I do when it really is Christmas is get a calendar for J.  Just to browse is one of my favorite traditions .  I always love to give a "hobby" calendar to J. and the past two years I Grinch Gifted one to myself!

 (- Usually I have been know to wait three month to get the cheapest one. I would either get lucky and there were some fun ones or strike out. )

Anyway, by getting one that is themed to what he likes, this year's calendar has been

a BIG mistake.

 

We love it. It is beautiful. I stumbled upon it. And it has a back story I will share later.

Once Spring came the calendar kept showing J. pictures of what he loves: skiing.  He'd pass it to go to school: A mountain and some dude doing a jump. whine. He'd pass it when he came home. MOAN.

 

 

 



The location of the calendar is in the high traffic, communication area of the hallway so it is hard to miss. It makes me miss those "moments" we shared that came with HUGE effort.

No sooner had a patch of ugly brown, matted earth revealed itself he was moaning:

"OH! I can't wait until it snows!"

ME: "It just turned spring- we need some Sun, son! Can you go ride your bike and see if that helps with the withdrawal of snow?"

Kid disappears. Literally. Anytime a chore is about to escape my lips- kid is nowhere near.
hmmmm.

Then it happened again:

 "Man, I can't wait for winter."

At this point I am wondering if the child is mine.

We live in Idaho.

(J. "I would Never RUIN MY SKIs like that!!")

 Snow means.... well, a lot of stuff, Readers.
blizzards. freezing temps. warm temps. slush and water that fills your nice shoes right before work,
 no ability to see a hand in front of your face saying: "Hi!" or High Fiving you.

It means shoveling by hand. Even if you have a snow blower- you have to prove that you can sustain life just by enduring back breaking snow shoveling.

I once had to shovel the longest driveway with my own bare hands. I had gloves on and Nate to help. But we shoveled that puppy. I mean large dog.

SNOW
 means the removal of it from streets and parking lots.
 Which means keeping your eyes peeled for the people who excavate who are not watching out for you and almost slam into your little Corolla.


*Fancy, Fancy star from Piggy & Dirt @ etsy.com

snow
means that most locals even forget how to drive in it and go too fast. That gives the police a lot to do and tow trucks so I guess it's good for business.

And when you own a calendar with pictures of the mountains and skiers- it will remind you of your trips to those mountains as a family. How hard they were to get to but the memories you made.
AND
It gives him incentive to work hard for the things that he wants.

So I guess I am going to buy calendars that have pictures of people cleaning on them from now on. So it doesn't make us yearn so badly for a certain season but sends subliminal messages to his brain.