Summer is well and truly winding down, I’m sorry to say.  On Monday my mom left for home–where I hear tell they’ve still got more summer than you can shake a stick at, by the way–and we’ve come to the final days of the kids’ and Olof’s summer vacation.  We’ve still got plenty of sunshine, but there’s a decided chill in the air even in the heat of the day.  Olof and I took the younger kids to the park this afternoon, and for the first time in weeks and weeks I found myself sorry not to have worn a jacket.

Olof and Lydia are dragging their heels at the mere mention of getting back to the grind, but Tage and Petra are chomping at the bit.  Every morning when she wakes up, Petra asks hopefully, “School today?” and Tage has been talking the ear off of anyone who’ll listen about riding his bike to school.  I have mixed feelings, myself.  It will be good to get back into a routine and to have a little more time to myself, but I’m not looking forward to the early mornings or to sharing my husband with his work again.  Oh, to be independently wealthy …