Home

I've been home about a week and some change now.

Dad and I built and fenced and new garden, in which Mom and I then planted scarlet runners, shallots, tomatoes, basil, sweet cecily, salad burnett, radishes, carrots, beets, lettuce, peas, bell peppers, zukes, three different cukes, butternut squash, yard-long beans, and rhubarb. The ground has been frozen until recently, and then we got a ton of rain, so planting had to be put off a bit. My sister only helped when hollered at.

But I am looking forward to harvesting all the lovely veggies. and then pickling the cukes and the beans.
That's kind of my thing. Mom makes jam and cans other fruits, and I'm in charge of pickling things. Last summer we made three different kinds of pickles; dill, bread and butter, and wild child (really spicy! and tasty).

My sister is fourteen, and has a serious attitude, which clashes pretty heavily with me. She's convinced that I'm out to ruin her social life. But we had a nice chat the other day, so we'll see how things go from here.

And I started work at our local pool again. I'm upper-level staff, and until I went back, I hadn't realized how much I missed the people who work there. There is a certain level of camaraderie and repartee that is present here which is definitely lacking at the pool in Bellingham. They are good kids too, for the most part, and I've made a few very lovely friends, but I'll always love this little historical pool that I grew up in, swam on the team for, and and have worked at for the last 5 years. Sure, sometimes the staff irritates me. But it's worth it. And I have the best boss in the entire world here.