Soaking in the Green

Green.

I love coming home after being at the ocean for a while because everything looks so green. It's new and refreshed.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I woke up this morning without a stabbing pain in my back. The cat was curled up next to me as if to make sure I wouldn't bolt out the door again. It's cool outside, that wonderful shift in the late summer from searing hot to mornings with thick dew on the grass.

My boys are coming home today.

A month is way too long for them to be gone. Zachary will be a foot taller and Jake will have a deep nut brown tan, his hair blond from the sun. We have a stack of birthday presents for Zachary, as the day passed when he was at camp. He wants falafal and cake, not to mention a long stretch of sitting, eyes glazed, in front of the television.

Ben has said he misses his brothers terribly. He woke up early to jump in the car with Jeanine to go get them. He has bounced between being incredibly sweet and being absolutely a pain in the ass for the last week. One minute, I'm beautiful, the next, he's certain he got his looks from the donor.

And I thought I had big hormonal swings going on- geesh.

I have dishes to clean up from last night, presents to wrap. Open the window in Jake and Zachary's room, so some fresh air can circulate. It's almost time to shift gears again, the beginning of school just minutes away, filled with excitement and trepidation. The kids will be running on high anxiety, every moment charged with anticipation. I love this time of year.

For now, though, there is nothing more important to do than to take a cup of coffee and sit, soaking in the green.