The Perfect Month

Here in Idaho, we have very few months of weather that you could label as 'just right'. And, when I say "very few", I mean one.

Of course, you have to expect that at any moment, no matter what time of year, you can open your front door and practically blow away in a wind storm that could pass as a mini-tornado.

The winter months have been known to rival those of the North Pole. (I compared once, so I know.) March and April are generally still cold and snowy. May and June, rainy and blustery. July is nice, but usually too hot for my taste. (However, I do appreciate the cool nights.) Then there's August. 

August is pretty much perfect. 

September comes in at a close second, depending on the year.

But oh, to have August completely free of any obligations would be heavenly. This is the month in which I could just really soak up the great outdoors with my family.

But, reality strikes when I go out to run errands and the aisles at Wal-Mart are filled with those dreadful school supplies. The budget killer of budget killers! A few items costing $1.88 that magically add up to over $100 at checkout.

School started this year on August 22. But, it's not really fair to say that summer vacation ended on August 21. You see, there's all that preparation besides school supply shopping, like regi$tration the week previous to school starting. And then the clothes shopping that you have to delve into at least a week before, but that's only if you procrastinate like me. To say we get even two carefree weeks of this perfect month is stretching it. 

School could start the second week of September and I would be thrilled! I wouldn't even care if that meant school didn't get out until mid-June. Does anyone really do anything the first two or three weeks of June anyway? Seriously. We usually just stay inside because who wants to go swimming in the rain and cold?

I guess what I am getting at is, none of us were quite ready for school to start. But start it did, so we tried to keep the kicking and screaming down to a minimum. Here's the traditional "First Day" shot.

Thomas, 8th grade; Marianne, 7th grade; William, 5th grade; Sarah, 3rd grade; James, 1st grade

I suppose there is one thing I can't complain about. I get a quiet house from 8:30 - 2:30 every school day. Now that is heavenly. :)