I was hanging out diapers on the clothesline and I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Because I was hanging out diapers? No, no . . . that’s not it. Just had a moment where I thought, “I need to take a snapshot of this. I need to remember this day, this day right here in August 2014.”

When I was hanging the diapers, I saw the shoes sticking out on the fence posts of my garden. The kids went down to play in the creek, and we needed a place to “put them” to dry – some place puppy proof, because the two Catahoula pups will chew up anything in their path. I could hear Ruthie on the deck rocking away on the incredibly noisy, but remarkably durable rocking horse that has served all of Nathan’s children (Dustin, Grace, Miles & Ruth). I could also hear Miles wailing inside the house. He was pitching a fit because I wouldn’t let him put on a pair of clean jeans (from the folded piles on the kitchen table) after he got up from his nap to come chore with me – I insisted he wear the same jeans he’d put on that morning, but took off when he was napping. After making my stance, I just came outside to chore and left him to sort through his temper tantrum (he’s 3 ½, and they are waning in number considerably, but I am trying to curb the amount of laundry he creates). Poor Rebecca was stuck up in her bedroom listening to the wailing as she tries to find enough quiet to work through her geometry. Addison, my fledgling eaglet, is at play practice (in a college production).

It’s almost the end of August, and everything is still remarkably lush from all the rain we’ve had this winter. I have been speculating (as I dab at my consistently-running eyes – allergies) if I need to look up the winter forecast in the Almanac. As a good farmer’s wife, I now check the Almanac for these things. It’s about 105 with the heat index right now, but the tomatoes are still hanging in there, and producing buckets for me (which I can as I’m able, but I sure give away about as many as I can).

So far today, I’ve done 3 loads of laundry, made two separate rounds of lunches for children (older kids to take to campus, and younger kids to eat here at home). I’ve chored twice today (morning to let everything out, water and feed) and afternoon (check everything’s water, and get eggs). I’ve searched out a calf we were worried about – only 2 days old, and Mama Cow is a bit negligent, and tracked down an older-than-dirt mare who is wandering away from the others. Not that I blame her – I probably will want to do the same when I’m older than dirt, it’s hot out, and I’m getting crochety. I’ve done my workout, picked up toys about 10 times, gotten both babies down for naps, up for snacks, and about 10 diapers changed. I’ve gotten in about 4 hours of grading, I would estimate, and have two new classes starting today. I’m about to start working on tonight’s dinner, which will be fried catfish and fried potatoes, which only my husband and the two babies will eat. There’ll be baked fish and salad for us 3 ladies who prefer a bit less, uh, saturated fats, in our diet. I’m not going to make a dessert, because I still have chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, chocolate brownies, lemon brownies, peanut butter fudge, and blueberry oat bars leftover from the weekend (oh, and homemade peanut butter bars in the freezer). The world’s greatest husband indeed deserves his fried catfish because he’s out working in this 105 degree day, at a coal plant, no less (10 hour shifts).

All in all, it’s an incredible day, and I am one lucky country mama.