June is the month that my two youngest take their university finals, and complete their first year of university studies. Classwork may come to an end, but full-time summer employment is just beginning. Summer employment for my daughters means a Monday through Friday position on campus, cleaning dorms, kitchens, and meeting rooms, as they're on the housekeeping team. It's hard physical work, but at least they come home to rest, instead of studies and papers. Friday afternoons are the real highlight for the girls. The university puts on a barbeque lunch, gratis, for its student staff. Bonus -- they get 1 hour for lunch instead of 30 minutes. These are real perks when you're 19 years old. The other really awesome thing for them -- they each received raises! Summer employment may be a necessary evil in their eyes, but at least they're treated well, and earn a significant portion of their tuition each summer.
June is also the month that my part-time employment comes to a close. I'll start back to work in September. But I'll miss those little guys, and I'll miss the opportunity to earn some money. But this now means that my Thursdays are free again. And maybe I can take on more projects around the house. I have this one major sewing/decorating project, for which I bought all the necessary materials a year ago, before news of our income reduction. Adjusting to this reduced income took all of my energy last summer, fall and winter. It still takes a good deal of work and energy, but maybe, just maybe, I can tackle this project, which, for some reason, feels like summer work.
June is the month that I can take a break from planting the garden and just keep up with weeding. It does mean that more produce will come into the kitchen for me to process. But that's a fun thing, to watch the freezer stock of garden veggies grow.
June is the month for strawberries, and more strawberries and even more strawberries in our garden. We are so blessed with a healthy crop of strawberries this year. My favorite way to eat them is simply fresh. If there are enough strawberries, my second favorite way to eat them is in strawberry sorbet. I'm hoping to be able to make at least one batch of sorbet this June.
June is also the month of roses, here in the Pacific Northwest. While some of the rose bushes began blooming in May, June is when I cut roses every week to fill vases for the house. My favorite roses are the English roses, with their full blossoms. But we also have some nice hybrid tea roses, a rosa rugosa, and one lovely, old fashioned climbing rose that I have entwined in an apple tree in the front yard. I saw this in a photo years ago, a climbing rose entwined in an apple tree. It caught my eye, and I vowed to recreate this some day. Well, ours has been growing now for 2 years, and is on the verge of looking like something I once saw.
June is the month of Father's Day. My father-in-law lives 2 hours north of us. We'll drive up to visit with him. I'd like to bring a couple of homemade goodies with us, perhaps a batch of eclairs, or a box of cookies, and some homemade jam.
June is also the first full month of cookouts for our family. We do hot dog roasts around the fire pit, as well as bbq's on the grill. Our weekend entertainment centers around the outdoors for the summer. We have a croquet set and some horseshoes for active fun. Then after dark, there are s'mores to be made, then the waiting and watching for signs of nightlife in the yard. We sometimes see a family of raccoons crossing down by the pond. And the bats are interesting to watch circling over the neighborhood. Occasionally, an owl will be spotted. These creatures keep themselves hidden during the day, but provide interest for us in the evening.
My wish for you is that June will be a month of abundant joys, as it is for me. Let's make June spectacular!
with warmest regards,
Lili Mounce
