Hot and sticky.

If you've been reading the headlines beyond Obama's healthcare reforms, Michael Jackson's kids, and further protests in Iran, you might have noticed that it's hot here in the Pacific Northwest. Really, really hot. These are the two weeks that happen every year just to make the residents of Western Washington wish that buying an air conditioning unit was justified by the rest of the year. People go swimming and shopping in record numbers at this time in July every year, but this year has been exceptional! We posted the hottest temperature ever in Bremerton yesterday (102 farenheit, I believe), and there are no fans to be had on the Kitsap Peninsula, either for love or money. We know. We've looked.

Now there are still ways to beat the heat, even in places like Bremerton where heat comes only once a year. One way is to sit in one's house wearing as little as possible. Boo Boo loves this. She would go around in her diaper all day in the dead of winter if we let her. Note the Broncos hat. She did that herself. This past weekend, Silverdale, the little commercial town to the north of us, celebrated Whaling Days. We hadn't been to Whaling Days yet, even though we've been here for four years, so we decided to take a shot at it. We braved the heat to catch the last part of the parade and some of the street festival.

These people are our Parks and Rec department. Aren't those cars the coolest?

This is the Mustang Club. I got a lecture from Seth about why the 1980s Mustangs are inferior to any other decade, and I'm inclined to agree. This is a classic Mustang, and as Seth says, it could go through a brick wall and look good doing it.

Chico Towing. And a little something for all my caffeine addicts out there. If you can't read it, the side of the ambulance says "Mocha Medics and the Caffeine Emergency Response Unit." Pretty neat.

Sunday evening, Seth and I decided that we couldn't stand being in a hot house anymore, so we packed up the Boo Boo and ventured down to Guillemot Cove Wildlife Preserve, one of my favorite places in the world. The cove itself was still easily 90 degrees, but to get to the cove one has to walk under nearly a mile of densely wooded wildlife refuge which was easily 15 degrees cooler. Plus the cove is one of the most beautful places I've ever seen, and Boo Boo had never been there. She loved it almost as much as I do.

She discovered fir cones.

Quick, name that movie.

Seth taught Boo Boo to throw rocks in such a way that they would go forward into the water.

But until the heat goes down again, we're just going to hang out indoors. So Boo Boo and I say a cheerful farewell.

Here we go again!

All right, folks. They're at it again. There may be more to our president's rush to push healthcare reform than just a subtle socialist agenda. Part of the bill as it presently stands includes a mandated package of basic services that every insurance provider would have to provide, and among those services, unless Congress should see fit to say explicitly otherwise, is abortion. These basic service packages would, for the most part, be funded by government subsidies. In other words, our tax dollars.

Now, even as we speak, the abortion industry is losing clientele. Seven clinics in El Paso, Texas, were closed last month because they didn't have enough income. If these clinics are closing, that would indicate that they don't have a market. America doesn't want abortion. So why is the government insisting on expanding it as a mandatory insurance service. Why is the government mandating insurance policy at all?

If you find this as concerning as I do, please go to this website: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com and check out their options. Then learn about our current healthcare reform initiative, write to your congresspersons, and tell them exactly what you will and will not pay for.

God bless,

Jennifer

Busy, busy summer

Earlier this summer, I joined a mommy's group because I thought that I would need help getting out and about. You know how many of those outings I've made? One in three months. We're just too busy. Who'd have thought that a mom of one could keep herself so busy with only church, family, and acquaintances, plus the usual elements of keeping up with life?

And we've been plenty busy. Boo Boo is growing by leaps and bounds. Her climbing skills have only improved, and she's getting faster every day. She figured out doorknobs this week. Fortunately for us, she's not tall enough to put any real pressure on them or open any doors. She gets into enough stuff without sneaking out of doors.

Seth is home for the summer, which means that we make the occasional day trip just for the fun of it. More often we just stay home. Boo Boo thinks home is more fun when Daddy is around. Our ladies' Bible study has decided it has had enough of the classroom and spends every Tuesday morning out and about in the parks of Kitsap County. This is Boo Boo with Pastor Dave, her new best friend, on the famous Clear Creek Trail. These are my little friends Keira and Shadyn looking for animals from the bridge at Clear Creek. Clear Creek is a salmon stream restoration project. The whole length of the creek as it passes through Silverdale is protected as a park and wetland. The park is about five miles long, and it runs directly through the town, right between businesses and parking lots. It's a great place to walk or have lunch.

And of course, summer is also travel time. Now that Seth is home, we're making the rounds to all the relatives again. We went down and saw his folks for the 4th, and Boo Boo is finally big enough to get out and meet the animals. She discovered the horse and the llamas by herself (though she wasn't overly keen to approach them alone), but we had to arrange a meeting with the calves one evening. They didn't know what to make of her, but she thought they were stupendous.

We took her to the St. Paul fair and rodeo, and she went on her first carousel ride with mommy and her first ferris wheel ride with Daddy and Aunty Lydia. Look at the expression of awe on her face. All in all, we've barely had time to draw breath, let alone seek out new contacts and friendships. The rest of the summer looks equally busy, so don't be surprised if my posts are long, few, and far between. See you later.