Six down...

It's Wednesday already. When I dropped the kids off on Sunday to leave for camp, the coming week seemed endless. Now the fourth day of camp week is nearly spent (the sixth, if we count the two days last weekend when the kids and hubby were gone, and of course we do!). It's been a good week. Quiet. Low key. Productive but not in a manic sort of way.

How have I spent my week so far? I admit I've done some cleaning. Not the most exciting thing to do during a "free" week, but it is easier to do when I'm not constantly being stopped and side-tracked by the needs of kids. My bathroom is cleaner than it has been in months. Today I tackled our bedroom, which is now mercifully cleared of piles and dust. I've purged my bookshelves and have at least four boxes ready to go to the half-price book store soon. Tomorrow I hope to improve the condition of my living and dining rooms. (Really, I'm not so much of a clean freak as much as I just do not like clutter. Clutter is like static to my senses, the grating of nails on a chalkboard. It is also a constant battle in a small house. Thus, when I get weeks like this that allow me to attack it uninterrupted, I like to take it.)

Aside from the cleaning, I've been relaxing. Knitting. A lot of alfresco knitting, actually. And alfresco dining. And reading. The weather lately has been beautiful...not nearly as humid as August usually is here around the 'burgh. So I've taken advantage of it...eating my meals out on the back patio, knitting and reading in the front yard where I can enjoy the sight of my pretty flowers...

...Black-Eyed Susans...one of my favorites...

...a hibiscus flower...fancier than the ones my mom has in Florida...

... and watch the birds at the feeders...

...a pretty gold finch...the red house finch was being stubborn and I never did get a good picture of him...

...a sparrow of some sort on the left; a tufted titmouse (I believe) on the right; and a mystery bird in the back...

...another tufted titmouse (or maybe the same one?) with a Carolina chickadee peeking around from the back...

...lastly, an ornery blue jay...these guys have the audacity to think they can actually perch on my bird feeders when they are clearly too large! It's comical.

Something I'm learning this week is that I do not spend nearly enough time out of doors. And I think the computer is largely responsible. Especially since I got the laptop, which I can access from upstairs. It's so easy to get sucked into reading blogs and boards over at Ravelry, playing games on Facebook and Plurking. I'm making an effort this week to do all of this less, and to enjoy real life -- outside -- more. I'm hoping I can convince my kids to do the same once they get home from camp. Turn off the TV and the DS and the Wii and go get some fresh air!

On that note, I think I'm going to enjoy an after-dinner cup of coffee and refill my bird feeders. These birds have cleaned them out again!