In The Works

My older brother and his family will be coming home for a week on Saturday morning, June 28.

My middle brother will be coming home for good the same day, although he will not arrive until midnight or so, because he will be driving from Denver.

We will allow everyone to rest on Sunday, but on Monday we will all go up to the lake, where we will remain until late Saturday afternoon.

This is our annual week at the lake, always scheduled for the week that coincides with July 4. My family has always gone up to the lake for this week since before I was born. It is family ritual, never-varying, and everyone always looks forward to it.

This weekend, we will not go up to the lake to prepare the house in advance, as we normally do. I have convinced my mother that the house needs no preparation except for a quick vacuuming and dusting, which can be done as soon as we arrive. Instead, we will stay in town this weekend, and get some jobs done around the house and yard, and start buying the food we will take with us to the lake the following weekend, and start packing a few other things for July 4 week. By doing these jobs this coming weekend, it will prevent my mother from running herself ragged next week, trying to do far too much and all by herself. We will get all advance preparations completed this weekend so that my mother can relax and enjoy the week before her family arrives.

When we return from the lake, Josh and I will have three more weeks of work before we leave our current positions. Our last day at work will be Friday, July 25. The following Thursday night, we leave for Britain. As soon as we return from Britain, Josh and I will almost immediately depart for Boston.

There are almost too many things in the works to digest.