A Little Bit of Everything

This week was a little bit of everything.

My sister, her husband, and their dog arrived back at the lake this weekend, and it is always fun having them back across the street for the summer.

This time of year around Okoboji just starts feeling different. The weather finally turns warm enough for shorts, flowers are back out on porches, the grass turns green almost overnight, and the pool chairs are finally set back out again.

Even the bulb garden my son and daughter-in-law gave me for Mother’s Day suddenly exploded into blooms this week after looking pretty questionable when it first arrived.

Restaurants and patios start filling up, boats are back on the water, and the whole area just starts filling back up with summer energy again.

Summer is walking back and forth between houses, spontaneous visits, dinners, evenings by the lake, and just getting to spend more everyday time together.

Tomorrow night is Mahjong, and I am excited because my sister is joining our group for the first time after learning how to play on her own. It will be fun finally having her around the table with the rest of the group.

Golf lessons continued this week too, and we started working on chipping while I try a different way to hold the club. It will definitely take some practice.

The weather Sunday night was intense.

Warning sirens went off several times, and my sister and I ended up watching Remarkably Bright Creatures in her basement while listening to hail and wind gusts up to 80 mph as the storms moved through outside. Sally Field was absolutely amazing in it, which helped distract us a little from the crazy weather happening overhead.

As the storms rolled through our area, they also moved through my hometown where my parents still live.

They hunkered down in their basement while hearing the winds raging outside. Earlier in the evening, sirens had already gone off several times, and there were sightings of funnel clouds headed toward town.

They were incredibly fortunate that their home did not have damage, especially considering that across the street trees were down and so many people had damage to homes, garages, outbuildings, vehicles, and property.

Trees and power lines were down everywhere, and they were without power until early morning. The city was eventually shut down for both entry and exit as residents were asked to shelter in place.

Since then, I have seen so many photos and updates online and on the local news showing just how much damage there was and how many people were impacted.

I continue to pray for everyone dealing with the damage and cleanup. It is heartbreaking seeing so many people and families going through so much.

Now heading into Memorial Day weekend, I am looking forward to having my daughter here and hopefully some really good weather.

Around Okoboji, everything really starts coming back to life this time of year. The seasonal restaurants by the lake reopen, concerts start up again, boats are back on the water, patios start filling up, and the whole area just feels full of summer energy again.

We are planning to head to the first farmers market of the season by the lake on Saturday, and I am hopeful the peony vendor will be there. There is just something about bringing home fresh flowers from the market that feels like summer to me.

It is such a fun time around the lake, and I am looking forward to all of it.

Honestly, after a week that felt like a little bit of everything, it all sounds pretty perfect right now. 🤍