Yesterday morning, I roused the kids for a run. A group of kids had organized a ‘cottage running club’ and they wanted to go along. Up here, at the cottage, they probably don’t need it with all of the activity packed into their day; swimming, skiing, boating, and just being outside playing. They are far more active here than at home. Nevertheless, I got them up and thirty or so minutes after they left, they tracked back in from their run. They had plenty of time and physical activity ahead in their day.

Beth went garage sale-ing and the kids and I joined her for a size check. I left the kids with Beth and headed to the grocery store for milk and other groceries, there must be a hole in the carton it, because empties so quickly! I made it home before the kids and began working on turning BBQ chicken into chicken salad. I added apples, because I like the sweet with the savory. The crew turned their noses up at the thought of apples, but the kids ate it. No complaints.

I sat down to read my book, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, and fell asleep on the couch. Ivy fell asleep beside me on the floor. Olivia played down the shore, William had a film festival upstairs with new videos he and mom had found on their trek, and Beth worked on the mailbox outside. It was quiet and the nap glorious. When I woke, William was here but upstairs discovering Forest Gump and we were alone. I sat on the deck and finished reading the book, cute book. Hardly serious literature, but fun, and a book for a kid to read, laugh, smile, and dream.

I started dinner – BBQ chicken, cucumber salad, and devilled eggs, more summer foods. I was about ready to start cooking dinner when Beth came home and announced they were heading out on the lake, boating and swimming. That is what I like about this place; it is flexible and fluid. Ivy and I watched them head out from the deck and I put the chicken on the grill, it would be done when they came home and warm BBQ chicken is better than no chicken. While the chicken grilled, I did some yard work and pulling weeds along the driveway. I had tethered Ivy to a tree and she kept me company while I weeded. Before long, I was done and so was the chicken but the kids weren’t home, yet, and I began a letter to grandma and grandpa. I realized I needed to find some pictures to add, but those would need to wait until later because the kids were home and we had dinner.

We finished the day with a campfire and a cobbler, or planned to. In the middle of getting the cobbler ready and the charcoal started, I left the door open and Ivy was gone. She took off up the lakeshore and William ran after her, calling, “Ivy, here girl, here.” I grabbed the leashes and took off too, but I don’t run, I just cannot, and I walked as fast as I could follow her up the shoreline. Beth, Olivia, and Allison, a neighbor, joined in the hunt on bike and scooter and soon passed me. I gave up and came home got the car to chase her down from the other direction. She ran toward a highway and I prayed the chasers and Ivy would get hurt. She was gone a long time and eventually, they tracked her down and got her on the leash. I was worried, Ivy is a runner, and will just takeoff, sniffing, running, and being chased is, I think, part of the game for her. The kids ran twice Friday, once by choice, the other by necessity. I am glad they ran. Ivy got a much needed bath in the lake and played in the yard while she dried.

I re-started the charcoal and got the cobbler started. However, it didn’t cook right. I had hurried the coals and didn’t get them started correctly and had to re-start and by that time, the stars were out and the full moon shone on the lake. By the time it was done, it was late. I hauled the Dutch oven down to the campfire; Beth had taken spoons and bowls before me and waited. But, hot cobbler, hot apple-spice cobbler, knows no time limit and it was delicious. I spooned the cobbler into bowls and Olivia and William passed it out, it always tastes better when it is shared.

It was dark, very dark when we got home. The kids were asleep before they hit the pillow but not before they had Ivy in their room, safely snuggled up in the bed. I cleaned up, re-seasoned the Dutch oven, and was soon asleep, too. Sometime during the night, the kids tired of having the dog hog the bed and she came and jumped in with me. That’s where I started the morning, with Ivy and a cup of coffee. Today, is the thirty-ninth day of my summer vacation, it’s hard to believe. Where have they gone? They have been spent on summer – swimming, camping, reading, writing, and spending time with friends and family. Making the Days Count, one summer day at a time. Can you remember a pet story, or a time when you lost a pet and found it?