Michigan got rid of all Covid-19 safety protocols this month, and the state, including myself at times, is acting like the pandemic never happened. The Delta variant is quietly snickering.

1) June gave us the hot summer weather I have been waiting for. I love sitting in our backyard with a book and a coffee. I read “The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley. Based on the reviews, I expected it to be better than it was – more suspenseful, more riveting, better writing. It was a decent beach read, I guess, but I don’t necessarily recommend you spend your time on it.

2) I also read “The Flight Attendant” by Chris Bohjalian, a book that was made into an HBO series. Maybe you’ve seen it. I haven’t yet, but plan to. The series description says it’s a comedy-drama which, I suppose there were comedic elements, but I wouldn’t go so far as to label it a comedy. Drama/suspense would make more sense. I enjoyed this one and do recommend.

3) June brought a crazy bad flood to our area at the end of the month. One news report says we got 6.5 inches of rain in a span of 10 hours, but a city official said 7 inches over just a few hours. No matter which one is correct, it was bad. Water was up to car windows and most people I know had some form of basement flooding. Many had sewage mixed with the flood water. We were one of the lucky ones.

Some businesses are still closed due to damages and at I heard rumors that at least one restaurant will probably not reopen. It was heartbreaking driving around the week after the flood and seeing the loss left on curbs – play kitchens, toys, teddy bears, Christmas decorations, bookshelves, exercise gear, TVs – and lots and lots of carpet.

4) As part of acting like the pandemic is behind us – I now know four people who have gotten Covid after being fully vaccinated – I went to several restaurants this month. I’d been dying to go back to Detroit’s Shewolf and it did not disappoint. Their pasta is cooked perfectly and I was blown away by this pistachio gelato. I could eat it every day and not get sick of it. I would be broke, however (not to mention huge), as it cost $10. WORTH IT.

5) My book group met up at Ivy Kitchen, a new-ish restaurant along Jefferson (main road that follows the water somewhat and takes you from Grosse Pointe into Detroit). The service was….fine. Everyone is short staffed right now, so I’m not as picky as I’d normally be. And the ambiance was….fine. As was the food. I had a good experience and was glad to have checked it out, but it’s not going to be a go-to spot for me.

6) Obi is four and a half months and weighs about 40 pounds. He’s still waking up early – between 5:30 and 6:00 am – but I am getting used to it. He hasn’t tried to jump our baby gates yet, but that day is soon coming, I’m sure.

7) He still naps in funny spots and positions, though he no longer fits near his food dishes. Now he prefers the cool tiles of the bathroom or the marble base of the fireplace. And he usually sleeps in this goofy half side, half back position.

8) He’s pretty good about not chewing on things he isn’t supposed to chew on, but he really likes hostas, shoes, clothes, kleenex and puzzle pieces.

9) I started several podcasts this month, but had a hard time getting into any of them. I haven’t been able to stomach some of the usual true crime murder mysteries this month for some reason. I’d like to find more investigative journalism that focuses on discovery or uncovering a crime that’s something other than murder. Let me know if you have one you can recommend!

I did find one podcast that I’m finding interesting. It’s called “Algorithm” and although this one does talk about murder, its focus is more about how homicides are investigated and a specific algorithm that someone came up with that might help catch serial killers before they kill again. It’s a current podcast, which means I can’t binge listen and have to wait until the next episode is released this week.

10) If you’ve made it this far, the big news is that I’ve quit my marketing job at the school. I started the position working part time and the role clearly needs someone who can work full time, and then some. It’s just gotten to be too much.

I also needed to take a breather mentally, just be a mom, relax a bit and decompress. And how fortunate that I’m able to do so. I’ve worked super hard to build up my savings in order to take this break. So. I’m taking it easy on the work front, freelancing here and there before I ramp things back up. There are parts of the job I will miss, sure, but I’m SUPER excited about my new chapter. Stay tuned.

11) I’ve pulled back on my photography as well (see the note above about needing to decompress), but did squeeze in a couple shoots over the last two months that I’d committed to. Both were one-year-old birthdays (and how could I say no to those?!) and both were small, backyard celebrations. This sweet girl clearly loves her momma.

12) Baby Henry was just as adorable. He had a “Where the Wild Things Are”-themed party :)

So that’s June. I have some dumb health stuff that I’ll go over next month (everything’s fine, just a hiccup in plans). For now, just like I’m pretending Covid isn’t still running rampant, I’m pretending that this summer is a normal summer. And it is so far.

It’s a record hot day today. I took my walk early this morning to get it out of the way and it’s a good thing, too, as it was already in the 80s when I got back home at 8:30 am. We may take the girls to the Yacht Club later for a swim, or fill up our kiddie pool for the pup. I bought an heirloom tomato the other day specifically to put on a BLT and I am already thinking about how good that’s gonna taste later. Life is good.