Do you know what we were put on Earth to do?

Until the other day, dawn was arriving before 5 am in Bozeman, with dusk finally settling in around 10 pm. The children cannot go to sleep at a decent hour, and they wake early. Part of me wants to fight it - the part of me that's selfish and wants my secret early morning and late evening time.

But then, I try to remind myself that already, the sun is past its zenith. In just one month the days will be an hour shorter and by January, six hours. And so I head outside and water the garden, or watch the mother duck and her ducklings on the pond, or lie in the grass. I'm wrapping myself up in the heat and the squacking birds and the dirty feet — the purple mountains majesty and all the rest of the glorious riot outside our door.

Overheard: 'Do you know what we were put on Earth to do? Steal underpants and eat them for dinner!'

Friday mud dance

Duchess of Fluffernutter II

Creekside art class

Sunrise

Our first chard ever