First day of summer vacation

All the kids are on vacation and life has 'slowed down' for the summer. We're at that in between point where the garden is in and we're just waiting for stuff to harvest. Spending our time cleaning up the property, perfecting the chicken coop, cleaning the pantry, etc. We're keeping quite busy. I just love the 'feel' of summer vacation, the slowness of it all. No rush, no hurry up, just 'whatever'. We can lay around and read or play in the pool or tinker on a project to our hearts content. I'd nearly forgotten what those days felt like. It's so nice to get back to them.
The little ones are playing in the pool, my 14 YO is burning some brush we trimmed last weekend and my 15 YO is spending the morning with his girlfriend. DH will be home around 3:30 and then we will swing into work mode for the afternoon. But right now I'm just enjoying a lazy summer day.
That relaxed feeling is something we have worked hard to develop. We don't listen to the radio or watch tv most of the time. My teens have their MP3's if they get desperate but I'm trying to develop a taste for peace and quiet in my home. There's no TV blaring the latest grumblings of doom - we know what's going on out there but we have decided not to let it into our home anymore. The change is palpable - and peaceful.
For the first time I can recall I stepped out onto my porch this morning and felt safe and secluded, somewhat sheltered from the craziness going on everywhere around me. I'm not hiding from the world, I just chose to deal with it on my terms, which means keeping it off of our property. We will gladly face any trials set before us but we will not seek them out. Our home is finally the haven it is meant to be, a place of rest and rejuvenation. We are truly blessed!