It’s hard to believe that the summer season has come and gone and suddenly it is September already. Well, Summer hasn’t exactly left us, as we are still very much feeling her blazing presence, but the leisure time, the vacation time she brings along has long since gone. Having been awarded an extra day of freedom from my labors this weekend, I decided to grant myself a little digital vacation time. Wandering through photographs from our recent coastal adventure, I got lost in the fascination of exploring tiny worlds through the lens of a camera.
The Pantry
It seems I may have mastered the art of making of a list, but completing a list…well, that’s a whole different skill set. Here I am at Summer’s end, already preparing for a new school year to begin. I had grand plans for my Summer To-Do’s, but looking back I can’t say I accomplished much on my list. I did manage to take a vacation. It was wonderful, luxurious and actually felt like a genuine vacation. When I stop to think about it, I guess that’s actually a rather significant accomplishment in itself. However, after a week of indulging and imbibing with complete and total abandon of our healthy eating habits, it became clear that a certain household project was in dire need of completion. Health and wellness are important priorities in this household and you are probably aware of my special affection for food, but with my healthy ways in disarray I was feeling a slight disconnection. So, I decided it was time to stock up, make space and seek a little solace in The Pantry.
Pleasant Company
Hello Summer. It’s so nice to see you again, it’s been a while. Oh, and how kind of you to bring along your Excessive Heat Warnings, too. I can’t say I appreciate that…sigh…but, welcome back anyway. I suppose you plan to stay? Well then, I’d say this visit calls for a nice, refreshing beverage, don’t you?
In the Meantime
It’s that time of year again. The time I pine for that precious little reprieve known as Spring Break. For a teacher, Spring Break is a most blessed and sacred time in our yearly cycle. However, the meantime, that eternal stretch of time between the here and there, can be a little difficult to endure. This is hardly a new story and I know it’s been told before, but here I am stuck in the meantime, seeking a little solace in the kitchen again.
The Sandbox
Every day, from the time we rise to the moment we close our eyes, we hurry. We rush to get ready, we race out the door. All flustered and in a flurry, we frantically scurry from one task to the next. Day after day, we repeat the cycle. Even in our playtime there seems to be this sense of urgency in our race against Time. Be quick! Pack up your things, get to your destination, hit the trail and squeeze it all in before another workweek begins. And we wonder why Time moves so fast. Perhaps he’s just trying to keep up with us. It’s important every once-in-a-while, to schedule yourself a little time in the sandbox. Go play. Take off your shoes, sift through the sand, watch the clouds, chase rainbows, try to capture the wind. Limit your time to infinity and don’t come home until you’ve satisfied your senses.
Wonderland
This world…it’s something to wonder about, that’s for sure. We wonder what it could be, what it should be, what it will be, what it won’t be…sometimes we get so caught up in wondering what this world is coming to that we lose our sense of wonder altogether. Once in a while, you just need to escape all those ought-to-be’s and not-to-be’s and go play. Wander, discover, explore. Get lost in a little wonderland of your own.
Peace and Chaos
I can’t believe it is 2017. Another year gone and Time continues to move on, way too fast to grasp. Try as we might, we will never slow it down. All we can do is pause in the midst of this chaotic mess we call Life, and experience the moments as they come and go.
Weekend Vibes
We are finally beginning to feel the subtle seasonal shift around here, as summer ever so slowly gives way to fall. That teasing temperature is finally beginning to cool a bit, the autumn winds are blowing and the daylight hours are quickly growing shorter. For the first time, in what seems like forever, the very thought of a hot cup tea or a steaming bowl of stew doesn’t send me instantly into a sweat. At last, the pumpkin and the autumn spice seem nice and seasonally appropriate to use in a culinary exploration. However, with my extra hour of sunlight and an extra hour of sleep, I’m in a sunny sort of mood this morning and craving something sweet. So, I think I will forgo the earthy flavors of fall and revisit the sweetness of the summer fruits with some fancy pancakes for breakfast.
Golden
I love my job and I enjoy my work immensely. It gives me a strong sense of purpose and fills me with great satisfaction. But I do love my weekends, too (as I’m sure do you). I don’t really get those notorious Monday Morning Blues, there’s just not time for that. My work week always begins in a such a frantic frenzy of teacher to-do’s, I have no time to pine for anything. However, I do have my moments of Sunday Night Sadness as I bid farewell to the long-anticipated weekend. Weekends go by so quickly and downtime is so fleeting, it can be hard to let go of those golden moments of me-time.
September
In these desert parts, September is still very much a summer month. And while the shops are inundated with all things Halloween and Thanskgiving, and the foodie realm is flooded with all the autumn flavors, it is still 100 degrees outside and the swamp cooler still a daily necessity around here. But if you are really attentive you can feel that subtle seasonal transition beginning. It is almost imperceptible, but it’s there. That September shift is in the air.
Seek a Little Solace 