Skip to main content

The summer that wasn't

It's July 30. Summer, right?
Wrong!!!

 In Michigan, we had our summer two weeks ago for about 10 days. Saw a recent post on Facebook that read:"You know you're in Michigan when you wear your bathing suit on Monday and your parka on Tuesday." We sweltered for a week or two and then were chilled again. That's where we are now. Chilling at 70.

 Weather aside, it no longer feels much like summer. The back-to-school ads, commercials, displays and talk have begun full-force. And I feel like I just got used to having the three-not-so-little Piggins home again and now I have to get them ready for school. Delaney has a little longer, but Michael leaves for Wayne State law in two weeks and Matthew for his sophomore year at DePauw in three. 

 I get the nest re-feathered and damn these 'baby' birds but they stay for too short a time then fly away. *sigh* Since this is the "glass half full" blog of a pseudo-Pollyanna, I will revert to thinking positively about the emptying nest.

 * There will be fewer dishes
* There will be fewer messes
* There will be more laundry detergent
* There will be fewer trips to the grocery store
* There will be more silence and less television
* There will be fewer meals to prepare
* There will be fewer hugs
* There will be fewer people to entertain Wally our ADD dog
* There will be fewer night owls to keep me company . . .

 Wait, that didn't go the way it was intended. "There will be fewer" was supposed to be a positive . . . In this case it can go either way. Since there are fewer days left of summer, I will take each one of them and fill it with fewer complaints about the messes or dishes and replace it with more appreciation for the ones making those messes or dirtying those dishes. 

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Sick in St. Louis and Earthquakes in Michigan. What?

A 4.2 magnitude earthquake rattled our home a few weeks ago. Now if we lived in California (or even Oklahoma!) that would be almost commonplace but we live in Michigan where an earthquake is earth shattering, not because of the resulting damage (aside from a few funny Facebook pictures of toppled lawn furniture, I didn't witness any damage) but because earthquakes in Michigan almost never happen. Or at least ones that are felt by the average person. Or even me!  That earthquake was just the beginning of strange events, for this not-so-average person.  The day after Michigan shook, John and I went to St. Louis to see Delaney's end of freshman year performance.  One of the last times John had been to St. Louis together, was in August when he'd had his heart attack. We had dropped our daughter and a van full of belongings in sweltering heat and humidity. It was the first day of a planned two-day orientation and and the following day was the official good bye. John hadn...
Post a Comment
Read more

Travelling while gimpy

It was more than a little ironic that I was reading Gloria Steinem's new book "My Life On the Road" while on our recent trip to California. It was a great book (highly recommend this book!) and was partially responsible for my renewed inspiration to get back to writing on a more regular basis! She wrote from a position of absolute humility and love of humanity that I wish to emulate in my writing. Anyway, the irony was that I'm reading about this independent woman's journeys and encounters while traveling as an independent woman that's become far more dependent on others and experiencing all kinds of encounters! Mostly good, of course - because I am, after all, still relatively Pollyanna-ish! First, when in a wheelchair and flying a whole world of people and service awaits. My first encounter was in the Grand Rapids airport where we were greeted at the Delta counter and told an escort was on the way. I didn't think it was necessary, but kept my mou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ten years later

We, as a country, were at our best in the months following 9-11. And never was it more evident than in the dichotomy that was shown this past weekend as we acknowledged the tenth anniversary of that horrendous day that is forever etched in our collective memories. (How's that for a slew of cliches?). On the actual anniversary there were a plethora of television programs and newspaper articles - bringing to life the horror and tension that was September 11, 2001. At church, our Pastor, like many others across the country, tried to put the day into perspective. It was a solemn, though rich, day. On Monday, there was a direct contrast - a GOP presidential debate. Politics and the creation and celebration of differences. And it brought back memories of those days and months after 9-11 - when as a country we rallied together. We seemed to understand that there was a lot more at stake than political differences. While there were divergent opinions there seemed to be an acceptance o...
2 comments
Read more