In spite of the climate crisis, we are experiencing a lovely summer with temperatures in the 70’s and low 80’s. That is the upside. The garden is starved for heat to ripen the tomatoes and to increase plant size. The blossoms need bees for pollination, and bee populations didn’t fare well last winter. All of these things are because of the climate crisis.
We spent a delightful weekend with the relatives. The teenagers were with us Saturday into Sunday, making music together and playing Catch Phrase with us. Sunday we took the girls to a birthday party where we joined the rest of the family. The seven granddaughters enjoy one another, and three family dogs were part of the confusion that is a family gathering.
I’m having a bit of a letdown after the stresses of the annual church rummage sale. We spend many hours in preparation, and we’re proud of the service and outreach to the community. Volunteers enjoy getting to know one another and being part of the event. A sense of ownership is the result, and that is a good feeling. But now it’s over for another year, and I’m feeling useless. Silly thing to say, but there it is.
We will have a summer trip mid-August as we head for the Hamptons where the swimming is exquisite, the bugs are few, the pace is lazy, and I can regenerate. Deer graze in the yard of the cabin, and we can do anything or nothing as the spirit moves us. When we return I’ll be back on the job at church, and my tennis player will be back at his four mornings a week of tennis. There is comfort in our routines. As I grow older, I depend on that. As I’ve said before, I look upon our happy adventures as worth repeating. It’s a reason for not having a bucket list, or at least not crossing things off and moving on to the next place to visit, experience to have. I find joy in simple things, happy moments, comfortable friendships. Pura vida. Live is good.