Wednesday, August 13, 2014

End of Summer Ruminations

For about a week we had unseasonably cool weather. It felt like fall. I burned a pumpkin-scented candle on the dining table. But now the familiar hot mugginess is returned, and I'm indoors for the duration.
 The ONLY place that autumn has arrived already in full force ... is Michael's.
We're trying hard to relax. Does that even make sense? What I mean is that in spite of the busyness and on-and-off stress of the past few weeks, we want desperately to fall back into a steady, simple, comforting routine.
 I'm not sure that ever happens. Is it a figment of my imagination? Did we ever actually have weeks and months at a time that were steady, simple, comforting, routine?
Adam and I are opposites. He wakes early, about 4:30 or 5:00. He bakes bread, works on sermons and lessons, reads, takes the doggies out. He's very productive between 4:30 and 9:00. I wake groggily about 7:30, sometimes 8:00. Adam tiptoes in with a glass of orange juice. On an ideal morning, I sit and read facebook, news, email in my dark room. I make breakfast and eat it there. I read my Bible. By the time I get up and dressed, it's about 10:00. This is my ideal summer routine.

By 11:30, I'm up and going, productive, doing laundry, washing dishes, vacuuming, maybe knitting. Adam is winding down. He's ready for an early lunch and his nap. After his nap, he winds down more toward the end of his day. But as afternoon starts, I'm finally raring to go :) Errands, trips to town, soap-making, shipping orders, more laundry.

In late afternoon he starts making supper, and I anticipate a quiet evening of going for a pleasant bike ride for an hour, watching a movie with him, reading, and going to bed about 10:15. Thus, our day.

Yesterday I knuckled down and attacked the remainder of the homeschooling work from last school year. Averaging math grades, editing/grading a few papers, getting Julia's transcript in order. Then I began some fun preparations for this school year, which starts in less than two weeks. Mostly, it's just cracking some books and figuring out exactly where Julia is in her studies, where she should begin. I wrote up a French I worksheet, typed a study sheet for her history timeline from 476 - 650 AD, studied out her math chapter, and found some interesting reading on the Fordham history website.
All manner of interruptions shove into our lives, don't they? The worst ones are relationship troubles, but car catastrophes, health problems, children's antics, pet problems, church commitments, and even seeming "relaxation" opportunities -- all these disturb our peace. My perfect day is one in which I never have to leave the house. Anybody else like that? Just call me HERMIT.

Summer is nearly gone, summer in which we vowed we would relax from the craziness of the school year. "I'm cutting out most of my weekly commitments!" I said. "I'll have lots of free time!" I promised myself. Now I'm saying, "I can't wait until school starts and we can have a steady routine." As if that will help the days to    s   l   o   w     d   o   w   n  .

For those wondering if we ever sail anymore, or if perhaps our little sailboat sank in the Neuse, no! We were planning to do some work on her last spring, but Adam's leg injury threw that plan out the window. We'd already demasted her, though, so she has remained immobile since then. We're still planning to pull her out of the water and work on safety repairs and perhaps some paint, but it has been delayed several times. Pulling a boat requires an appointment with the local businesses who do that (with a lift) and the ones who can haul the boat across town to our yard (for whom our little boat is hardly worth the time to do it). We're now waiting to borrow a trailer from a friend to move the boat ourselves. We'll see. I'm still hoping to be sailing in her by New Year's, but there's no telling.

Have a great day and stay in your pajamas as long as you can, if you're that kind of person!

5 comments:

Leslie said...

I am a hermit wannabe and find that long slow mornings are my favorite. This is my last week of doing what I want so I'm soaking it up.

Mary Ann Potter said...

I'm a morning person! I'm up with the rooster, and he's so much nicer than the alarm clock I used to use before I retired. By 7:30 I've had breakfast, watched a re-run of "I Love Lucy," walked the dog around the property, and am getting ready for either low-impact aerobics (You Tube) or a four-mile walk down our country road.

Slowing down for me means watching a little tv before I fall asleep. I love "The Middle" on the Hallmark channel! I'm asleep by 10-ish...

Lisa Richards said...

Fellow hermit here! If I didn't absolutely have to go to work I would stay home all the time. That's why I loved homeschooling so much for 19 years. I did try to get the kids involved in some things because my hubby, the extrovert, worried about them becoming as introverted as their mother. ;) I don't sleep in very late. Seven o'clock is about as late as I want to stay in bed, then I start thinking of all the things I want to do; read, paint, blog, gaze out the window, etc. I'm counting the days until I can retire and stay home! :)

Kezzie said...

It is about 11am and I am sitting in my nightie reading blogspot and drinking tea. Ammore like you x

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I am a hermit too, home is where I like to be. When I have to go out I try to do all errands on the same morning, when I work, I go to work and am always glad when I pull back into the driveway here at home.

I'm usually up between 5-6. I'm a morning person. I do like a nap too.

Hope your day today is relaxed and good.

FlowerLady