The Southern End of Summer and A Few Thoughts on Words
August 23, 2008
This is always the week I don't expect. Crunch week.
I grew up in Michigan and New York so I'm used to northern summers where fall things (particularly school) don't start until after Labor Day. Every year, I get surprised by Crunch week, no matter how many times I go through it. I'm expecting that we'll have some more relaxing time in August once all the summer camps are done.
But, in the south, things can start up in the last third of August. Durham schools started last week so daughter's dance (which is at a Durham studio) and younger son's Biology class (taught by a teacher in Durham) both started last week.
We're also getting in some of the last swimming, too, so this week and next are even busier than September will be.
Even this evening shows part of the "crunch." Younger son is playing with his friends as much as possible because tomorrow night, they'll have to go to bed early for the first day of school. Daughter is at a friend's house for the second "before-school-starts" sleepover this week. On the summer side, older son went to see the Paperhand Puppet performance - which he won't see when we go next weekend since he'll be in it. Afterwards, he's going to the Open Eye Cafe to hear Stranger Spirits sing - he's been going to as many of their performances this summer as he can. I went and swam laps by myself late this afternoon.
This summer, since I haven't been able to do aerobics or dance, I've really enjoyed swimming. The breast stroke doesn't bother my knee since it's a sideways leg motion so I've been able to keep doing that, and even increase the number of laps (I did 15 last Wednesday - more than I ever got up to last summer). Even if no one else is swimming, I'll still go swim for a bit. On Wednesday, I went and swam in the morning. No one else (besides lifeguards) showed up for the first hour so I had the pool all to myself. I love the pool in the morning in August - the light filtering through the trees is beautiful.
Because the fall things are starting up, I'm starting to obsess about church again. I don't go in the summer because my usual 11 am service is cancelled. I'm worried about going back to choir - that someone will say something about my not having been there for three months. Dear husband and I have been taking long walks on Sunday mornings and occasionally going out for breakfast or picking something up at the wonderful pastry section of the Weaver St. Market downtown.
Remember the writing workshop I blogged about (here, here, and here)? That may or may not start up. I haven't heard anything. If it does, I don't know if I'm going back (yes, obsessing about that too). It's now the "Writer's Workshop" and I'm not a writer (more on that in a minute). Also, the people in it are all very involved in the church, whereas I've only been in the choir for the spring. The workshop is well done (otherwise I wouldn't have gone the second time), but I felt very out of place the second time I went. To restore my equilibrium, I used Fosse listening therapy on the way home that evening.
On not being a writer (even though I have over 1,000 blog posts)(and over 1,000 comments)(the 1,000th was DCup). I wrote a post here about it, but, if you don't want to read that, what I basically said was that I use words for ideas. I'm not the writer type that's in love with words and enjoys trying to find the exactly right one. I'm just as happy to use music, photos, or dance to get ideas across.
There are some words that I like, though. "Saskatchewan" is one. Younger son has a Pokemon board game, and part of it is the "Poogle races." I like saying "Poogle races." This word-enjoyment is totally from an aural point of view, though. I just like the sounds of the words; the meanings aren't that important.
Plant names are particularly pretty - like liriodendron tulipifera.
Other words, I can't stand - particularly words that take all of the life out of something. Someone stands up in front of the congregation: "The text I am going to preach on is..." Oh, you mean the "verses?" Or the "chapter?" Those are alive. "Text" is dead - something to dissect. I also don't like "product" as in "we need to sell more of the 'product.'" During college, I worked for one summer at a cosmetics packaging plant (ever see a bottle of nail polish after it gets stuck in the "shrink-wrap" heating machine?), and the manager kept talking about the "product." That's when I started to hate the word.
"Content" also bugs me - the website's "content" - "music," "essays," "pictures" are alive. "Content" is dead.
Back to the end of the summer: Lina kitty sleeps on top of the computer monitor in the winter, but she hasn't been there all summer - until this week.
Last summer, and the one before that, I was sad to see the summer go. Not so much this year. I'm sad to see another season go by - and to be one more season closer to the older kids heading off.
Between the hectic-ness of the summer, and the knee and back problems, it's been a mixed bag for me. The kids have grown a lot through what they've been doing, but I've felt like I'm just barely getting by. I'm actually looking forward to the fall and a more regular schedule. Daughter and I have been discussing some of the interesting things she'll be doing for her homeschooling, and younger son is looking forward to getting into his ("And we'll do the science kit, and the volcano, and the electricity kit, and..."). We usually homeschool through the summer, but that didn't work in this year so our breaks will be shorter than usual.
One more crunch week, and then the pool will, sadly, close. The water's starting to get rather chilly at this point, although I still enjoy it after a few laps. The gardens are in their "survival of the fittest" late summer mode where all the plants are trying to outgrow each other and take over the sunny spots.
I'm going to start New Moon this evening and maybe sit outside and read in the gardens tomorrow morning before it gets hot - after our morning walk, of course. I actually have times where I forget about my knee for a few hours - though that's not enough to be able to do aerobics or dance yet.
Dear husband is painting, and the house is very quiet, which is exactly what I need.
This, dear one, was a delight to read. I love seeing the world I live in through your eyes and through your words. I think you perfectly captured the end of our summer, and the corner-turning time we're in right now. And it DOES seem like all of a sudden. I also think the corner is at Labor Day, but it's always earlier...
Thank you for all the time to paint today. Sandman finally got a starting point in the lower 4/5 of it, and I painted a giant orange toad. It was a good afternoon.
I'm looking forward to our walk in the morning.
Posted by: Moominpapa | August 23, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Oh - and that top photo (lily and mallows) is another one I wish I'd taken!
Posted by: Moominpapa | August 23, 2008 at 10:46 PM
We're trying to figure out if we can make it back to choir, what with the little one now. Most people miss around a month of Sundays in the summer, so I don't think anyone would even think to get judgmental about your absence. It just made the heart grow fonder, right?
Your gardens are soooooo beautiful! Thank you for posting the photos. I pop over here sometimes just to feel content. (heehee - I used "content" in its other meaning.)
Posted by: Summer K | August 25, 2008 at 06:01 PM
Summer: "content" - the other meaning is fine. (grin)
Thank you - for both the encouragement and the garden compliments.
Posted by: M Light | August 28, 2008 at 01:19 PM