And then it was summer
June 21, 2013
A couple weeks ago we had our first hummingbird visit - and no feeder. I bought a feeder at the hardware store, the one that closes for lunch and isn't open Sunday. Life in a small town.
Last week Laurent and I hung the feeder and we now have these beauties visiting daily.
Our weeks of chilly rain ended (hallelujah!) and we were treated to a full week of sun. The river called and we answered, day after day.
I meant to take my daily walks, I really did, but we got as far as the river and just parked it there.
Not that I didn't exercise last week. Last Tuesday we did a 13 mile (21 km) hike. We keep inching up the mileage but we know we won't ever be "ready" for that AT. The AT will train us to hike the AT.
Something about that change in schedule, hiking on a weekday instead of the weekend (to avoid the weekend rain), changed our spring groove to a summer one.
Summer comes when it does, not according to a calendar or any scheduling on our part.
Laurent and Brienne's (ir)regular school lessons ended early this year with spring's arrival. Last week Celine and I had a mini-meeting. (Regular meetings with Damien and I are part of her independent project work, aka: high school.)
"Do you want to take a break?" I asked. "Things are going to be a little loosey-goosey for the next week or so as we transition to a summer routine and then get ready for our trip."
"I think I'll take a break then" she said, "but I'll still probably do some school because I like this project."
And I felt a momentary rush of relief that this grand experiment called homeschooling is working.
The days are long and we don't eat supper till late. Late bedtimes, late risings, kid chores maybe done by noon, but maybe not.
I manage, barely, to cook the meals and supervise laundry but a summer laziness hangs in the air.
Whatever schedule I did have, it's all up for negotiation now.
It's ironic that I get up at 6:30 in the winter and 7:30 in the summer, even though the 4 am light wakes me up. It must be the late nights; reading stories that I can't put down.
We visited the farm where we have a summer basket, as they call it here. We came home with a bundle of spinach. The first local greens we've eaten this year. The regular basket delivery starts next week.
A virus paid an early summer visit. Kids are recovered after listening to stories (audio books are a constant companion in our home), and watching YouTube drawing videos.
On my mother's advice, armed with little brown vials she left on her last visit, I administered essential oils.
Brienne set up camp in the studio. She finds her bed mattress uncomfortable (I don't blame her, it is) so she's moved to the guest futon. With late nights, long hikes, and a virus, there have been afternoon naps, like a cat, on this bed.
Damien installed a clothesline for me. We've been here for one year and used our two wooden racks exclusively. We don't have a dryer. They do the job well, with surprising space efficiency (we can dry a whole load on one rack!), but there is nothing like line dried laundry.
And just like that, summer came.
