Hello and welcome to the last Saturday (and day) of July. Today is July 31st.
Summer is two-thirds over in Wannaska country. As I read, this past week, about mask mandates being put back in place for schools across the U.S., I couldn't help but think, "Already?" Not about the pandemic resurgence part, but the school part - as in, "We're already thinking about going back to school?"
What happened to summer?
I know I lived through each day of it, but it feels like I haven't done enough in the realm of play and adventure to make it feel like a full bonafide summer.
Before I get too far into my lament, I have to be fair and say it's not like we've done nothing. Half the family visited relatives in the Czech Republic in early June. The WAKWIR* took the driver's ed class and got his permit. The older kids got jobs. For the younger kids, there was a two-week stint of swimming lessons and a smattering of T-ball for the youngest. And almost daily play with neighbor kids. "Unstructured playtime" the child development professionals call it - something that is sorely needed apparently by today's youth. So that's good.
Fourth of July was hot and low-key. I spent most of it convalescing, recovering from a pulled muscle under my shoulder blade, allergies, and possibly a summer cold. (And here, I must give a grateful shout-out to Shellie Mekash in Greenbush for her myofascial release magic. Thank you, Shellie!)
I've enjoyed many cool, quiet mornings on the deck with my laptop before everyone else wakes up (like I am right now). A brilliant summer bonus has been setting up not one, but three, hammocks around our property. And a super cool extra bonus has been the reemergence of the ping pong table that sat folded up and neglected in our garage since it got moved out of the house six years ago. I'm not sure if it was an Olympics-inspired decision or what, but my husband has rekindled a passion for ping pong and we've enjoyed plenty of pleasant evenings in the driveway getting our game on. He even bought an indoor T-ball version of ping pong (i.e. a ball on a flexible rod) that I'm sure is actually a cat toy. But whatever. The little kids love it. Perfect height and they can hit the ball - which, has actually translated to a better volley on the real ping pong table.
I spent a wonderful writing weekend away from home and, last weekend, we had friends visit who delighted in playing ping pong and Candyland 2.0; who were happy to bike around the neighborhood loop with the kids and swim with them at Zippel Bay State Park.
So, really, looking at this list - I have to concede that it hasn't been a "bad" summer by any means. In fact, taking the time to jot the notes and review the list, makes me realize and appreciate just how much we have gotten outdoors after all. Even the Oldest, who absolutely growled every time she had to ride her bike to town as a teenager, now bikes her daily commute to her internship without complaint. And I feel so relaxed. (Outside of project deadlines for work. Haha.) This has been an otherwise no-pressure summer, so that's a win. Perhaps the relative rest has all been subconscious preparation for the month of August because, if June and July were chill, August is going to be packed with two months' worth of busy.
It all kicks off tomorrow, August 1st. The Second Oldest is going to be a high school senior and that means mom's second college road trip, this time going west to Portland and Washington State. I pick the son up bright and early in Baudette, right off a camping trip, and hit the road. (We'll do laundry in Spokane.) It will be a sprint of driving, driving, driving, camping, driving, driving, driving to make it to our first appointment at Gonzaga University on Tuesday morning. I'm anticipating a fast-paced week of college tours, followed by a free weekend of either mountains or ocean (or possibly both) before one last stop in Bellingham for our last visit (Western Washington University) before we point the Outback east and hightail it home in time for the Youngest's birthday on the 11th.
A whirlwind trip, for sure.
There's a short week to check back in with work, do laundry, start fall sports, buy school supplies, and pack again because guess what? I've got another road trip in the opposite direction.
Yes, in three short weeks, the Oldest heads back to college on the East Coast. Another trek, another trip, and I honestly don't mind all the miles.
I continue to marvel at the experience of parenting. Just when you think you've got it figured out either conditions change or the children change. (But usually both and all at once.) And even when the kids become adults - surprise! - they keep on changing. It's a lifelong gig, this being a parent thing. It's both so obvious and yet, so profound.
I have loved having the Oldest home for the summer. As the mostly boring weeks of June and July rolled past us, I found myself checking the clock in the afternoon, counting the hours until she came home. I experienced giddiness looking forward to her arrival. She has changed in ways that make her glow and be funny. "Mom, shopping carts are now coming out with five wheels," she says in the grocery store. This past week, she sent me random texts:
"Flamingos have three legs."
"Ostriches fly north for the summer."
"When rabbits sneeze they create dust bunnies."
When I didn't respond to the last two texts right away, she wrote, "Oh, come on. Those last two were funny."
She's terrible about unloading the dishwasher but she's dynamite with her siblings.
This year, she'll be living off campus in an apartment. "You can stay longer if you want," she offers. And my heart wants to say yes. But my responsibilities tug on my shirt to head home ASAP.
Then I think, "Why not?"
In the spirit of play and adventure, maybe I will linger. Maybe I'll stick around Boston and visit a writer peep of mine. Maybe I'll finally make it out to Hull, stop in unannounced, and thrust myself upon Chairman Joe's relatives because, hey, why wouldn't they welcome me when I've traveled all the way from Wannaska? I met some pretty amazing people virtually this past year. Maybe I can swing by for a cuppa in Maryland. I've already scheduled a work date with one of my author clients in Connecticut. On the ocean.
Yes, there may be only five weeks of summer before school starts, but there is still so much playing to do and adventures to be had. And I'll be making the most of it.
On This Day
Remembering You
Kim
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*Wannaskan Almanac Kid Writer-in-Residence
You can definitely visit my rellies on the Coast.
ReplyDeleteFair winds and smooth sailing - in both and all directions!
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