Him: ‘Um, Honey, your blog needs updating’.
Me: ‘I know. And the laundry needs folding and the dishes need washing and the money needs making and the diapers need changing and the cat’s claws need clipping and the windshield needs fixing and the school forms need returning…’ (Are you getting the picture?) ‘But I’m too busy doing nothing right now.’
While it’s not exactly true that I’m doing nothing—it certainly of feels like nothing is getting done. Frankly the reason I’ve been absent from this space is that I’m preoccupied by a cutthroat game of tug-of-war I’m currently engaged in with summer. (Apparently summer feels that it’s time to move on but I’ve got other plans.)
I realize I’m not the first person to remark that summer is fleeting but this feels like more than my usual early September observation of ‘where did the time go’. I’ve got none of the usual excitement for the leaves turning and the sweater wearing and the apple picking. I’m plain sad and even a little angry (at myself I guess) that I didn’t manage to eek out every one of summer’s usual pleasures this year. What happened to dinner outside with the smell of chlorine in our hair? And rustic tomato sauce? Not even once. And camping? And thunderstorms so severe we lost power (never thought I’d be missing that one). And impromptu backyard meetups with the neighbors. Did we do that? I can’t even remember.
As we mark off days until school starts the pressure on my shoulders mounts. With each degree the thermometer dips—my mood droops, and with each leaf that floats by—my heart sinks just a little further into my stomach. I fear the darkness and the cold that is New York State in the winter and I’m not entirely sure I can handle another grade-school related catastrophe. I just want to hang out with my kids barefoot and bra-less all day and… be.
Oh yeah, I finished a quilt.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Great quilt! And it’s okay to mourn the passing of summer. And to not feel great about how you spent it. But once you’ve acknowledged that you wish it had gone differently, move on to thinking about how today will be better! It’s not too late for dinner outside with the neighbors!
can I tell you how I love your quilt?
I love the binding
I love how the back looks like the sea at sunset
I love the spaceships.
I also know what you mean about summer.
I am on the edge of having panic attacks about sending my elder to Kindergarten.
There has to be a way to suck out all the marrow of this last week.
I started to feel a bit down the moment I turned the calendar to "September." I love fall, but saying goodbye to summer is especially tough. It is even harder this year since so many of my days were consumed with school. I made it to the beach a measly two or three times. I didn’t pick blackberries and I had my first frozen custard today. Hopefully there will still be a few more days of glorious summer (before that nasty winter I know so well). Oh that quilt-stunning!
Love the quilt. I’m still plugging away at the monster queen sized string quilt. Then I have a 9 patch from Amanda Jean’s to finish…. and THEN I get to play with circles. (The squares are cut out, I promise…. I’ll get there….. I promise….! School holidays here in two week time. Two weeks of glorious freedom!)
YAY!! Your back!!! Love this quilt, gorgeous colours and the layout really shows them off!
Well, there you are. I was missing you. Beautiful quilt. The days do flit by so quickly. I’m sure it was just yesterday my little one was do heel, toe, heel, toe with her tap shoes. Now her little one is in the first grade. What is it that keeps us so busy that we miss what you are talking about.
If I may, post when you can and love it when you do.
Since you don’t seem to be very busy these days would you be interested in being part of a block party. 12 members only, 8 spaces remain. Would love for you to be part of it.
Marty
well, hi! and that new header is absolutely gorgeous. those photos…oh!
i’m with you on this post…but remember we can’t really do anything but roll with it. get excited about apples and just move on from there.
and for goodness sake, don’t make the boys wear bras just because summer is over.
take care and glad to hear from you!
Love the new quilt. Great fabrics and colours.
Love your new header…
Remember? We barely had summer this year? I imagine it’s just the same where you are — summer didn’t really started acting its part until maybe the last week of July? And by mid-August the temps started to dip? So you did the best you could with what you had to work with, I bet. But I hear you, oh I hear you.
Beautiful quilt, as always.
seize the day – not the season…
(and bras are highly over-rated)
What a great quilt! And I do understand how you’re feeling. I would much rather have my kids home and around me than deal with school. My son is a senior next year, so I fear that all of our summers from now on will be different.
Yeah, I remember you saying how you love being barefoot and free all summer…doesn’t make looking forward to fall fun, does it? I wouldn’t say I’m ready for fall, but I’m ready for now. (With this late start of the school year, I’m denying that "fall" is beginning anytime soon.)
This summer has been so crazy that I’m glad for the craziness to be subsiding. I didn’t have many "lazy days of summer" expectations for this year, so the lack of them doesn’t make me morose. And in reality, I had some lovely one! Time at V’s, going to Yellowstone, visiting my family, lunch with a bloggy friend
…it was a good summer!
I wish the same for the month of September. I just want it to hang around a bit longer and give me more time to can sauce and pears and pickles and stuff. I’m never going to get it all done….but I can’t scratch it off my list. I’d rather lose sleep than not have those things this winter. Best get to the kitchen!
That quilt is my kid of lovely. The colors and the patterns are just gorgeous.
Love the quilt – now I want to make something blue and orange! Adios summer, Hola autumn – less yard work, more sewing, knitting and spinning!
Oh boy, do I understand. We’re in Rochester, NY and it didn’t feel like summer even started until the beginning of August. I think we used our pool twice this year. Ugh. I’m not ready for the darkness of a NYS winter, either.
On the upside, that’s a beautiful quilt!
I LOVE That quilt!
I think I might be ready for fall, but then it just means winter is around the corner. Not my favorite….
your quilt will most certainly bring some sunshine into the gray of fall that is descending upon you…the blue and orange is a great mix!
That quilt is beautiful. I’m peeking about going back to uni study and not achieving what I set out to but having had the pressure taken off for the past 13 weeks has been glorious. I just have to focus and try not to think about fabric, block patterns and quilts when I read through my text!! My daughter just caught a glimpse of your first picture and zoomed in on the converse shoes – she’s become quite the addict (because Harry Potter wears them!). Take the days as they come. Think of us as our days warm. Yours will be back soon! T.
I LOVE the quilt. The colors are fantastic. They should do a good job of brightening up your house during the dark winter days. I am feeling the exact same way about summer. I usually love fall, but I am holding on to this summer with clenched fists. I always said, "OK {with a smile}" when people said, "it goes so fast, so enjoy it" Now, I want to scream that from the top of my lungs. Where did the last year go? I did enjoy it, but I am still not ready for it to end.
Amy, this quilt is so uplifting in it’s colours and form. I hit the down part around January although for the first part of fall into winter, my excitement glows because I love to stay in and knit/eat soup/drink tea. I hope this season will be enjoyable for you.
new to your blog and this post is awesome. you have put into words exactly what i have been thinking and feeling. beautiful blog.
Love the new quilt!
I feel the same way about missing out on this summer