This weekend marks the official end of summer. And in the past, that has always made me sad.
I have always had an intense love affair with summer. It started at a young age, growing up in a small town in Wisconsin. Sleeping in, hanging at the community pool, riding bikes for ice cream. Then in later years, hanging out at Milwaukee Summerfest, catching outdoor concerts and spending every possible waking hour outside. When you live in Wisconsin, where half the year is spent navigating the frozen tundra, when summer hits, everything is about getting out to enjoy the only descent weather of the year.
When I moved to California, things between summer and I cooled a little. When you can literally wear shorts 365 days a year, my summer love affair lost some of its intensity. Yet a part of me has never let go of that feeling that I had to pack a ton of sun and fun in three and a half months. I have also never forgotten doing that first day of school report, “What I did this summer.”
The answer this year would be, not that much.
I didn’t really do any major projects, which I usually do. I had been planning to have a home addition done this summer, but who knew how tough it was going to be to get a HELOC to pay for it? The first time in my life I could have actually afforded to make the loan payments and no one wanted to lend me any money. Alanis Morissette are you listening? I have an idea for another verse to your song!
It was an extremely hot summer and both the refrigerator and just recently, the air conditioner needed major repairs. Doing gigs meant hauling in equipment in heat, performing in heat and basically peeling off clothes stuck to my body and taking showers at 300am when I finally got home. Some weekend days we never even ventured out, watching documentaries on Netflix with Kody and Kato on the couch. Not quite what I had in mind as summer fun.
Looking at my list of untouched projects, same size house and smaller size bank account, I lamented to the D-Man, “I am so OVER summer!”
I got the “stop being a drama queen” eye roll.
But the reality is, I am never over summer. The longer days. The summer fruit. Those summer nights, sitting on the backyard deck with a glass of wine, introducing the D-Man to old Bob Seger songs.
This summer, I got to see some family I hadn’t seen in years, spend some time with friends and yes, enjoyed a long tradition of seeing some great summer concerts.
Redesigning this blog, painting the hallway and refinishing that dresser I got at the Goodwill have just been moved to the Fall Project List.
No, it wasn’t an amazing summer. But it had its moments. Some of them pretty darn good.
I didn’t mean it summer. I am not over you. We just had a couple of rough patches. Goodbye for now. I can’t wait to see you next year.
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