Wednesday, August 25, 2010

tales of a fourth grade EVERYTHING!!


we are back to school. this little man, my constant companion this summer (innkeeper in the making!) hurried off to a new school year with more confidence than i ever remember having at that age. i absolutely love the ohmygoshyouaretakingANOTHERpicture expression on his face!
i remember feeling pretty old when i was in the fourth grade. i can't imagine he is that age. i also remember that my fourth grade teacher was an unmarried 300-year-old woman who wore polyester pansuits and disliked my "bubbly" cursive handwriting. so, there you go.
Happy School Year, everyone!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Pop-pop, Grabbie and family, 2005
"Old Dan Tucker" is 99 today...
Happy birthday, Pop-pop!!

Saturday, August 07, 2010

august has a hold of me

i've been thinking a lot about apples.

which is to say, i'm ready for Fall. i'm ready for school buses and sharpened pencils. i'm ready for pots of soup and pumpkin spice candles. college football and knitting needles.

i am ready.

i am an Autumn soul who lives in a Summer town. i live in a constant state of flux with the rhythm of the beach goers and the sun worshippers. i work when others are at their leisure. it is the way of life here on the coast.

in my business, July is the longest month. from about the 24th or 25th of the month, i wake up every morning and think, "how can it possibly still be July?!?" i stare at the calendar with half-lidded eyes over a cup of reheated coffee, willing the pages to turn to August. to September. just NOT july. anything but july. then i prepare myself for another nine or ten hour work day, armed with my Julie McCoy mentality (a bit of false bravado on a clipboard). just ask me what to do with yourselves when it's raining at the beach and your kids are literally climbing the walls of your hotel room. go ahead and ask me. i dare you...)

but on august first, i breathe deeply and know that a sense of normalcy is right around the corner. the sunlight casts longer shadows (if i squint my eyes just right) and it's not as humid when i take the dog for a walk (if we're out before 7 a.m.) but still.

in the past week, this first week of august, i have roasted chicken and enjoyed a pot of chili and planned a getaway for Fall Break. i have gotten stirred up by talk of SEC football, and started browsing patterns to cast on my knitting needles.

there are still weeks of "summer" yet to come. i am making the most of every single day with jack (another post to come on how-jack-and-i-spent-our-summer in this, the year he refused to go to day camp.) i'm still wearing sandals and staying up way too late watching ridiculous reality television. heck, i'm still sitting in "beach traffic" every afternoon. but this too, shall pass.

i haven't lit the pumpkin spice candle.

yet...