It seems fitting that the joyous paddling of an otter brings in summer. The longest day is upon us, the solstice, the midsummer madness that fills our evenings with mirth and companionship of all sorts. The last of the peepers, the cry of the hawks, the swoop of the dragonflies in the twilight. This moment seems to exist outside of clock time, dancing to a beat all its own, whether we join in or not.
I know summer must be coming even though spring never arrived. And thus, I am gearing up to do “things”: field trips, hikes, website updates, workshops, visits with friends and more. The season is fleeting even when it doesn’t start slowly, and I cannot afford to waste a moment. Old gears can be coaxed back into action, it is just a matter of effort and getting the rust off.
Memorial Day Weekend, heralded as the start of summer. It brings to mind long, lazy days spent in a hammock or row boat. it makes me want to be in a place where I can hear the cry of loons, the breeze sighing through the pines overhead, and the water lapping at the shore. Where a good book, cold drink and morning walks are the makings of a great day. Where at night a fire brightens the darkness below and the stars shine above. Both reflecting off the smooth water.
The last of the evening light is fading, it is nearly 7:30, sunset. The color has slipped from the sky, yet I linger on the deck, loathe to call it a day. The late summer night sounds are starting their prelude to fall, which is whispering through the leaves.
The days of August are down to just 5. I still have much to do, but can see items already going over the waterfall and into September. I just find that it is hard to set aside the time for tasks I know could take hours. Not that leaving them undone shortens the time they will take. These are the tasks that require time on the phone getting tech help, just exhausting to contemplate. Meanwhile the tasks that can be broken into bits I am making progress on, albeit slowly. Monday I will set aside the possibly hours I need to spend on the phone. I just have to suck it up and do it. Gird my loins, so to speak. The waning days of August make it a must.
The days of July are here, the ponds are covered in waterlilies and turtles are sunning themselves on fallen logs. The days feel slow, with the heat pushing down and the humid air clinging like a wet towel. Yet I know the days are still the same 24 hours they are in December and January. I am still working my way (albeit VERY slowly) through the boxes I brought home from my studio. I would have thought to have made more progress in 8 weeks, but alas I have been slacking in that endeavor! I have undertaken compiling fonts, images and mixed media pieces for my website, which is in the works under someone else’s capable hands. I finally realized I could either spend 100+ hours and get nowhere, or spend some money and have a person who does it as their job. Who will actually complete a functional site. Yet it still requires me to get things prepped for uploading, a myriad of tiny things that need doing for each image. The hardest part is to do it and not continue to fiddle with it, that tinkering will always derail my best laid plans. Hence the outside web design. I am anxious to see the first draft, and a bit nervous about even considering a web site, but without a studio I need the chance for some exposure. And after all, doing nothing is not a good option if I want to move forward. So, these July days are a mix of activities, much as they are a mix of weather.
