With this year being the noticeable exception, this last week is usually the first right turn into summertime. What do I mean by that? Well, there’s summer and summertime. Summer is just a season. Summertime? It’s a state of being. It’s a slow down, drink your coffee and your iced tea on the back porch, take calls in the shade on the front porch and cook dinner on the grill kind of feeling. Life typically has slowed down. Summertime reflects that laid back, summer attitude.
Growing up in Western New York, this week was always the last week of school and this last week of school was usually either filled with periodic exams and lots of free time or school field trips. So, it wasn’t like this week was an actual full week of school. Instead, it was more of a prep week… a prep week for summer, that is. Even as adults, this week hasn’t changed. It’s always the week leading into summer. That last full week where people are all in the office before the vacations start and the world just generally slows down.
Now, this year is an exception because I’m about to work about six 12-hour days in a row. When I’m done, it will be true summertime. I intend to work less hours the entire month of July than I will work in the last six days of June. Next Friday, my niece – my first baby – gets married. On Sunday, we celebrate the Fourth of July on the Lake. In just about five weeks, we head to Lake Placid for vacation. And when we do? Well, straight up, I am not working for the rest of the month.
So, despite the little disruption with the next six days, it’s summertime in my world and baby, I’ve been looking forward to it.
Now, there’s a lot of reasons to enjoy summertime. The first, is obviously because life slows down. The second is because the garden is finally planted and instead of scrambling to get plants started and in the ground, we instead can take a cup of coffee in the morning and go out and inspect our plants. The third is that we just live differently in summer. Essentially, we live outside. The hours spent indoors are limited as much as possible.
And I’m getting ready. I’ve got my books lined up, the iced tea supplies, my new walking sneakers, a fresh supply of seasoned firewood for the outdoor firepit, at least one unopened bag of marshmallows, and a field full of dreams for another summer. It’s time. After last year and a rough start to this summer with my husband’s injury, it’s time. Time for this little homesteading family to kick back, relax and let the world slip on by for at least a few weeks if not a couple of months.
As the years have gone by since that fateful decision to quit my job and go part-time, I’ve looked forward more and more to this time of the year. I’ve renewed some traditions like picking wild blackberries with my sisters and added in a few new. I now regularly pick cherries and blueberries. I’ve got an awesome blueberry recipe that is literally amazing and I take those muffins to Lake Placid each year. I have new canning books so I’m slowly expanding my storage pantry. This year, I plan to try my hand at either peach or plum jelly. Along with my world famous pickles, Harvard Beets, marinara sauce and strawberry jam, the jelly will be another arrow in my canning quiver. We intend to buy a telescope and do a little more stargazing this year and as soon as I think my husband’s arm is really up for it, I am planning a backyard camping adventure where we can cuddle up under sleeping bags and watch the stars peek out across the night sky.
This year is about renewal for me and for us. Last year was simply sobering. It was a reality we had to face but it was not a pleasant experience. This year? It’s about rediscovering and celebrating the pieces of our life that make this lifestyle so attractive. The slower pace. The meaningful but manageable work. The sweet, sweet pets. The renovated home. The large garden. The return to health after injury. It’s all here and it’s about to bust wide open. This year, I just have on extra week before I get there. But next week about this time? Look out. It’s summertime.
The Yuppie Homesteader 