This weekend was nothing short of fabulous. And natural. Very natural. Thanks to my minimal work schedule, we were able to roll into the weekend with little to do in the way of routine household chores or yardwork. What that opened up for us? A whole weekend focused on just being out in nature.
Now, I’m not going to lie. Thanks to a very wet August, the mosquitoes are horrible. Abso-stinking-lutely horrible. So lathered up with lemon and eucalyptus oil, we ventured outside. Saturday morning, I harvested and chopped peppers and squeezed tomatoes and my husband weeded the garden. Then, we went for a 7-mile hike at our amazing (and local) state park. We were up in the old forest area which is absolutely stunning. It’s like walking through Narnia. After a shower, we headed down to the lakeside restaurant for a burger and a beer outside gazing at the lake. It was now windy enough that mosquitoes didn’t bother us. Finally, we wandered home and after quick “outs” with the boys, we settled into a small candle-fire on our back deck with a sipper for my hubby and a glass of wine for me. (A candle-fire is when I put six pillar candles in our outdoor firepit. It makes it safe to use on the deck and very relaxing.)
On Sunday, we got back to harvesting. This time it was celery and apples from our big apple tree out back. I made apple sauce and a little over half of the celery got chopped and frozen by the time we had to call it quits.
All in all, it was a weekend which celebrated being outdoors and the fruits of our garden. In August, there is nothing better. But on the cusp of September? I’m calling it: I’m ready for cooler days, drier weather, and – let’s face it – fall. The mosquitoes, hot/humid weather and constant mowing have generally pushed me over the edge. Plus, knowing that it’s a “strong El Nino” winter means I don’t have to worry so much about snow this winter. That makes it even easier to accept.
The older I get, however, the more I am at peace with nature and – dare I say it – I enjoy the four seasons. For someone who always dreamed of being a snowbird, I’m pretty shocked myself. But there is a simplicity to nature and a rhythm to the seasons which honestly can’t be replaced. As I enter what I’ll come to identify as my first pass at retirement, it’s that simplicity and rhythm I crave. It’s all that is familiar and all that is soothing.
As I look forward to fall, there is also so much to enjoy. It’s that back-to-school and back-to-routine time of year. Football starts, days get shorter and Mother Nature puts on a spectacular falling leaves show here in the northeast. We can also pick apples and stop mowing so much when the temperature cools. I’m ready for jeans and long-sleeved shirts and the fall holidays. Oh man, I have been craving a little “Great Pumpkin” these days. I’m excited for Thanksgiving and outdoor campfires that really feel like something as a campfire on an 80-degree day just doesn’t work.
Then, there is my former arch-nemesis: winter. I love it for the first ten days… but that’s the Christmas and New Year holidays. After that? Well, typically, I’m over it. Yet more and more, I’ve come to appreciate winter a little more. I love the cross-country skiing, though it may not be so readily available this winter. I still hate shoveling our ridiculously long driveway, but I also love the days that stretch on-end when there is no shoveling and our evenings are calm and quiet with a fire in the fireplace and a good book in hand.
Starting in September, I’m at least taking a year off. In the on-again, off-again approach I’ve been taking to retirement, I’m not entirely sure if I’ll stay retired after a year or even the full year itself. But I know I need this year and all that it represents to get my head right and decide what’s next. There’s so much and so many I want to take care of. I love taking care of our home and I’m excited to assist my niece in helping her take care of her home, as a new attorney building her career. I look forward to smoothing the path for my husband’s Ironman and I enjoy giving our four rescues their best lives ever. I also look forward to the times with my in-laws this fall and my sisters whenever we get together. Mostly, I also want to work on myself. I want to get in better shape, read more books and do a slew of jigsaw puzzles because I have the time. It all leads to shutting down my brain and transitioning from the constant stress of work.
One common theme here? All of this is tech-free and most of this celebrates the rhythm of the seasons. It’s about humans and their interactions and giving/being generous to those entrusted in your care. It’s about getting and staying quiet by escaping into a book or a puzzle. It’s about long walks in nature.
In a life when I’ve simply pushed through, it’s time to push back. It’s time to let Mother Nature take the lead and follow, just a little bit. It’s time to make peace with what is and eschew the man-made disasters that are work drama.
As the rain which has been drizzling for hours now suddenly picks up, I am ready for what’s new. Let the rain wash away a career that I no longer find satisfying and help me find the peace in nature that I’ve been so craving.
The Yuppie Homesteader 