Changes

Greetings all!

Hard to believe the seasons are sailing past us. I know there is no magic wand to slow it all down. Nor should there be. Because then I’d just be playing God with the seasons.

Swish of the wand.

Spring. Sure, stick around, temps are good. Green buds everywhere. Life.

Summer, you too, are welcome to just laze. No one rushing you.

Autumn, I know I said I always loved you.

Attractive boots. Sweaters. Apples. Cider. Colors everywhere. Rah rah from nearby stadiums. Wool suits. Burning leaves in the backyard.

So many people proclaim, “I love the Fall.” And I agree with them smiling. Say things like, “Me, too.” Now I say, “Me, too, but it’s the transition thing that’s tough for me.”

This year wasn’t too bad. Because the youngest returned to school early for three weeks of training. So it wasn’t like September 1st rolled around and my kid was gone again. It was still warm and summer when I helped unpack her at university.

But I ride my bike down the East Bay path and the beach is empty. The cacophony of the park and recreation area, normally present in the summer, has been stilled now that all of the little day campers have gone. No more thwonks of tennis balls hitting the courts. Only the honks of the Canadian geese, befouling/befowling the area, are heard.

Traffic patterns changed. Tourists and summer folks left while the school buses returned. The ones you’ll do anything not to be stuck behind when they pick up or discharge their precious cargo. God bless them. But still. We all have things to do, right?

It’s dark. The clocks have been changed. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Xmas shopping.

I have not been sitting here moping. Been a busy woman. Did some community service in town. Organized a team for an Alzheimer’s Walk. Visited youngest up in Vermont. Sat in on a couple of her university classes. Am ahead of my reading challenge (100 by end of year) by one book! Had Lasik procedure on my eyes. Felt blessed that my mom turned 80 years old last month. Delved into African-American authors. Enjoyed visitors up until last week. Currently doing my civic duty and loving it.

But still. Haven’t packed up the entire patio. Or transferred garden ornaments into the garage.

Maybe this weekend.

Here is a poem by Langston Hughes. Recently finished a book of his. So enjoyed it. And I am not a “sit under a leafy tree and blow on dandelions while making wishes/reading poetry type of girl.” He was good.

I mean, that’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it? Autumn. And then Winter.

With that being said, I do enjoy the change of seasons. I pined for it while living out of New England. Even more so when we moved overseas.

I enjoy the change. Not the transition.

 

 

 

 

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#12

We sometimes forget that certain smells promote a feeling of well being.

Like laundry.

I mean the smell of clean laundry.

There are even candles and sachets named “Fresh Laundry” or “Clean Linen” out there. Because people love this scent.

If you live in a place where the laundry is dried outside all year then you are fortunate. You get that outdoor scent naturally. You don’t need my “Feel Good” list. You’re probably breathing in that “clean air” smell from your sheets at this very moment. As you should. Lovely scents trigger positive responses.

But for those who use a clothes dryer due to weather and/or the seasons you can try this for a pick me up.

These are two wool dryer balls. They help reduce static electricity and drying time in the machine.

I add just a little something to the mix.

These are essential oils. I’ll be honest. They’re not the real expensive ones.

I find them in Marshalls and TJ Maxx which are discount department stores in the U.S. Same place I bought the dryer balls.

I put drops of the oil on the dryer balls. Once absorbed they are ready to work their magic on the load of wet clothes thrown into the dryer.

The end result is warm sheets, towels or clothes that smell like lemongrass or eucalyptus.

Or whatever wonderful smell you want it to be. Clean laundry? Bergamot? Spearmint?

Smell whatever you want.

I inhale the scent and it lifts me up for a moment.

Try the dryer balls with essential oils for a quick “feel good” sniff during the long/short days this winter.

Maybe you’ll find one called “Beach” or “Summer Days.”

 

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Use Sense

Here is another item for the “Is It Spring Yet?” list. Guess we can put this down as #4.

Using, waking up and actually enjoying our senses while we embrace each season.

Here is one simple way to do it. Without breaking the old bank.

Take this Rosemary plant. First of all, it looks better in person. But I bought the plant and pot this past summer at a local discount store called “Ocean State Job Lot.” Might have even picked up the small strand of fairy lights there.

Why not enjoy it inside the home?

It’s got the combo vibe.

The ceramic pot provides a splash of color. Fairy lights add a touch of ambiance. Run fingers along its spiky leaves to release the scent for a bit of aromatherapy when needed. Also comes in handy when a recipe calls for a sprig to season a dish!

An interesting little fact about this herb. Rosemary might help with memory. I actually forgot where I read that. But I did read it. 🙂

This is a small, inexpensive way of using, waking up and enjoying the senses.

Embrace it all! Senses and the seasons!

 

 

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Geraniums

The geraniums did quite well on our back deck this past summer. Always so cheerful looking with their bright reddish-orange blooms against a back drop of dark green leaves.

I’ve always thought they had staying power even while surrounded by upstarts.

When it was time for the summer farewell I wasn’t quite prepared to let them go. To do what many folks do. I did not buy into their “annual” tag.  Did not let the geraniums die a natural death in their potted state. Did not watch them be reduced to brown stalks and allow the soil to be repurposed as an ashtray for a shivering smoker. Did not leave them to the elements. Did not rip them from the dirt and throw into the compost bin. Did not allow the blooms to just disappear like tourists after Labor Day.

I treated the geranium like a perennial plant. I kept it alive.

It wasn’t that I wanted to play God.  It wasn’t about trying to save money on new plants in the spring. It wasn’t that I wanted one more thing to care for in the house.

I just really enjoyed looking at them. Each and every day. So cheerful. That’s it.

Why couldn’t I invite a last vestige of summer into our home? It’s not a rejection of autumn but merely a symbol of past and future joy.

They were still blooming and perky looking so I brought the pot inside and found a perfect spot in the sunroom.

It’s now February and they continue to thrive. And I still love looking at them. A bigger pot is definitely on the horizon.

In my last posting I stated that I would share the things that enhanced or added cheer to my autumn and winter days. This geranium totally made my list of cheer.

Stay tuned for more.

 

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Sweater

I’ll admit it. The beautiful photos that my friends and family are posting this time of year are sort of making me homesick.

I miss the changing of the leaves.

I miss wearing sweaters. I miss wearing boots.

I once tried wearing a sweater here in Malaysia. It was an evening gathering by the pool area in our community. I’m not crazy (all of the time) so I wasn’t going to go full on heavy wool sweater. But I had donned a nice, light cotton, button down cardigan that I thought I could handle.

Ten minutes into the occasion and I was sweating bullets.

I said to my friends, “I’ll be right back!”

And I ran home to change into some sleeveless, cotton thingy. It was that bad.

I tried.

Some people can handle the humidity here. I am not one of them. I guess it’s my DNA. My ancestors hail from a temperate climate and I was born in an area that experiences seasonal changes.

I’m seeing beautiful photos of changing leaves, football games and family gatherings.

And I miss it.

My visits are usually during the summer. And sometimes Christmas.

So I miss out on those absolute perfect days and chilly evenings of Autumn. All the apple picking and Halloween/Thanksgiving activities.

I get that these same people will be complaining and posting photos of the long winters.

And I also miss that.

It is interesting to live in a climate that is predictable. But not interesting enough that I want to spend my entire life here.

So, if you are currently experiencing the changing of the seasons, appreciate every moment.

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