Minto Brown Island Park, a favorite place to walk.
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Written 6.22.2022.
Here we are in June already, and June has felt a lot like March. I actually found myself wishing for a fire in the wood stove a few evenings, so damp and chilly it's been. It has rained so much in the last couple of months I have feared that our garden will never get going, but a week ago I planted my tomatoes and marigolds, along with a few nasturtium seedings I nurtured by the big window in the small hall. My calendula patch has been blooming for at least two months now, the California poppies as well, and the herbs planted last year have all done well despite having very little sunshine this spring.
Yesterday was Summer Solstice and, after a walk in the morning, I spent it working in the yard most of the day. My husband and I took Pip for a walk at the park downtown in the evening, and it seemed the whole town was there, joyously picnicking, playing ball, playing music, everyone unabashedly reveling in warmth and light we haven't had for so long. Summer weather arrived on the first day of summer, and temperatures are supposed to hit the 90s this weekend.
The boy got his driver's license in April. School's out for the summer and he'll be a senior when it starts again in the fall. I'm having a bit of a hard time with the fact that we are at this point, and I'm going to make the most of every single day we have him at home still.
I've been craving quiet so I'm going off social media, perhaps for the rest of summer, perhaps longer. My mind needs to declutter. Some things have been deactivated (Instagram, Pinterest), some permanently deleted (Twitter, Goodreads). I've been trying out The StoryGraph for several months now and I'm keeping my account there, but private and solo for now. It's different and may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love that it is black-woman-created/owned, it links to Bookshop, not Amazon, and it feels much less like a social media account. I'm starting to feel free of the noise that builds up in my head from too much of everything. I'm feeling relief.
I'll try to be here more often, the one place I might feel like sharing a little bit, but for the most part I hope to be spending a lot more time sitting outside on the deck reading, tending the garden, going on long walks, learning to play my violin (!), or otherwise getting creative. But first, a trip! What are you up to?
Until next time ~
☽