We've less than a week before Mary moves up to college.
I've gotten rather used to the pattern of our lives lately, coming home from a hard but not very stressful day at work, having a nice dinner, maybe playing some cards with the family before we clean up and sit down for an evening of BBC on Netflix and crochet and web browsing and occasional (but not very often) work around the house.
I apologize for not getting anything done much lately; sleep has been fitful and not quite satisfying and my alarm cat wakes me up before there's been much chance to wander through the fields of REM seeking that deep, deep restful state which makes it so much easier to get up in the morning. So it's off to work while my brain is still in some quasi-state where it is nearly impossible to think straight. Luckily it's not a prerequisite in my current job.
But there is much to do, so very much to do. I made up a list the other day, listing all the big and little tasks that need to get done (mostly sooner rather than later) and it numbered nearly one hundred. Some are relatively quick, some are going to take a long time, some really need to be done before the snow starts falling, and some are probably just wishful thinking. But the weight of the list on my mind is heavy. And here it is, already halfway through August!
And Mary starts school next week.
We went to a wedding last weekend in the tiny village of Hemlock, Michigan, which is approximately two hours away. The wedding was scheduled such that the day was spent in two-hour blocks of time: the drive out, the actual wedding, the wait for the reception, the reception/dinner, and then the drive home. We left a little before noon and didn't return home til nearly ten o'clock. I lost my way a couple times, missing some route sings, taking wrong turns, and we arrived at the wedding a mere five minutes or so before it began. It was a very nice wedding, very high-church Lutheran, filled with scripted passages and vows and scripture readings. Afterwards, we had time to kill before the reception, and we were probably the only ones at the event without family nearby to hang out with. Everyone else could just go home and wait a couple hours before heading over to the community hall for the dinner. We hung around the park next to the community hall and just waited. And talked. And crocheted.
After dinner, we headed home, finding a few detours along the way to slow down our progress. All in all, it wasn't the best of days. But Cheryl and I and Adam were able to spend some time together, and that counts for something.
Mary stayed home and watched movies and read stories and generally enjoyed the last bit of peace and quiet she's going to have for awhile. She has a week or so to pack all her things up and make sure she has all the accessories and accoutrements and groceries she needs for her new campus life.
Then on Sunday we had a Skype session with James and Tabea which was lots of fun, followed by an evening with some very good friends who also have a daughter heading off to college.
Consequently, this weekend, although eventful and generally interesting, accomplished absolutely nothing insofar as all those little jobs around the house. If anything, it just put us more behind.
And soon the weather will turn and all those outdoor jobs will become imperatives. And prepping the house and the yard and the cars for winter will become crucial.
And soon it will be just Cheryl and Adam and I in the house.
Which will be very, very odd.
I've gotten rather used to the pattern of our lives lately, coming home from a hard but not very stressful day at work, having a nice dinner, maybe playing some cards with the family before we clean up and sit down for an evening of BBC on Netflix and crochet and web browsing and occasional (but not very often) work around the house.
I apologize for not getting anything done much lately; sleep has been fitful and not quite satisfying and my alarm cat wakes me up before there's been much chance to wander through the fields of REM seeking that deep, deep restful state which makes it so much easier to get up in the morning. So it's off to work while my brain is still in some quasi-state where it is nearly impossible to think straight. Luckily it's not a prerequisite in my current job.
But there is much to do, so very much to do. I made up a list the other day, listing all the big and little tasks that need to get done (mostly sooner rather than later) and it numbered nearly one hundred. Some are relatively quick, some are going to take a long time, some really need to be done before the snow starts falling, and some are probably just wishful thinking. But the weight of the list on my mind is heavy. And here it is, already halfway through August!
And Mary starts school next week.
We went to a wedding last weekend in the tiny village of Hemlock, Michigan, which is approximately two hours away. The wedding was scheduled such that the day was spent in two-hour blocks of time: the drive out, the actual wedding, the wait for the reception, the reception/dinner, and then the drive home. We left a little before noon and didn't return home til nearly ten o'clock. I lost my way a couple times, missing some route sings, taking wrong turns, and we arrived at the wedding a mere five minutes or so before it began. It was a very nice wedding, very high-church Lutheran, filled with scripted passages and vows and scripture readings. Afterwards, we had time to kill before the reception, and we were probably the only ones at the event without family nearby to hang out with. Everyone else could just go home and wait a couple hours before heading over to the community hall for the dinner. We hung around the park next to the community hall and just waited. And talked. And crocheted.
After dinner, we headed home, finding a few detours along the way to slow down our progress. All in all, it wasn't the best of days. But Cheryl and I and Adam were able to spend some time together, and that counts for something.
Mary stayed home and watched movies and read stories and generally enjoyed the last bit of peace and quiet she's going to have for awhile. She has a week or so to pack all her things up and make sure she has all the accessories and accoutrements and groceries she needs for her new campus life.
Then on Sunday we had a Skype session with James and Tabea which was lots of fun, followed by an evening with some very good friends who also have a daughter heading off to college.
Consequently, this weekend, although eventful and generally interesting, accomplished absolutely nothing insofar as all those little jobs around the house. If anything, it just put us more behind.
And soon the weather will turn and all those outdoor jobs will become imperatives. And prepping the house and the yard and the cars for winter will become crucial.
And soon it will be just Cheryl and Adam and I in the house.
Which will be very, very odd.
3 comments:
For the record, chickens don't quite fill the void. :-/
I don't need chickens to not fill the void, but half my empty nest got filled with the return of one of the chicks who has deemed school away from home to not be her cup of tea so my feeling of emptiness has been cut in half. The other half of the nest is bereft still, but hoping for a visit now and then, and the door has been propped open if ever that other chick wants to re-nest. It's weird having kids old enough to come and go and be at the point where you want them to learn to fly. Painful at times, but we'll get over it and then they'll be bringing home the whoever-in-law, and then the grandkids, and then the cycle will start again, but it won't be our nest.
Excellent Article. Its nice to Read...
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