Fall rolls in
Fall is not my favorite time of year. Things begin to die in the fall. All those golden, crimson, orangey leaves are reminders to me that any minute I’ll be pulling orange wool sweaters over my head. The incredibly satisfying heat of August where I sweat in tank tops becomes a memory. Flip flops get tossed into the shoe bin not to re-emerge until late spring. The YMCA swimming pool is drained and the lounge chairs stored.
Fall is when kids go back to school and this year, that means Jacob (who left at 6:45 this a.m. for high school – he’s a junior) and Johannah (who will move into her college apt. in just two weeks) will leave us. It was tough saying good-bye last year to Johannah (first year of college), but there was triumph too in having successfully completing that process. That feeling has subsided as the reality of her age and maturity slowly seeps in. She’s been home this summer, but what about the next one? She says she’ll be in France, working. And then what? Is this it? Is she really moving on to adulthood?
Summer brought us all together in a way we haven’t been in a long time. Even Noah was around more than usual, going on vacation with us this year when he didn’t last year.
Liam, Caitrin and I hit the books for the first time today, too. Caitrin has a head start on math. She decided August first that she felt like she needed a refresher to get ready for fall. Liam is ready to get back into the routine that was his: a combination of tutoring, self-education and work with me.
My desk is a mess (I’m not so vigilant in summer); the house needs a deep cleaning before we’re locked in for winter. Fall means “getting serious about stuff” again.
And for me, it begins today.
Oh, that sounds kind of glum. Lots of change. Maybe you need to go for a really good long walk in the woods on a regular basis through the fall to really appreciate the changes and find something more positive. I think your Johanna sounds like she is moving into adulthood. It must be a hard stage for you. But she seems to be well prepared and maybe those wonderful family together times will just be less frequent but more intense or something.
Glum or not, thanks for being honest, Julie. That’s what it’s all about.
Mostly just a little blue (hence the new header). 🙂 I’ve had a tough summer and was just starting to enjoy it! But all will be well. Each season yields something new and precious. Just have to lean into it and see what it brings.
Taking walks in the woods is my CHIEF way to enjoy fall, so you are onto something JoVE. 🙂
Thank you Mary for your comment and encouragement too.
End of summer? You wouldn’t know it in MY neck of the woods. It was 80 and beautiful. This was a very rare day after our horrible, horrible July and August weather in New Hampshire this year. Did I mention that it was horrible? *shudder*
Another BraveWriter family (Hi Katy!) and mine and 3 others found ourselves lakeside this afternoon. We gathered a group of wet, happy kids onto a light blue sheet spread out in the sand, peppered with poetry books and cookies for a Teatime. It was Tuesday after all. 🙂
We’ve had a difficult summer (read horrible there) in the northeast too. Our conversations were of gardening and canning and how awful the cold and wet weather has been this year. I think it’s entirely unfair after one of the snowiest winters on record! Am I whining loudly enough??
In a way I think I’m ready to be rid of the summer and get back into a routine. Back into Teatimes. Wrapped up into the joy and rhythm of Nature Journaling and Wednesday Movies. Enjoying the Boomerang selections in comfy corners of the house and yard. I’m ready for soccer and driver’s ed; ready for the fairs and apple picking, as well as adventures Geocaching and the sounds of young music students practicing…well, maybe not that. LOL.
Certainly what is ahead must be good!
~Rachel in NH
I love your new header…says it all for me about moving into fall; looking back a little reluctantly while the car pulls me on down the highway after a picnic that was too short and got rained out. I’d rather remain by the brook, lolling in the grass, relaxing. That’s the part I kept waiting for all summer. Relaxation. I don’t really feel like summer happened yet and I’m determined to make the autumn soft, pleasant and Fun in the midst of back-to-school. Glad for teatimes and cool, breezy walks.
Michelle
Fall in Tennessee is one of my favorite times. The temperatures drop, the humidity lessens, and the leaves are gorgeous. (Four years after having moved from the Sonoran desert of Tucson, Arizona, I still find myself amazed at the beauty and color of this place.) But it’s not only that…for autumn is also when we find our groove for the school year and we start learning wonderful new things (*Note – that “we” was definitely intentional in the last sentence. Did you know that Albert Einstein wrote over 3500 pages of personal correspondence to his wife and step-daughters when he traveled? Amazing!)
I have to admit that I don’t jump for joy as the busyness of life kicks in full force. My eldest umpires baseball. My second son plays baseball and also does karate each week with my third born son and myself. My daughter is not in anything organized yet…but loves to dance…I think that is likely just around the corner. Youth group at church picks back up and, in general, our days and weeks are definitely full. Still….I greatly enjoy it all.
Fall is also when I sit down and plan out our monthly writing assignments for the year. My seventh grader is due to write his first big report this year…and I’m actually kind of excited about trudging through it with him – but only because of The Writer’s Jungle. 🙂 On Labor Day we drove to Fall Creek Falls to do some hiking as a family. As we drove I read aloud to my husband from The Writer’s Jungle. My husband said to me…”This just makes so much sense. Why doesn’t everyone follow this approach for writing?” I include this last paragraph to say thank you with a grateful heart for the tremendous work that you are doing, Julie. My kids actually like doing dictations and Fantastic Freewrites. They love teatimes, Reverse Dictations and finding mistakes in published works. I am seeing their own personal styles and voices emerge in their writings. For me – the busy mom – Bravewriting philosophy keeps me on my toes to engage, to REALLY listen to whatever topic it is that has them excited. So as fall looms on the horizon we settle back in for another year, another season of Bravewriting. We had gotten out of the habit of tea parties over the summer…but had our first one this week. And it was good.