It was a hot day today in Central Vermont. The sun went down as a big orange ball. The short summer has begun. This morning I went out and watered the impatiens and the mini dahlias I have in containers around the yard. Tomorrow I will do the same. I'm not much of a gardener though I live in hope that the green things I tend will survive the season.
This year Mike and I planted a small vegetable garden. Not much. We don't need too much for just two of us. I'm pretty sure we will still have too many summer squash and tomatoes when they are ready for harvest. It gives me a thrill to see the big yellow blossoms on the squash plants. I've peeked under the canopy of leaves to see little squashes developing. I make a wish that the deer don't find the treasure before we are ready to pick.
I'm in a new time in my life. We have already raised the dearest treasures. Two daughters, now young women. For awhile, I grieved the loss of their childhood. Recently I read an editorial by Dominique Browning in House and Garden magazine. She talked about sniffing about the house to catch the scent of her grown children recently departed from home.
This past spring I was asked to write an essay on what empty nest meant to me. So often women talk about picking up the stitches of their lives before their children were born and continuing the pursuits of their pre-child years. It was a shock to me to realize that I had nothing to return to. My life began in earnest when my oldest daughter was born. Almost all of my adulthood has been defined by motherhood.
My nest is not empty though. It is filled with the promise of what is next; the hot summer time of my life.
This year Mike and I planted a small vegetable garden. Not much. We don't need too much for just two of us. I'm pretty sure we will still have too many summer squash and tomatoes when they are ready for harvest. It gives me a thrill to see the big yellow blossoms on the squash plants. I've peeked under the canopy of leaves to see little squashes developing. I make a wish that the deer don't find the treasure before we are ready to pick.
I'm in a new time in my life. We have already raised the dearest treasures. Two daughters, now young women. For awhile, I grieved the loss of their childhood. Recently I read an editorial by Dominique Browning in House and Garden magazine. She talked about sniffing about the house to catch the scent of her grown children recently departed from home.
This past spring I was asked to write an essay on what empty nest meant to me. So often women talk about picking up the stitches of their lives before their children were born and continuing the pursuits of their pre-child years. It was a shock to me to realize that I had nothing to return to. My life began in earnest when my oldest daughter was born. Almost all of my adulthood has been defined by motherhood.
My nest is not empty though. It is filled with the promise of what is next; the hot summer time of my life.
This empty nest business is a challenging time for certain. It appears that your attitude is just right for moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI see that we started blogging about the same time! Cool...