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25 Things I Did On My Summer Vacation

Well hi everyone! Yes, that was a whole month off. Seems like nothing, right?

Here’s what I did.

  1. Learned things. As it turns out, August is butterfly time in my neighborhood. Sighted, a Gulf Fritillary, Common Buckeye, Painted Lady, one possible Monarch, innumerable and varied Skippers.
  2. Also learned that planting milkweed does not guarantee Monarch colonies. Mourned. Held out hope for next year.
  3. Watched the long hot summer finally cool down.
  4. Bought some new t-shirts at Barney’s, UNIQLO and J. Crew.
  5. Got more new t-shirts from UNIQLO Japan as a present from my son who’d been in Asia for the summer. One is printed with Winnie the Pooh. We always used to call that boy Piglet.
  6. Got fed up with Twitter and the endless stream of outrage, despite my wholehearted agreement that outrage is often warranted. Stayed on Twitter anyway.
  7. Planned a trip to New York City to gawk at the opening of Fashion Week, with a Partner in Blogging Crime.
  8. Planned a trip to Austin, Texas, to see college roommates.
  9. Planned a trip to Auberge du Soleil to celebrate my upcoming 60th birthday.
  10. Planned a trip back here for next January.
  11. Read the last of the books in vampire series The Passage trilogy and the business/personal growth tome, Grit. Supernatural/ non-supernatural strength.
  12. Attended my niece’s Bat Mitzvah.
  13. Danced with both of my children at the same time.
  14. Channeled my mother in a new t-shirt from J. Crew.
  15. Decided never to spend any money ever again.
  16. Spent it anyway. Bought myself two 60th birthday presents; a new wallet and hairbrush to fit in this bag.
  17. Loaned a lavender dress to my red-headed daughter for one of her friends’ wedding rehearsal dinners. Good color combination, lavender and spun copper.
  18. Got my sprinklers adjusted.
  19. Took Mom to the emergency room. She was OK.
  20. Drank no alcohol all month, except the night I had to take Mom to the emergency room.
  21. Returned to yoga classes.
  22. Found out my LDL cholesterol is way too high. Stress and lack of exercise, at a guess.
  23. Thought about vegetarian recipes and aerobic exercise.
  24. Met with Mom’s new geriatrician and primary care doctor, watched Mom dancing at her new memory care place’s happy hour. Someone held her hand so she didn’t fall down.
  25. Breathed deeply. Took a long walk with my husband. Noticed the afternoon light had thinned, just a bit, over the month, and sat down to write. Remembered it takes practice. Sat down to write again.

I am very happy to be back. I hope that the tiny onset of fall feels good to all in the Northern Hemisphere, as spring will to those of you in the South.

 

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71 Responses

  3. Yay, you’re back! You seemed to have had quite the respite. Good. Seems your mother is settling in, also good.

    I am on my second pocket Mason Pearson. My big stays home, of course, but the pocket ones can escape if one is not careful.

  4. I’m glad to have you back, and to hear about your summer delights (and not-so-delightful experiences). I’m also glad you were able to rest and enjoy. The wheel of the year is indeed turning, and I look forward to your musings on autumn.

  5. So pleased you’re back, but also very glad you had such a good balance of puttering and planning and looking and thinking and even of taking your mom to emerg. because I remember that it’s so good someone in the family CAN do that. Looking forward to regular posting, now, about all these adventures you have lined up. Fall seems quite securely locked in here now — it’s been raining for days and is planning to rain some more, and when it stops, there’s no chance the sun can ever regain that heat momentum. . . .Best just to embrace the new season, I suppose. . .

  10. I missed you!
    Butterflies (master gardener here) – plant a passiflora vine – purple Passion flower. It can get a bit ambitious in your climate so a place – fence perhaps? – where it can be busy and not a nuisance. I’m sure the good people at your local nursery can help.
    Welcome back!

    1. @Jb, I missed you too:). And yes, passion flower for the Gulf Fritillary, right? Do the natives work? Here I believe that would be what they call a Maypop? I want to plant one this fall!

    1. @joannawnyc, Some plain ones, Winnie the Pooh, and a Liberty tank:). And I am SO SORRY I didn’t make it to the Kim France event. I was hoping to meet you, but I mixed up the dates and showed up at the Vivier store…..Friday:(

  14. Golly, what a month! You’ve certainly made the most of it but that long hot summer you make reference to, well, it’s yet to slide a little north of you. We are still awaiting its arrival.

    My husband just told me that SF has experienced its coldest summer in 47 years, with only one day hitting 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the whole of August.

    Welcome back!

    1. @Chronica Domus, Wow, I had no idea? Haven’t gotten up to SF much. August is usually cold, but not that cold. We had the hottest July ever, temps often in the 90s. Just awful:(.

  15. So glad that you enjoyed your days of respite with lovely intervals of pleasure. For myself, I will buy a $60 wallet and keep $400 in it. I love the myriad options of unspent resources (just a thought!) Welcome back.

  16. Lovely to have you back! Sounds as though the bad times were balanced out with the good times! Glad to hear someone else shopped this summer too.

  18. Pleased to see you back! I have concluded that milkweed is best at attracting beautiful, jewel-like orange aphids, which somehow never manage to kill it. I don’t think I could create a list of 25 things I did in a month, so I admire your work very much. Maybe I’ll give it a try.

    1. @marsha calhoun, Milkweed aphids! I know. They are so creepy and yet kind of cute. I bet you could create the list, easily. Try it. It helps you realize how much you actually get done when you think you are just cruising.

  19. So glad that you’re back ( and that you had great holidays)
    Love,love,love Winnie the Pooh :-)
    Dottoressa

  23. Hi Lisa,
    Welcome back ;)
    Tell me, how did you find the Grit book? And what exactly drew you to it? If you think it’s good and has some interesting points, I’ll get it.
    Cheers xxx

    1. @Tracey, My husband recommended it to me. And I do think it’s good, and I do think it has some very interesting points. I like it much more than I thought I would. Am not usually a fan of human potential books. This is very down to earth.

  24. Lots of friends and my husband love Justin Cronin – maybe I’ll give the first book a try, not my usual genre, but heard his writing is terrific. Sounds like you had a somewhat restorative month, and glad you’re back.

    1. @Kathy, The first book was the best. I think you’d be fortunate to read it now that all three books are out, because by now I had actually forgotten the plot of books 1 and 2…He does write well. Very well.

  25. What one can do in 30 days! Very impressive So glad to hear your mom is feeling comfortable in her new home. This has to please you. Looking forward to your continued posts. Thanks for sharing. Susan

  27. Breathing space is always needed and August is the perfect month to claim that space. Your month was packed with meaningful things. Hope it was refreshing. Looking forward to autumn.

  29. Glad to have you back. I’m impressed by all that you did while away, and I’m especially impressed that you noticed what you did. A good lesson in mindfulness.

    1. @MJ, The blog supplies me such opportunity for mindfulness. You are right. It is on my list of top 3 things I love about blogging – reader participation and sheer time for creativity being the other two.

  31. Welcome back. I have missed your posts. They so often make me think and reflect which is always a good thing.

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