I've been away on a Solo Jaunt, and Things have gotten Away From Me. Suddenly it's October, and thank goodness the oppressive Summer Heat might be really and truly Gone. The entire Summer reminded me of a brief exchange from a chapter of one of my Favourite Novels, The Great Gatsby. In it, five gorgeous and privileged friends are sitting down to a light meal, and there is already tension in the air. It is only made worse by the incredibly heavy summer heat. They are sitting in a (symbolically!) darkened room, and the conversation goes thusly among the women:
"What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon," cried Daisy, "and the
day after that, and the next thirty years?"
"Don't be morbid," Jordan said. "Life starts all over again when it gets
crisp in the fall."
"But it's so hot," insisted Daisy, on the verge of tears, "And
everything's so confused. Let's all go to town!"
Her voice struggled on through the heat, beating against it, moulding its
senselessness into forms.
And that, my friends, is why I had to zip off on a solo jaunt. I'm back now, and Gathering Myself, and I'll be back with my Y Post soon. And off to visit your places as well.
It's good to be back.
Getting crisper down my way as well. Now if I could just cast my eyes on some of that beautiful fall foliage that adorns the northern states in the autumn months... ah, that would also be good for my spirits, too.
ReplyDeleteTake whatever time you need to Gather Yourself. RRR (= Rest, Relaxation & Reflection) is critical. We shall feast on Vintage DoN whilst you are hatching the Y post. :-)
Ortizzle--We are just now beginning--in a very Early Way--to turn to Autumn. Temperatures in the 60s and some much-needed but relentless rains have begun the transition. I am Beyond Ready to dig out my boots and jeans and lay away my shorts and sandals.
DeleteThanks for your Support. Who knew I was becoming so...fragile?
So glad you had a jaunt and happy to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteRose--Thank you. It was Restorative in several ways. I hope you're feeling Restored as well.
DeleteWelcome back, so far Fall has not arrived here in Florida, can you send it this way?
ReplyDeleteMeredith
Meredith--Thanks. I will be happy to send Some Fall along South, but we do need to keep some here in the Great Lakes for ourselves. It's a lovely season when it's here.
DeleteSo very jealous of a Solo Jaunt, it sounds heavenly.
ReplyDeleteGina--I'd have loved to have you along! Parts were indeed Heavenly, and just what I needed. When I was at your stage of Parenting, Solo Jaunts were out of the question as well. Isn't that always the way? When we need getaways the most, we are least able to have them (i.e., as young parents; in the middle of our careers, etc.).
DeleteDitto what Gina said. Ditto what Jordan said. Happy to have you back among us. Looking forward to Y because that's a tricky letter to do and I'm sure you'll make it great.
ReplyDeleteAlly Bean--Bless your dear and generous heart. I've got a few ideas for Y which are germinating. We'll see how it all shakes out. I'll be over at your place soon.
DeleteNance, even your "back soon" posts are beautifully written. Happy you're back home safe and sound, and I hope you're letting the restorative factors of your trip keep you going for a while. Sometimes it's so easy to get sucked back into our normal lives after such a trip. It's a fairly common route for us all, but it always seems kind of sad really when we're home for just a few days and suddenly our getaway seems like it happened months ago. Resist that, Nance. LOL See you again here soon. Thank goodness for fall's own restorative factors. I'm always grateful for them.
ReplyDeleteShirley
p.s. I'm so very glad that I got to see you, even if it was a super short visit. As soon as you left, I was thinking that we should have talked about "this," I should have fed you "that," etc.
Shirley--Oh, thank you for the fine compliment. I completely understand what you mean about allowing myself to be "Re-Cocooned", especially since my drive back was so horrid. (A terrible semi-truck over a bridge accident, a truck carrying cars on fire, blinding downpour through Cleveland...I was exhausted by the time I got home.) It was a relief to slip into some restful Routine, even for an evening.
DeleteBut you are so right. I have, at least, the Transition into Fall to mark a New Beginning for me. Things have to change overall, and I realize it.
I'm glad we had some time together as well. It had been far too long. Why aren't We a priority? Let's work on that. And while we had so little time, it was wonderful and rejuvenating. I thoroughly enjoyed every second. No second-guessing necessary. Thank you again. XO
I am hoping that you're now enjoying the first real days of fall and all is good, Nance!
DeleteThanks for the out on second guessing. We did have a great, albeit short, time. We've always had the ability to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time! I look forward to us putting our heads together and coming up with some lovely future plans. xoxo
In which I am Marguerite Gautier waiting and waiting (cough cough) for your return.
ReplyDeleteNancy--Plump up the pillows on your divan de la mort and try to rally. I'll be back as soon as I can next week. I've picked up a freelance job, and I'm a bit busy at present. XO
DeleteIn that case,thank God Armand is here to keep me company and give me sips of Robitussin....
ReplyDeleteThat quote is spot-on! I'm so relieved the heat is gone. And a solo jaunt? Always appropriate.
ReplyDeleteBecky Brown--Thank you for visiting here and joining the fray. I hope you do so often.
DeleteWe here in NorthEast Ohio (NEO) are truly enjoying cooler temps and the emerging colours of Autumn. We had frost warnings last night! I'm feeling rejuvenated, and hope to write a new post here soon.
Good to see you back♥ Have a great week ♥
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Summer--It's good to be back and NOT DRIVING IN TRAFFIC SURROUNDED BY BIGASS TRUCKS. Thank you for stopping in.
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