July Style Journal: Easy Sandals

It is a well-known fact that I love flip flop sandals and, given the chance, I would wear them all year long.  However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve found that the standard flip flop sandal doesn’t offer nearly enough arch support for my aging feet.  Can I wear sub-standard flip flops?  Yes, yes I can.  Will I pay the price for this decision?  That is also a yes.  I have a few pairs of high-quality (read: pricey) flip flops but when my most favorite pair suffered a worn out toe post, panic ensued. 

Then, I discovered these sandals.  

They aren’t flip flops, though they share the ease of flip flops and I love wearing them.  I've began to wonder if my love of flip flops is the fact of the toe post or is simply the ease of putting them on…….mind blown, Internet.  Here’s to the ease of summer sandals without an ankle strap.  It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like flip flops, but I can’t have everything.

July 5: Daily Walks

The outdoors are my sweet spot and being able to go for walks and visit gardens and parks has been one of the best parts of my post-hip replacement world.  With the arrival of Summer Break and its relaxed schedule, I’ve made a daily commitment to walks outside.  Sometimes that’s a stroll around my town.  Often, it’s a trip to the familiar landscape of my beloved Colonial Park.

Or a walk in the quiet of Pleasant Valley Park. 

 I’ve also made it a point to find some new places.  For all that it’s small and densely populated, New Jersey has the very best little pockets of beauty, with woodlands and gardens hidden in corners of quiet and sunshine.  I’ve discovered the gem that is the Reed-Reeves Arboretum. 

Just up the hill from my house is the Leonard Buck Garden.  

Being able to go for daily walks and then adding variety to them has been a treat for me, a reminder that being outside is a sure way to bring me the peace and tranquility that feeds happiness.

July 1: Cardinal Cap Hat

When JT was a little boy, he called his baseball cap his “ball cap hat.” The phrase stuck with me and though I rarely say it out loud, when I see him in a baseball cap, I think of it.  He remains a fan of hats and wears any number of them throughout the year.  For me, baseball caps spell fun and I’ve a new ball cap hat myself, one I acquired with Summer adventures in mind. 

My first trip of the Summer is tomorrow; I’m headed West to see family and friends.  I’ll wear my new ball cap hat and think of my Dad when I do.  That’s happy!

Cooking Journal: The Salad Season

The arrival of warmer weather means that unless there is rain, supper at my house is always served outside on the back deck.  Everything tastes better when its eaten al fresco and we’ll be out here for meals until the cold weather arrives.  And we’ll be eating salads.  I have a nearly endless array of salad recipes and I’m a wizard with homemade dressing so……come on over for salad.  

There’s peanut chicken salad.  There’s bbq ranch salad.  There’s salad with homemade blue cheese dressing.  How about salad with candied pecans, avocado, and champagne vinaigrette dressing?  Anyone up for hummus with cucumber-tomato salad?  

You name the salad and I’ll be serving it on the back deck until it's too dark or cold to eat out here.

Back in the Swing of It (I Hope)

Now that the school year has ended, I’m faced with the prospect of actually having enough time to do all the things that need doing.  It’s a happy development.  I’ve got a back log of half written pieces for this blog and I’m glad to have time to finish them and write more.  Shorter work days and loads of time off mean that I’ll have time to travel, to garden, to go for longer walks, and to catch my breath.  As I approach August, and the one year anniversary of my hip’s collapse, I’m a little more grateful for all the good things in my world.  I plan to write about that, to record some of my most pressing thoughts about the medical establishment, and to renew my commitment to daily writing and more consistent posting.  The long days of June make everything feel possible, don’t they?  That’s happy!

Among the Trees: Back Deck Zinnias

My first house in Nebraska had a fireplace with a terrific Craftsmen-style mantle.  In the backyard garden, I grew zinnias, cosmos, dahlias, and gladiola flowers that I arranged in bunches on the mantle all summer long.  I liked coming into the living room and admiring the flowers from my garden.  Sassafras House doesn’t have a fireplace and bouquets get set on the dining room table.  That’s nice, but I have missed flowers in the living room. 

This summer, I planted zinnia seeds in pots on the back deck.  They can be seen out the back window from nearly every vantage point in the living room and it’s been lovely.  

I’ve cut a bouquet or two but mostly I enjoy seeing the flowers from the windows or sitting among them on the back deck.  The bees feel the same way.

That’s happy!

Summer Days

Our Summer started off rather cool in June and only heated up at the start of July.  The heat was briefly blistering before rains set in to keep lawns green.  It’s pretty hot and humid this week but I’ve not yet tired of the ease of Summer weather, which allows me to slip outside without worry.  The days seem relaxing as they fade into one another.  I thought about the pace of Summer as I enjoyed the shade at Colonial Park the other day. 

We’ve reached the point when Summer Break is halfway over and I’ve begun to think about the return to school in September.  It’s far enough away that I know there is still time to enjoy the relaxed pace of sunny Summer days.  But it’s also close enough that I’ve begun to regret that Summer will come to a halt.  It’s been a really nice Summer, far more relaxing than last Summer and filled with the promise of a busy but happy Fall to come.  The familiar gardens and paths of Colonial Park have provided me with plenty of pleasant strolls and more than a few quiet moments in the shade.  I am grateful for this Summer and I want to say it out loud; to mark my gratitude.  As I stroll the rose garden and smell the flowers I often feel at peace and that's awfully nice.  

Cooking Journal: The Pleasures of Outdoor Dining

Since the weather became warm enough to eat outside, JT and I always have supper on the back deck.  Summer suppers are cooked on the grill or are salads and sandwiches that come together easily.  Most evenings, we don’t eat until after 7, when the fiercest heat has begun to fade.  We soak up the twilight, the growing zinnia and canna blooms, some music, and the time to relax.  We share details about our days and enjoy one another’s company. Even when JT is away for the night, I eat outside, with a book and music to keep me company. Al fresco supper has become one of the nicest parts of the Summer and that’s happy.

Zinnias!

This year, I planted zinnia seeds in pots on the back deck.  I planted in May, fertilized and watered, had to re-planted a smidge (damn the squirrels),  and I gave the seedlings daily pep talks as they grew into leggy branches. Last week, I could see the start of flower buds.  I got pretty excited.  This week, the payoff began. 

I have zinnias!  Bouquets will be in the future and I am best-pleased by this happy development.

All About the Flowers

I love flowers.  At home, I grow zinnias, begonias, geraniums, and impatiens in the Summer.  On occasion, I’ve been known to indulge in a store-bought bouquet.  Most years, I threaten to buy myself an enormous Costco bouquet on my birthday, though I have actually done so only once.  A few times in my life, someone has brought me flowers and once or twice, I’ve been the recipient of a delivered bouquet.  Such treats feel especially extravagant.  

Of late, my flower admiration has happened in nearby gardens - the tulips at a local tulip farm, the daffodils, roses, hydrangeas, and magnolias blooms at Colonial Park.  There are two enormous magnolia trees in the park and I like to visit them and breathe in the scent of the flowers, which last late into July around here. The ivory blooms look almost artificial but they are velvety to the touch and the scent is heady.

In the rose garden, the hydrangeas are blousy and beautiful.  I have a hydrangea in my back yard but it blooms infrequently; I have never discovered the magic sauce for regular flowers so I admire those at the park instead. 

On Sunday, I happened through the rose garden after a rain storm. Many blooms were still wet from the rain, making for some splendid photos.  At least a few of these photos will make my bulletin board for the new school year, to keep me company in the months that do not feature fresh flowers.  

Style Journal: My Summer Shoe of Choice

 I love flip flops.  

I know that love is a big word and I mean every bit of it.  Between-the-toe flip flop sandals (known to me as “thongs” when I was a child...and that word is a story for another day) are literally a source of never-ending joy to me.  Everything about them is splendid - the way they are casual; the way that they ensure my feet get maximum sunlight and outdoor space; the fact that they are so easy to slip on, the way they stay on as because of the toe post…I could go on and on.  

I wear them all year, though in Winter I only wear them inside.  Come warmer weather - and for me that is any day forecast to bring temperatures over 60 - I wear them indoors and outdoors for as much time as possible.  In the Summer, they are my style of choice and my diverse collection ensures that I am have a pair that match every outfit I choose to wear.  And in my estimation, that is the very definition of happiness.   

Monthly Book Report: Wheel of Fortune

For most of my adolescence, I loved to read historical fiction.  I consumed books about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Queen Elizabeth and read the entirety of the historical biography section in the school library.  I read other books as well but books set in another place and time were my personal sweet spot.  Weirdly, I did not enjoy history in school, where the subject was most often boring and crusty; taught be a series of teachers who were the same.  Only in books was history splendid.   In college, I discovered that academic history could be amazing; soon after that I became a History and Political Science double major. 

The subject of this month’s book report - all 980 pages of it - is historical fiction.  The story begins  in the late 1800s.  the story of a family - the Godwins - and their Welsh estate, Oxmoon.  Loosely based on the real-life story of The Black Prince and his wife, Joan of Kent, the novel is utterly compelling. I had read the novel before - back in the 1980s when it was originally published - and all I could remember was that I loved it.  When I saw it on the shelf at my local library, I grabbed it right up.

Told in six sections, each narrated by a different member of the Godwin family, the story moves from the 1880s to the 1960s.  Each narrator explains their version of the events unfolding and they layer on information about events that have already happened.  The result is a rich and compelling story about one family, but they are people who stand in for families everywhere, with their truths, those that matter in the long run as well as those that don’t.   Howatch writes beautifully and richly.  The leisurely pace of the story matched the relaxed pace of Summer for me.  I have hours to read and the novel offered hours of reading…that is my perfect (and happy!) sweet spot.  

Last Day of School

It’s the last day of the school year.  There’s plenty to celebrate, of course, but damn if this hasn’t been a hell of a hard school year for me personally.  I find myself wrung out as we get to this moment.  In some ways, the end of the school year always finds me worn thin, so that’s not a surprise.  It’s the nature of the job.  In other ways, I am feeling a little more spent than usual…the hardships of the last year have taken their toll.   

Even so, the students depart today.  JT and I head to California tomorrow, to see family and celebrate my Dad’s life.  I expect that will be emotional.  But it will also be good and my mind is whirling with some of my favorite Dad stories to share.  When I get to the other side, there is a summer to relax and refresh.  I’m already planning a weekend filled entirely with things that I want to do.  That’s awfully nice to contemplate and, if I am being honest, is a smidge overdue.  Welcome, summer.  I am so very glad to see you.

June 1: All on the Front Porch Now

We’ve had a truly lovely month of May and, as is my custom, all of the indoor houseplants were moved outside to soak up the sunshine and warmth.  I added some impatiens and geraniums to the mix, as is my way, and the front porch is now my peaceful plant oasis.  

I spent most of Memorial Day weekend sitting out here or on the back deck.  Both places feel like a refuge.  This week, I’ve been out here in the early morning chill to enjoy the bird chatter and my first cup of coffee of the day.  When Summer Break arrives fully, I will sit out here every morning before I go to work and again when I come home in the early afternoon. 

Surrounded by my plants, I have the time to attend to each one fully.  I can admire the blooms starting to emerge on my peace lily.  I can consider whether I should trim my giant shefflura.  I can admire the enormous leaves of a particular pothos.  I can give the Christmas cactus, a transplant from my dad’s enormous cactus, all the love and affection it deserves.

These plants are my salvation in the cold dark Winter, when they brighten my days and bring warmth to my home.  And in the Summer, they are my morning glory.  That’s happy.

The May Juggernaut

I often reflect on the fact that May is - hands down - the best month in New Jersey.  Days can often be warm - but not yet sweltering - and nighttime sleeping weather is cool enough that a quilt and blanket keep me cozy as I sleep with the windows open.  Birds sing me awake in the mornings and the days are steadily getting longer.  Plants and gardens are looking splendid, with hostas, peonies, irises, and rhododendrons at their best.  The scent of my neighbor’s lilac bush perfumes the day into the  golden twilight.  

May is all those things but it’s also the last full month of school and the days are crammed full, accompanied by a to-do list that gets longer and longer, seemingly resistant to completion of anything. My Middle School students are alternately energized by the blissful weather and then exhausted at the idea of doing a single damn thing.   The end-of-the year is in sight but not quite within reach and they can be overwhelmed.  I understand the feeling; I’ve been known to read an extra chapter when I should just turn out the light and go to sleep.  The front porch calls to me with a siren song of temptation and I don't bother to resist.  

For me, the countdown to the close of the school year officially starts today.  There are 13 days between me and the sweet freedom of June 8, punctuated by the long weekend of Memorial Day, which will be a welcome respite.  As the busy days fly by, I will count them down and look forward to the bliss of Summer’s freedom.

Style Journal: Outdoor Living

Come May, I begin to organize the front porch and back deck for the outdoor living season.  Well before May, I am daydreaming about being outside with my face turned toward the light and warmth.  Both the porch and the deck expand the reach of my home and offer a comfortable place to read and relax.  

I have a collection of house flags and I decorate the table on my front porch for every season.  But I pull out all the stops for Summer, which starts when I choose two hanging baskets for the iron hooks on the porch pillars.   

Then I fill the plant stand by the front door with flowers.  This year, I’ve a collection of bright pink geraniums and lighter pink impatiens.  The hanging baskets have heartier New Guinea impatient in a shade of purple.  The front porch is large enough to house all of my houseplants for the summer and they thrive in the warmth and shaded sunlight of the Summer season.  There’s a rocking chair and I will spend hours here in the next few months, reading, resting, and generally enjoying the company of my flowers and houseplants.  

The back deck looks out onto my lush backyard and the fairy garden.  Under the limbs of old man tree, the deck has shade enough to remain cool for big chunks of the day.  

A few years ago, I used my Covid teaching bonus to buy some Polywood chairs and they get a lot of use in the Summer, tucked into the corner and perfect for napping in the sunshine.  

We eat many a grilled meal at this table.  

The back deck also gets flowers.  This year, I started with some pots of begonias to keep me company as I wait for the canna bulbs and zinnia flowers to bloom.  This year, I have five pots of zinnias…..it’s probably too many but I have daydreams of being surrounded by the flowers and I’m looking forward to Mason jars full of zinnia bouquets.

The older I get, the more I love outdoor living.  For most of the cold weather season, I look forward to the days when I can sleep with the windows open and sip my morning coffee outside, where I find peace.  I'm determined to soak up that peace this Summer and that is very happy to contemplate.

The Waning Days of Summer Reading

The arrival of June moves my reading habit into its highest gear and all Summer long, I consume books with a greater ferocity than usual.  Since the pandemic, I’ve taken to using my generous sticker collection to make bookmarks and in the Summer, each book gets its own bookmark. I make them by the gross because they make me happy.  I started a new book the other day and, as is my habit, chose a new bookmark.  As it’s August, the supply has thinned.  

But not so much that I had no choice.     

As I reviewed my options, a horrifying thought arose: Summer is coming to a close.  Classes start in 4 weeks.  That development will markedly slow my reading ways.  I’m not quite ready for it.