The End Of A Busy Summer 2022

 

My favorite seasons are spring and summer.  I do enjoy fall too which is good since it officially begins tomorrow.  While there are plenty of things to love about winter time, it is darker and cold and my least favorite of them all.  But once it is over we are back to my favorites again.  This summer was a busy one for me.

 

Beginning in May while it was still technically spring, I started on my long list of projects with the big re-landscape of my yard and I pretty much  finished up with purging and cleaning up my backyard.  I still have more things I want to do outdoors, but for now I am quite pleased to have finished everything I had planned to do this year.  While my gardening endeavors didn't quite pan out as I'd hoped I'm still happy about everything else.

 

In May my youngest daughter graduated high school and subsequently moved out on her own in July.  Thus, I became an empty nester.  Another huge project I tackled was to renovate and redecorate her bedroom after she moved out with new trim, paint and carpet as I got used to the idea of living on my own for the first time since 1985.  I'd say it took me a good month before I was fully comfortable with it and I can honestly say I do love it.  I'm really embracing this new chapter in my life as for the first time ever I am completely on my own schedule.

 

In between projects I've been crafting.  I started building a dollhouse, making miniatures, doing my greeting cards and other paper crafts, drawing, crocheting, embroidering, rehabbing some dolls and I have been sewing, all with reckless abandon.  Indulging in the hobbies I love to do feels so frivolous and I'm just thrilled to be able to do these things much more often now.

 

I'm spending more time with my friends while dealing with the loss of one of my dearest friends that passed away in June.  She and I had plans once I retired and sadly we didn't get to do any of it, but I'm ever so grateful for all the things we did do together before.

 

My birthday dinner with wine, chocolate & a mum

I've begun to make regular trips to my local library to check out books and have been reading each night before bed.  I've started going to the movie theater for the first time in years and I've even gone out to eat a few times.  I went to the fair all by myself and had a wonderful time doing only what I wanted to do.  I celebrated my 58th birthday, started hiking again, went to Art In The Park which I haven't done in ages and I'm riding my bike a lot too.  My life is much less stressful and a lot more fun.  I don't miss my job.

 

Art In The Park event

I'm doing more, working harder and am busier than ever and I'm loving every bit of it.  I'm excited for the next season this year and my next chapter.  Life is genuinely good.