autumn sunset
I’m starting to realize that I’m getting older. I used to think I was invincible but there’s nothing like the normal aging process to slap you in the face and remind you that you are not.
But what’s more interesting to me and more relevant to this blog is that the older I get the more my instincts remind of certain other changes that may go unnoticed because I was “too busy”. Like the change in seasons for instance and reflection upon what the previous season brought.
It was 45 degrees this morning when I was walking the dog. 45 degrees may not hurt as much as a slap in the face but it’s pretty close. Summer is over.
Talking to Chelsea the other day on the way home from work I brought up the thought that it was a good summer. Even though I work most of the time I feel like I was able to do enough extra and rewarding things to make it significant enough to comment upon.
This summer we did a few things that we had never done before. We went sailing on Lake Michigan with the air show roaring above us and had a nice lunch on a quaint little beach with friends.
We visited New York in the summertime.
And of course we had all kinds of culinary adventures around the house and all over the place. One of the most significant rewards of this summer was learning about and actively foraging for wild and local foods around the neighborhood and in the country. This and any kind of gardening is a powerful way of being reminded of what a season looks like at its peak and how fleeting it is in the Midwest.
Chelsea picking mulberries
Our foraging adventures can be traced to the beginning of the season mulberries to the intoxicating aroma of the lilacs to the fields of stinging nettles, the mid-summer purslane and lamb’s quarters, to the deep purple, astringent chokeberries and neglected apples. These are just a sampling of what the season had to offer. LIfe is a learning experience–the more we experience the more we learn. Or in this case, taste!
I really value the few friends that we have and feel like there were some nice opportunities to share time with them this summer. My brothers helped Chelsea and I in our first BBQ cook off. A friend from college has moved to the city to pursue a career in the culinary field and has moved in with a wonderful woman and for awhile we were trying out new restaurants together once a week.
darrin, rebecca and chelsea
In the end I think I’ve realized that with every changing season I am getting older and feel the need for a retrospective. Or I’m just getting sappier in my old age.
