Looking forward and looking back

I was tidying up this morning and put away a light jacket I had worn yesterday. It was really cool yesterday, in the 60s. I looked at the coats in my closet and thought about what it would be like in January. My brain had trouble imagining being miserably cold. We've had days that were miserably hot and so muggy, it seems impossible that I would ever be too cold. Fortunately, my house will keep me warm. I can make soups and bake to keep it warm, too. 

It's been hard this summer, stressful for lots of reasons. We've had some good outside times. I kayaked over to Collins Cove to be part of a swim-a-thon. I just watched the swimmers as they went by to make sure they were not in distressed, along with other kayakers and paddleboarders. I wondered if I would be able to swim a mile or two, and thought perhaps that was not something I would try. There were categories for with a wetsuit and without, although the water did not seem that cold to me. 

A week ago, I was packing up to leave Maine after spending 4 days there with my family. It was really great in a lot of ways and I miss them all now. The children are mostly grown up and good company. We all feel fortunate that none of us seems to disagree about most things, like politics and vaccinations. People of good will can always find things to care passionately about, however, like the foods that other members of the group eat or don't eat. And who feels like they are doing the most work without being appreciated. My style is to cook and bake and shop ahead and bring boxes of supplies. There were 16 of us, however. Other people like to run to the store, sometimes twice a day. It was close by and might be an excuse for them to get a break from the crowd. 

It was pouring when we left and people from New Mexico had their flights cancelled (Hurricane Henri). It turned out, though, that we were fortunate and did not have any major problems except getting home a little later than expected. I rode with my nephew and all the boxes of food that had to be brought back. His company is very pleasant and we spent the trip talking about ancestors, mainly. My helpful phone told us to get off the highway because it was backed up and take a detour through small towns in Maine, near Wells and Kittery, which was fun, except for the fact that it was raining so hard, and I was a little afraid I might come to a flooded area. 

August is the best month

We had a crazy hot June, a really wet July, but August (so far) seems awesome! No AC for several days. We had 60s at night and high 70s most days. now it's 79... the water in the ocean is warmer and I went kayaking and swimming today. I love being on the water. I paddled around among the moored boats, said hi to a few people, read the names, admired some of them...

I am still working 2 part-time jobs. The "good" one is 2 days a week--the only negative is being on the road about an hour and a half (45 minutes each way). Some days I stop at the grocery store on my way home and break it up. Sometimes I go on route 1A through the small towns of Ipswich and Rowley, past the downtowns and the town commons, over the river, past the salt marsh, by the old houses and the farm stands. Pretty great, although maybe less so in the winter... 

I have a nice new Nissan Leaf, an electric car with fancy features, so I can put on the cruise control and feel pretty safe, and not use any gas. 

The "bad" job is temporary. I've been there four months and they are interviewing for a replacement, but it's not as great. The good thing is it's about a 5 minute drive over the bridge from my house. I've even walked it once. It's not social work, but it is a non-profit, a great organization and I do bookkeeping for them. It is sometimes stressful. I spent more than 8 hours Monday trying to reconcile one checking account, but I finally did it! I pay bills, print checks, mail them, enter stuff in QuickBooks. Most of the people are pretty nice, but my boss and her boss are a little stressful (to me and others).  She has a lot going on at home and is a stickler (as financial officers should be). I will be a little sad to say goodbye to the income and the organization, but working two 6-hour days at something I enjoy sounds like a great retirement to me. I just wish it would happen while there's still some nice summer!