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.