Late Summer, Here We Are

There’s been an ever-so-slight shift in the air. Late summer. Here we are. The pasture has gone golden; the lawn wants to, too. The mornings are chilly, yet afternoons are hot. A gentle tugging has begun between seasons three and four.

Although my thoughts are always toward home (you could say I’m in the right line of work), they’re even more so now, following that gentle urge one gets in late summer to begin to gather in, stock up, settle. Make ready for what’s to come. It’s a good feeling, this one. Caring and taking care. Keeping well the home and those who live in it.

This often takes a shifting. Maybe a new mindset. It certainly takes a peering in to see where we are now, how we live now, so we can better live now. From paying attention to the days’ rhythms, to writing notes about them on a fresh sheet of paper, to noticing what in our home is sufficient and lasting well, to making thoughtful lists of new things necessary to replace the things that aren’t - it’s a preparation, a tailoring for life itself.

And, gracious, let’s not be afraid of doing the big things for our homes. Maybe now is the right time for the investment that will make your home serve and hold you better than it has. A new sofa, perhaps (or a newly slipcovered one)? Or a better functioning kitchen? Maybe it’s time for floor-to-ceiling built-ins in the back entry where nothing has a home. The mental peace that comes from living in a space that’s been made to fit you is extraordinary.

And those little things? They’re powerful, too, for keeping the home and keeping the peace. A stash of beeswax candles, a reading lamp, a teakettle, wall hooks, a broom. The softest sheets for the bed. And how about a bouquet of flowers? If not flowers, grasses. If not grasses, a stem of leaves. If not leaves, a bouquet of sticks themselves (try it). Leave your own imprint of handmade or hand gathered things however you can (for some of us, that may be a bundle of sticks). And while you’re at it, play the tunes.

I’ve never known a late summer to disappoint in offering the second beginning of the year.

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How about you? What things have found their way onto your lists as you take note of your homes and lives with the approach of fall?

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