Even though I work (at least partially) alongside the education system, I don’t really go “back to school”. Still, it’s a new beginning – and as the song says “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”. So Labour Day has just passed, and summer is coming to a close and every store has Hallowe’en decorations up, except Costco who has decided to go one better (worse?) by having Christmas trees for sale since July. Pens and pencils and pretty books to write in are going on sale which makes me very happy and also means I should actually brave one of the stores sooner rather than later so that I don’t miss out on pretty things to write with or in being on sale. Still, I’m always a little sad at the end of summer, and wish it would hang on for a little longer before the leaves change. The crisp, cool, morning air on the other hand, could start any time now. It currently feels like a sauna when I step out of my doorway, hot and very humid – another in a string of hot and humid days that seem to have characterized this summer here.
Cottage
I love heading to the cottage. Not the drive but just the act of actively getting away from it all. It’s not that I don’t love life in Kitchener but I feel more relaxed at the lake. I’m generally doing as many (if not more) things up there than I am in the city but I can drop any of them and go for a swim if i feel like it. Now that’s freedom. I generally get chewed by the mosquitoes (and if I’m really unlucky, the deer flies), but other than that I enjoy hanging out with the local wildlife – the chipmunks, minnows, and even Snappy – the 60+ year old snapping turtle who teaches people not to leave fish on the dock by eating them.
My grandfather built the cottage 50 years ago this year. A lot has happened there. I have spent time almost every year of my life at my beloved cottage. Yet, times change. Mum’s growing mobility issues will soon force us to sell the cottage and find a more level lot. I will be sad to say goodbye to the cottage but also happy to have one that the whole family can enjoy.