Through the Summer
After the last of our house guests departed in June, we had the entirety of July and August to ourselves. Sweet bliss. We celebrated the 4th of July with friends, visited Heurigers, paddle boarded in the Danube, toured the Rathaus, had the privilege of witnessing an "open piano" concert in Stephansdom, where donations were accepted for refugees, toured the UN, and spent lazy days in the Prater reading and sunbathing. Thing 4 graduated high school and on the same day flew to Nairobi to participate in Camp Blue Sky's summer programming as a junior counselor. Husband Jared and I celebrated our twenty second wedding anniversary with a weekend get away to Rome; We ate our body weight in gelato, walked the Forum, people watched at the Trevi Fountain, found Trestevere across the bridge and wandered the streets pretending to be locals. Back in Wien we allowed long bike rides and leisurely strolls to rule our summer days and after dinner, time was spent on the terrace, drink in hand and candles lit, cards splayed out with the cribbage board or twinkle lights twinkled whilst Johnny Swim played on repeat. We soaked in those long days, where the sun didn't set until after 22:00 and the city was alive.
Summer really is my favorite.
And now we sit on the precipice of Autumn. What I commonly referred to as my least favorite season, but lo and behold, as we neared the end of summer I found myself looking ahead to fall. Her and all of her rich hues, gourds and crisp mornings. Strange, isn't it? I don't recall ever sharing in the pumpkin spice latte craze. Sure, I love pumpkins; Baking with them, picking them at the pumpkin patch, carving them, and roasting their seeds. But only with loads of salt! Here we are. Fall has arrived, so the calendar and weather have told us, and it is confession time. At the Prater, the park near our apartment, there is a street, the Hauptallee and it is lined with chestnut trees, or Marone in German. I found myself hopping off my bike the other day and collecting the fallen chestnuts. You know for decorating and the such. I wasn't about to pay eight Euro at the Billa for a small bag. Heck no. Free is always better. Also, it wasn't as if I was going to eat them. No, just place them in a jar with a candle. You know, for ambience. Can you even believe this? I think I surprised Husband Jared with my foraging. So what does this mean for my relationship with fall, the season that ends Summer's golden days and ushers in apples and dark afternoons?
To be honest, I don't have an explanation. Maybe it was the 40 degree (Celsius) August days that shifted my mindset and had me longing for cooler mornings, when the fog lays just right and our apartment feels extra cozy. I'll welcome it, just as we do every year. The seasons change, as do we, or maybe we evolve. And it could be that it is that very evolution forcing the new to rise to the surface and be noticed. That's all I've got.
And now we sit on the precipice of Autumn. What I commonly referred to as my least favorite season, but lo and behold, as we neared the end of summer I found myself looking ahead to fall. Her and all of her rich hues, gourds and crisp mornings. Strange, isn't it? I don't recall ever sharing in the pumpkin spice latte craze. Sure, I love pumpkins; Baking with them, picking them at the pumpkin patch, carving them, and roasting their seeds. But only with loads of salt! Here we are. Fall has arrived, so the calendar and weather have told us, and it is confession time. At the Prater, the park near our apartment, there is a street, the Hauptallee and it is lined with chestnut trees, or Marone in German. I found myself hopping off my bike the other day and collecting the fallen chestnuts. You know for decorating and the such. I wasn't about to pay eight Euro at the Billa for a small bag. Heck no. Free is always better. Also, it wasn't as if I was going to eat them. No, just place them in a jar with a candle. You know, for ambience. Can you even believe this? I think I surprised Husband Jared with my foraging. So what does this mean for my relationship with fall, the season that ends Summer's golden days and ushers in apples and dark afternoons?
To be honest, I don't have an explanation. Maybe it was the 40 degree (Celsius) August days that shifted my mindset and had me longing for cooler mornings, when the fog lays just right and our apartment feels extra cozy. I'll welcome it, just as we do every year. The seasons change, as do we, or maybe we evolve. And it could be that it is that very evolution forcing the new to rise to the surface and be noticed. That's all I've got.
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