Summer So Far
Let's pretend that I haven't abandoned this newsletter for the past year
Last week I celebrated my 1-year anniversary of living in Montpelier! Reflecting on the last year made me so thankful for all the change and growth that have taken place in that time, even when it got hard or lonely! In some ways, it feels similar to how it felt to relearning how to live again post-vaccinations at the beginning of the pandemic. The joyfulness of reconnecting with others as well as feeling like I was a new person after all that introspective time. I also remember how when time slowed during the depths of lockdowns, it made the seasons unfold dramatically and beautifully.
I’ve been getting a sense of that again just from paying extra attention and trying to understand the seasonal rhythms here and hoping to make them felt in my body the same way they did where I grew up. I’m committing each new bloom to memory and figuring out when each songbird arrives and then leaves for the year. I don’t quite have seasonal muscle memory here yet, but I think that’s what has made this summer so exciting.
It has been a busy but fulfilling season so far, despite the record heat (I can’t think about this too much because I feel existential dread about it)! In MO with the humidity and heat, I think most were always looking for reprieves from it all and it felt like you were at odds with mother nature. In contrast, summer here is a constant hum of activity and joy from everyone we meet. When you live in a place with hard, dark winters, you do the most with the time you have in the light. It all feels like that Hibernation episode of Spongebob (yeah, I’m gonna drop a Spongebob reference), squeezing every last drop from the long, warm days. It makes me ready for hibernation and return to cozy, even if I have been enjoying my time because sometimes the pressure of making the most of a nice, sunny day is too much!
We opened the season with a celebratory Solstice bonfire + movie night with so many of our new friends here. It felt like a culmination of new community and set the tone for a lovely summer! We made tie dye, ate some great grilled food, wrote our intentions and threw them into the fire, and then watched Mama Mia projected onto our garage (one of my favorite summer movies) while thousands of fireflies flickered around us.
We’ve also been making our way through the annual summer bucket list I created, and I think I will actually get to every single thing on it this year which doesn’t normally happen!
On top of that we’ve been visiting the pool a lot, going to the Farmer’s Market every weekend, meeting with friends for walks, eating our weight in heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella, tracking the whereabouts of a mama bear and her 4 cubs throughout the area via Front Porch Forum, attending way too many concerts, visiting with David’s parents who just moved to the area(!), taking dozens of pictures of all the local flora and our gardens to try to identify all the unfamiliar plants, having bonfires, and as of late, watching the Olympics.
David also performed for the first time with his new band (Bathwater, a No Doubt tribute band) and has a couple more performances scheduled this year! We also have started getting into stand up paddle boarding in the last couple weeks (flooding put a damper on swimming holes and lakes in Central VT earlier in the season unfortunately). Though I did have a traumatic tumble off my board yesterday! David is way better at it so I might stick to kayaking!
In the last week, I’ve noticed some of our trees already begin to drop their leaves and caught several bright red shifts in the foliage on our walks, despite our giant white hydrangeas just beginning to bloom and grade to a dusty rose-pink hue. Mornings are quieter, it seems the birds are already starting to take off too even though it’s still been unseasonably hot here. Their ancient instincts haven’t caught up with rapid climate change I suppose. One part of me is mourning that all the lush green is beginning to disappear for the year. I now understand why this is called the Green Mountain state and the constant summer hum from my fellow Vermonters. The other part of me is joyful with anticipation for a slow down and retreat. David and I are already dreaming up what kind of autumn we’ll have and planning our personal projects for the slower seasons.
Other Things I’ve Been Up To
Watching:
Amid Season 2 of House of Dragon, we started rewatching Game of Thrones from the beginning. We’re on Season 3, and in some ways I think I actually like HotD more! It’s jarring to see all the gratuitous female exploitation through sex and rape from Game of Thrones I had forgotten over time. The indulgent violence/gore as well. Though it is interesting to see the build up and early hints to the infamous ending. From season 1 we saw foreshadowing of the conclusion that came, and I honestly can understand it now, though I still think the arcs and dialogue were rushed and trite.
We just solidified an outdoor film series we’re hosting this fall and I’m so excited! The theme is Outcasts and Oddballs. We’re focusing on films that highlight characters or communities who are isolated either by society or even themselves, the friends and found families they make as they come to be at home in themselves, as well as how seemingly “normal” people and their projections of rejection and shame onto others who comfortably live their truths can be the true oddballs overall.
Reading:
I’m currently reading Remarkably Bright Creatures which will be a nice break overall from some of the heavier/darker reads I’ve had this summer!
I’ve been reminiscing with my online friends about the random and obscure books we read in our childhoods. I think I’ll need to make a visit to the youth sections of the library to do some rereads and see how they all hold up!
My local book club is making our selections for the next year and we each get to put forward 3 picks to vote on with the group. Mine are The Library Book, Birding to Change the World, and All Adults here. I’m excited to see which of mine we decide on!
Loved this interview with the director/writer for one of my favorite childhood movies, Stick It! Great pairing for the Olympics!
Making:
Every weekend we’ve been picking up several heirloom tomatoes, a ball of mozzarella, and a baguette and making a neat little spread with those artfully arranged with good olive oil, basil, a bowl of Castelvetrano olives and a handful of kettle chips. This is what summer is about!
I made a peach upside down cake (from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi) and it was delicious! Every week we’ve been making some sort of treat from the fresh seasonal produce we’ve been getting. Lots of macerated berries and cherries along with homemade whipped cream!
Listening:
The new Foxing single is making me excited for their upcoming album! Sounds like a cool continuation of what they were working out in Draw Down the Moon!
We didn’t really make a good summer playlist this year so we’ve been revisiting or updating old favorites! Good high energy but angsty picks, Rowdy Boy Summer, surfer vibes, and groovy, soulful, energetic Ruby Razzle Dazzle :)
Our goal is to have our basement fully transformed into our Hifi Lounge vision by the end of the year, so we’ve been collecting vinyl and getting our set up right! So excited to share more about this when it’s done!
As life starts to slow down once again, I hope to be more consistent with writing and sharing interesting things I find as well as using this as an outlet for my ramblings that I feel should make it beyond David’s weary ears :)
Thanks for slowing down with me today, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday!