Aly returns south for her last year of college in less than a week.
We’re working hard to balance the desire to “fit it all in” against the knowledge that we can’t do it all. We know full well that trying to do so would cause too much stress.
We still haven’t seen all her photos and videos from her trip to Ireland. Our hope to put together a slideshow for friends, or perhaps the community, has been completely dashed at this point.
We’re whittling away the list of “must make, must eat” meals, but we still have a ways to go. We might make it through, if we could stop adding to the list as we go!
The weather doesn’t seem to want to provide us a day or two of mild conditions for a family kayaking adventure either. We’re disappointed, but we also appreciate the excuse to snuggle warmly in the cabin for a few last days.
Sticking close to home has its advantages. We’ve cooked up a new soap fragrance that holds a lot of meaning for our family, and may be pleasant for others as well. If this test batch works, we’ll rush production to get some out to family at least, possibly to stores before mid-October.
I’m well aware that this may be our last visit of this kind. Aly’s an adult now, she has a boyfriend, and after graduating this coming spring, she’ll be looking for work in her field. All of this could mean that the next visit might be shorter, may involve more people, or change in other unforeseeable ways.
As we move toward the autumnal equinox, and the unknowable future, we’re basking in the last light of these days, literally and metaphorically. We’re enjoying it while we can, knowing how much we’ll miss it when it’s gone.