Life as I know It

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San Luis Obispo, California, and South Bristol, Maine, United States
Author ~ Illustrator ~ Lecturer

Saturday, September 5, 2009

September Song


September is a bittersweet time of year for me. Our months on the island will soon be over and it feels as though we've just arrived. This year is especially difficult. Not only does it feel as though we've just arrived, it feels as though summer has just arrived. We are finally having the clear and sparkling days I've longed for–and I am leaving for Italy in the middle of the best days of the season.




I love to travel and yet I don't like leaving. I think of all the reasons why we shouldn't leave, and then I think of the new roads, new friends, new villages, new food, museums, and wonderful outdoor markets, yet still, I return to the fact that I am totally content to be here in Maine.

To make my separation anxiety even greater, our life has been filled with bits and pieces of nature as colorful and lively as a patchwork quilt. Morning breakfast on the porch is loon time. "Oof, ooof, oof," they bark softly, and I'll admit that we go out on the ledge and call back to them. Later, we hear their heart rending calls to each other when they're separated.

Dragonflies and damselflies are everywhere, and yesterday when we were out paddling in our canoe, we had them landing on us to sun themselves. Painted turtles visited, a great blue heron posed for us, and on a nearby shore we spotted a brilliant patch of Cardinal flower. Maine memories stitched into my heart.


Last week I was ALMOST feeling ready to travel and the gulls jarred me out of my reveries. They circled above a commotion of mackerel that were being chased by harbor seals and leaping porpoise. "How can we leave this?" I asked Jeff. "I don't know, but we ARE, we've paid for the tickets!"

Our good friends Bonny and Lee will be here to fill the hummingbird bottle and the bird feeder. They'll water plants, spend time watching the sea from our old porch rockers, lie in bed with the long path of moonshine glimmering on the walls, and gather stories about summer in Maine to share with us when we return.


Until then, we're off to Italy! One of my best girlfriends in the world (since Jr. high) will be there with her husband, and we're planning to meet and have some adventures together.



You won't hear from me until the beginning of October, but I will still enjoy hearing from YOU. I've loved the long, newsy e-mails from you and treasure your comments.

Ciao!

Sharon

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you seem to be just fineafter the storm. Have a great trip with lots of fun and be safe !!!
Enjoy good Italian food too:)
Izzy patchworksail@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I love the sampler depicting both a home and a boat! Enjoy Italy.

Unknown said...

Ooh, I'm jealous! Enjoy your time in Italy. Beauty is everywhere, and although your leaving Maine, you'll find plenty of it in Europe. Many blessings on your travels!

tamlovesran said...

Have a great trip. I'll look forward to reading about when you return!

Dawn said...

Sharon, this post has me feeling your heartache. I can absolutely relate. What amazing photos. And your depiction of nature in Maine is so heartfelt and sincere; I, too, am in love with my natural surroundings, so much so that at times I am literally sick with longing to capture it all so it is always available. That is the beauty of nature though, isn't it...that it cannot be bottle up or tamed. One can, however, take a photograph, paint a picture, and write a memory. Thank you for sharing a taste of Maine in September. It will be waiting for you, bursting with the colours of autumn, in October! Until then, enjoy Italy! Have a safe and memorable trip!

Sharon Lovejoy said...

OH THANK YOU all for the wonderful e-mail letters, and for your good wishes here. I am so excited and hope to record some great times to share with you in October.

My book should be shipped off this week. We've worked to the very end tweaking, re doing recipes, re-working projects. I only hope that you all enjoy the book. It is supposedly for Grannies, but it is definitely for ANYONE who loves nature, gardening, cooking.


Blessings to you all and until October,

Sharon

Sharon

Courtney at SL's No Ennui said...

Quite possibly my two favorite places: Maine and Italy.

I'm absolutely GREEN with envy! HAVE FUN!!!!!!! Please share pictures when you return :)

Aunt Jenny said...

Have a wonderful trip Sharon!!!!

Nan said...

You expressed so well that desire to travel and longing to stay home. I seem to be in the second phase just now. Oh, and I love the greenish/blue floor.

Marcie said...

I wish you safe travels. I know you will really live every moment of the adventure of travelling. I hope you will post some photos and thoughts about your trip when you return home.

very best wishes,
Aisling

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Hello all of you dears,

We are HOME and as soon as I can I will begin to post onto the blog.

"There's no place like HOME."

Dorothy the Wizard of Oz AND Sharon too.

Lydia said...

Welcome Home. It is the best part of the trip to be back.