The Loneliness Sets In

So – I’m officially missing my first Michigan summer ever. For the last 50 years of my life, a summer in Michigan has been the constant, with all of the associated elements like swimming in a fresh water lake, sunsets on the beach (with a nice marshmallow roast to go along with it), thunderstorms and the wonderful fresh smell that follows them, fresh fruits & vegetables from the Farmer’s Market as their seasons come and go (blueberries, strawberries, peaches, asparagus, green beans, corn-on-the-cob), crickets chirping and cicadas humming in the night when you leave the doors & windows open. I certainly have a lot more empathy for friends and family that have moved away and now only get a chance to visit this experience occasionally. I now know – more than ever – that Michigan summers are among the best in the world. I guess I won’t take setting on the deck with friends, with one of Nancy’s homemade waffle cones full of ice cream, watching the sun go down for granted again – I’m really missing that right now.

Nancy has been gone for a couple of weeks now and I am feeling pretty alone. Work is keeping me busy and that generally takes my mind off of how quiet it is most of the time. I’m back to my “routine” of bachelorhood – shopping for “one”, doing the laundry whenever there is enough of a load, dishwasher loading and unloading – and it’s darn quiet around here most of the time. The big event on the horizon is a move into another apartment (my lease is up on this one) and all of the “fun” that will attend this exercise. My current apartment is furnished; my next apartment isn’t – and that will create some extra effort to get organized. The good news is I have a “blank palette” to work with, the bad news is Nancy won’t be here to help and I’m not a real “artiste”. So, I need a refrigerator, washing machine, bedroom suite, living room furniture, dining room furniture – you get the picture. I do have a coffee machine, a set of glasses, a sharp kitchen knife, a pizza stone and a few other essentials but I am getting a bit anxious about the move. So – if you think have any spectacular ideas for me – I’m all ears. I’m thinking pretty modern (the apartment lends itself to that style) but casual since the design lends itself to being open to the outdoors.

I’ll be getting in to the new apartment on September 1st (3 days before the anniversary of the death of Steve Irwin – local hero) and the big “Riverfire” day of the Brisbane River Festival. I should have a pretty spectacular view of the fireworks as a barge will be firing them off right in front of me on the river. If only I owned a chair to sit on and view them!