Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Where I’d rather be.

We’ve had a couple of blog posts lately on the end of summer and the beginning of yet another school year, another fall, another winter in the offing that we hope won’t dump us with a ton of snow like last year. And much as I am tempted to blog about the raw meat dress Lady GaGa wore to the MTV awards the other night, I'll leave that to those much better equipped to understand it.

In the meantime, it’s a beautiful sunny, late summer day here in Iowa as I’m writing this post. I’ve worked all day at my desk (10-1 deadline looming) wishing that I could have taken my laptop out on the deck to work and enjoyed what may very well be some of summer’s last gorgeous weather. But since the last time I used the laptop, it froze up on me and I lost 2 pages (yes, 2 riveting, pivotal, best-seller worthy, PERFECT pages that my subsequent attempt to recreate resulted in a mere shadow of their former brilliance - insert several colorful expletives here) I opted for working on the desktop.

Still, I spent a lot of time looking out the window today waiting for the muse to visit. Outside, the grass is still green, the flowers are still blooming – albeit not with the glory of their spectacular early and midsummer form. Clearly Buddy, the cat, is enjoying the flowers.











The birds are happily flitting about at our feeders and seem to be oblivious to the fact that not much more than a month from now they will be fluffing their feathers against a frosty wind.

The lazy black cat (also known as Sly, also known as Gummer because he has absolutely no teeth) is sunning himself in the window, enjoying a morning nap that stretched in to an afternoon nap that will no doubt ease into an evening nap due to the sheer exhaustion of holding down his favorite perch all day.

Keith Urban is singing a moody, bluesy song on XM radio about another summer that’s come and gone and I’m feeling nostalgic. (But you already guessed that, right?) I find myself thinking about other summers and wondering if it could possibly be THAT many years ago that we took that special trip, or went to that great new movie, or to the state fair … and I’m suddenly asking myself, if I could pick an age or a year that I’d like to go back to, what would it be?

In the end, though, as I sorted through those really fond memories, I realized that even if I could, I wouldn’t go back. Every experience – good or bad – has shaped me in some way, guided me, sometimes even led me by the hand to the place I am today. And most days, the place I am - friend, sister, wife, mother, gramma, author - is a pretty good place to be.

But, if I HAD to chose, it would be the summer I met my DH. I was a high school senior. He was a college sophomore. Mutual friends set us up on a blind date. We had just settled into the back seat of my friend’s boyfriend’s car (double date, ya know) and the first words he said to me were, “Want some candy, little girl?”

Needless to say, it turned out to be the first of many fun summers with that man :o)

How about you? Any summer memories you want to share before winter takes over our thoughts? Any place you'd rather be or something you'd rather be doing today that where you are?

16 comments:

carol said...

I'd love to relive the summer I met all these cowboys and girls who rode the rodeo, and I hungout with them all summer, going to oone rodeo to the next. I met one cowboy who got my heart but we went in different directions,but since have connected when my mom died so were back being friends. It was a cool summer.

krisgils33 said...

my best summers were during college, working at a bar/nightclub until the wee hours of the morning and then lounging on the beach all day. it was a stress free, no worries existence. those were the days!!!

Cindy Gerard said...

Oh Carol ... A summer circuit with the cowboys. I'm swooning :o)

Cindy Gerard said...

Kris - sounds like a good time and good memories.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Ah, Cindy, I wonder how many of us are right with you reliving "the summer I met my true love." I know I am. Amazing what a vivid memory it is. I was (how many times have I recounted this here?) in college back in MA--summer between my jr and sr years--and I spent the summer in SD on a volunteer project, where I met my (I'm with Carol here) Indian cowboy. There have been many wonderful summers since, but that one still stands out, and now I'm recounting some of the memories to our--how did this happen so soon?--GRANDCHILDREN.

Cindy Gerard said...

LOL Kathy. My summer memories used to be filled with hot guys and cool cars and drive in movies. Now it's all about the grandkids :o) Wouldn't change it though - they are truly God's gift.

Michele Hauf said...

I'm with you, Cindy, I'm pretty happy with where I am right now, and having the memories. Though, do you remember, when we were kids, how a summer day would go on FOREVER? Those were the good ole days. :-)

Cindy Gerard said...

I do remember, Michele. Even now, a song or a scent or even a sweet breeze can trigger a memory and I'm right back there ... ah the good ole days...

KylieBrant said...

LOL, what kind of candy was he offering???

I always say my perfect age was 37-38. Wrinkles had not yet formed, lol, and fat had not yet settled. Kids were all home, but old enough to be somewhat independent. Those are the days I get most nostalgic for, as chaotic as they are.

But every stage in life brings its own set of blessings and I love where I'm at now, too. And memories...they are the sweetest of gifts!

Cindy Gerard said...

Kylie - don't I know it. Wish I'd appreciated my 30's more. I thought i was fat THEN. Yeesh.

Helen Brenna said...

I'm with Kylie - what kind of candy? LOL

Summers in college were pretty amazing, but I wouldn't go back either.

Love the kitty pics! Cats laying in the sun always look so relaxed.

Cindy Gerard said...

LOL Helen. Chocolate, of course :o)

Nancy Bristow said...

You must be sending out some karma, Cindy;) I just finished uploading some high school pics to my Memories album.

I cracked up about the "candy" comment. I love that type of sense of humor.

I'm freaking older than dirt now but I don't want to go back...even if I could. I feel as you do, whatever I experienced made me who I am today and I'm good with that. The memories are just tasty morsels to recall for a grin.

I'm so there with Sly because I can nap like that any time at all...lights, TV, noise...none of it bothers me and it can happen in the blink of a commercial:D

Cindy Gerard said...

Nancy - i want to be that cat someday.
Have someone feed me, do what i want all day, sleep where I want to sleep, whenever I want to sleep and look cute doing it :o)

Leanne said...

Oh, Cindy, you're cuter than Sly any day of the week!:) I've been remembering elementary school lately. I have strong memories of that time, can name most of my classmates and teachers from that time. After that, it gets a little fuzzy. I remember Fall Carnival at school, wearing a cute dress with a scratchy slip and participating in a cake walk, wishing I could win a cake. I never did, but oh, the possibility was there....:)

Cindy Gerard said...

Leanne - i forgot about those cakewalks! They were fun.

Once when i was around 10, I think i won a contest: had to eat soda crackers and then whistle. First one to whistle got a shiny silver $$. I was doing things for bling even back then LOL