Dear Reader:
When I started my blog I wanted to use a photograph of my children, but, being a bit backwards when it comes to technology, I couldn’t figure out how to take this photo from my phone and make it my header. I started to ask one of my children for help, but decided it was time for me to pull up my big girl pants and figure it out. So I did! I took this years ago on our last trip to Cape Cod together. We spent time there for 17 years, visiting my aunt who took a place every summer right on the beach in Truro.
We started going when I was married to their father and the youngest was maybe six months old, but very shortly afterwards our marriage began to crumble and soon it was just the four of us and my aunt. She provided a dependable situation during a critical and difficult time in their lives and mine – – a week or two at the beach in August, just before school started; no internet or TV or outgoing calls; card and board games galore; crossword puzzles; unlimited high-end art supplies (she was an artist); nightly movies (usually oldies/classics) piled upstairs in the loft with blankets and pillows on the bunks and bowls upon bowls of popcorn; pop tarts for breakfast; sandwiches and chips on the beach; days spent at the beach, exploring the lighthouse, P’town, the occasional flea market or art gallery and shops; bonfire cookouts on the beach, followed by star gazing until the little ones fell asleep; games of flashlight tag; and the promise of one lobster dinner over in Wellfleet followed by ice cream at A Nice Cream Stop.
Being a born and bred Southern, and raising my children in the heart of New England, tradition is the cornerstone to my life. And making sure my children had traditions they could count on and recall (when their own lives were turned upside down and often unpredictable) was of great importance to me. Almost every aspect of my parenting style has been centered around traditions.
For the past 31 years I have been a wife, a divorcee, a single gal, a wife (again), a widow, single for a long time, and a wife (yet again). But for 27 of those 31 years there has been one constant in my life – motherhood. Although I have also worked at various points in the past 31 years, my identity has been as their mother. In many ways, I cannot think of myself outside of them and I also feel they are my greatest achievement. That is why I wanted to use this photograph as my header. If you knew us, you would say it very clearly says quite a lot about my children, my mothering style, and us. An old friend used to say we were quite the force, a total unit. Also, I took the picture and I think it’s cool!
I hope you like it.
Although we are closing in on the last full week of April, the temperature here in northeast PA is still on the chilly side. Just 10 days ago we were still getting little snow storms off and on for almost an entire week! The high today was supposed to be 62*, but it never felt that warm at all. It was so windy! Since the end of March/early April, we have had a day or two here and there of spring-like weather, but it was always short lived and back we went to cold and snow or chilly and rainy.
Although my winters in New England were terrifically cold and very snowy, and often seemed endless, for some reason I am finding this winter the one that doesn’t want to end! When I lived north of Boston, I lived in a typical New England town that was built around a small main street area and in conjunction with a private boarding school. Our streets had sidewalks and, therefore, it was safe to walk all over for miles and not worry about cars. All I had to do was get dressed for whatever the weather was and head out my door. Talk about easy! My favorite route was up the street, through the downtown and into the campus of the school. I have so many pictures taken at various times of the year to document how the seasons changed. Here, in the bucolic mountain area of Northeast PA, there are no sidewalks. While our views are stunning and we have so much privacy, as we are surrounded by small mountains, I am very uncomfortable heading out for a walk or run.
I usually walk the dogs with the professor once or twice a weekend, and sometimes during the week when it is not too cold. But the ease I enjoyed before, of walking out the front door without worrying about cars, is not the case here. We have to navigate roughly a mile of windy road until we arrive at a local school where we can walk for another two miles in the woods. There are similar routes without the woods option, but all require me to navigate windy roads and passing cars. There are nature trails that are beautiful, but they involve getting into the car.
I think the fact that I could easily get out and about safely when I lived in New England helped to alleviate any possible feelings of winter blues. It did take me about a year to get used to it, but, once I had dogs, we were out almost every single day for a three to four mile jog. Unless the sidewalks were icy and dangerous we were outside enjoying nature. Thankfully my back yard was fenced in and solved the need for daily outings when the conditions were poor.
It is a funny mix of emotions for me. I can stand in my kitchen and look out upon mountains and feel so at peace and filled with gratitude. However, I can also think longingly back to my morning outings with my dog and feel sad at the loss of that easy daily activity.
Finally, I am nearing the end of my Whole30 experience and I could not be more excited! I know I won’t be going back to my milk and sugar coffee habit, but just knowing that I will have the freedom to make choices again is glorious! I’ve been doing research on grain-free and dairy-free baking and am eager to put my research to the test. Wednesday morning of next week…
All-in-all, I have felt really good the past 10 – 14 days. I continue to learn a lot about myself and my relationship with food, and about food in general.
With the end of April comes preparation for exam week in mid May at the U. Once exams are under way, the professor and I can happily start to think of our summer plans and heading up to Maine to get our New England fix! We have a little cottage up there, nestled against some woods, along the mid coast. Not only is it private and woodsy, but it is also very close to the beach – – close enough for a four or five mile bike ride. I have two gardens I love to tend and we go on daily walks with the dogs, often along the rocky shores. We have comfy sofas and chairs for reading books and napping and a back deck perfect for lounging and cooking out. It is our little slice of heaven!
I guess my high/low today is connected – – the sun was out (HIGH!), but it was pretty chilly (LOW!). Another high was figuring out how to put one of my favorite photographs on this blog. All-in-all, it has been a good day.
Until next time…
❤
E.M.
P.S. – I have just made an Instagram account! The account name is elinor_may_. Guess I am not the only person named Elinor May. It was hard to find a handle that wasn’t already taken. I think of my name as being rather unique. Oh well. At any rate, I haven’t posted any photographs yet, but I will soon. I hope you will follow along. And, as always, I’d love to hear from you.
the many lives of elinor may 