Posts Tagged ‘Summer’

For many of us the book that we choose to read at any given time is determined by any number of factors.

It could be seasonal. Summer is the time for the blended and frothy type of book. In the spring and fall I tend to be restless so I like the story to take place somewhere other than North America. Winter is for those big cozy works of historical fiction and memoirs

Then we check our mood, do I need to find myself or lose myself?

Finally, there is the time of day; business books and research are great for day time but by the evening I want something with which to as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot might say “turn off the little grey cells”.

Age doesn’t really enter into the equation; think of the number of adults reading Harry Potter.

So here we are the summer of ’09. My Amazon book wish list is pages long and I have groaning piles of yet to be read books, newspaper business sections, Time, Vogue, Marie Claire, O and More magazines in the living room, office and bedroom.

I have just finished My Sister’s Keeper which was no great feat; it is to literature what The Young and the Restless is to PBS. I will say though that the ending was unexpected. Next on my pureed summer book diet is Julie & Julia which led me to Julie Powell’s blog What Could Happen.

In the way of a little brain fiber I am reading three business books that have been recommended to me -

“Coolhunting: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing” Peter Gloor

“Tribes” Seth Godin

“Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 7 Powerful Tools for Life and Work”
Marilee G. Adams Ph.D.

I cannot end this post on books without mentioning the one literary genre for all seasons and that is a good murder mystery. This past week coincidentally I was exchanging emails with mystery writer Roberta Isleib, who is currently on the other end of  the equation in that she is spending her summer putting the finishing touches on a new book.

No matter what the month is, all that you need to truly enjoy a mystery is a comfortable chair, no one home, a dark night, some fog rolling in, the sound of dogs howling over the moors ……………

We have made the decision to take a week off in August but not go away. A list of day trips to take, new restaurants to try, movies to see, gives our staycation the facade of a good idea. But I am wondering how will this really play out? It seems inevitable that already some home improvement projects are writing themselves onto the list.

As a Life Coach I have learned how to manage having an office at home. I balance in-office clients with remote coaching by using virtually any available media at my disposal. And I like the added benefit that I can sometimes squeeze in a few minutes of The View’s Hot Topics between morning sessions. Although I will take the usual steps to close my practice for that week I am somewhat leary of the fact that my work will be surrounding me in some form or other.

Then there is a bigger picture, that I don’t particularly care for where we live. I am most myself on a bustling city street or by the ocean and the fact that for now I call a rather rural part of Alberta home is difficult for me at the best of times.

I grew up a city girl; the art of hailing taxis and reading French menus was learned at young age. I know the secret of finding community & friends in your own corner of London, Brussels or Toronto. I thrive in the world of bistros, museums & the theater, city parks at lunch time and knowing when & where the best bargains are in otherwise expensive stores.

Living among all these flat fields feels well, claustrophobic. A vacation should include walks by the sea; that takes me into my own personal nirvana. Therefore the sensible decision to stay home this year is also compounding my personal frustration that by midlife I would be living in a place which truly felt like home.

I know that a better attitude might allow for some modicum of success.  Somehow though my psyche and midlife soul are just not feeling this turn of events. I don’t believe that a staycation can offer what a vacation does, I’ll let you know.

There is nothing like travel to provide fodder for my observations on life. It easily starts with the fascinating people at the airport. I know that nowadays comfort is key but to that couple in the grey sweats and over sized tee shirts from some local restaurant did you suddenly decide to go on vacation on the way to clearing out the basement? And don’t even get me started on a few folks wearing PJ bottoms, I know it was an early flight but!

When we are away husband & I try to satisfy our $30- on the slot machines gambling problem in some anonymous town somewhere. While the advertising for casinos always shows happy, glamorous people in reality everyone looks serious and slightly desperate. While leaving a hotel casino $45 poorer I also noticed that no matter what province or state the red stained carpets are identical; is there a ‘Casino Carpet R Us’ that they all use?

By far though restaurants are the best places for people watching. During a leisurely lunch of perfectly chilled Chablis and a really tasty piece of salmon, I was aware of how the women were appraising each other in a manner that was reminiscent of those high school cafeteria days, only now the cheerleader, shy girl and track & field star is all grown up.

Over by the window is popular girl who has married into the country club/tennis set. She has the sweater tied around her shoulders, Hermes bag and is sporting some very expensive jewelry. In the corner with numerous family members is the cookie baking, loves her role as a grandmother type – not sure who she was in high school. Probably did well in home economics which is a class I hated. She is actually wearing her sweater, it has some sort of motif on it and she is finished off with comfortable stretchy pants. Sipping tea & honey is the forever young, still diggin’ it, 60′s love child embracing the long flowing skirt, silver & turquoise jewelry and her grey locks haven’t seen a hairdresser since 1984. We all silently but collectively hate track & field girl because she is into cycling now and is buff and tanned. She has just walked in with a man who looks like Richard Gere, so no one even cares about what she is wearing.

Who am I in the room? I was quiet library girl, now Life Coach on holiday with eclectic taste in clothes. I am wearing the J Crew chino pants, a v-neck black top that fits me in all the right places, an art deco necklace, gold earrings and leather loafers (in an eye catching shade of light green) that are  comfortable and stylish. I also never go anywhere without half of my office and a good book so handbags are not really feasible which is why I own an assortment of tote bags. This trip it was Eddie Bauer’s canvas & leather tote.

Whatever one’s individual look may be the truly great thing about being over forty is that we can be whomever we want to be. However I don’t think that I’ll be wearing my favorite sleepshirt to the airport anytime soon.

I was out this morning walking neurotic chocolate lab (I’ll share his story another time). We live in a normal neighborhood where 97% of the homes are well kept with nice gardens but then there is THAT house; little lawn maintenance, overgrown shrubs you get the picture. What really gets me seething is that this who cares attitude spills over onto the sidewalk. Walking past the house one steps over cans, wrappers, paper coffee cups, grass cuttings from where he actually trimmed the grass growing through his fence but never bothered to pick it up and then there is the broken glass beside his curb. Now I am not saying it is all his but really, let’s have some civic pride here!

After plowing through this mess for the umpteenth time I went home grabbed broom, gloves and green garbage bag and cleaned up the potpourri of garbage. Sometimes enough is enough and you have to just do something. I wonder if he intends on thanking me?

I want to point out that I had Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” on my August 11th summer reading list before she was on the Oprah show. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to read it yet. Will post a review when I have.

It was all in all a good summer. We spent some time in Nova Scotia, checked on our house there and discussed upcoming renovations and construction plans with our contractor.

I am glad that Autumn is here as it is truly one of my favorite times of the year. Note that I use the word Autumn instead of Fall, it is so much more poetic. While most write glowing words about Spring and Summer; October is all about the changing colors, that wonderful ‘warm’ smell when the leaves have been on the ground for awhile, crisp apples, sunshine mixed with a faint chill – I love it all. Best of all favorite sweaters and throws can come to the forefront of my closets.

As the end of another year looms it is time also for professional analysis and change. Goals that we set in motion with the new year, really need to be brutally assessed. Are we on track, are they working and or do we need to change direction to some degree?

What is a bit disquieting is that all our planned intentions at home or work have an added intensity in these midlife years. Failure seems to be a luxury that we don’t have time for & everything has big picture consequences. This all brings the added challenge not to slip into an overly reflective or analytic way of thinking. Which is what I am in danger of doing here. So I had better get back to work.

What is the priority for me when I buy a new handbag; style, colour, material? No, my first criteria is can I get a book in it. Everywhere I go I like to have a book with me & a good size note pad to jot down names, phone numbers and as well as the thoughts, ideas and things to do that pop into my head.

But I digress, books have been my companions since I was old enough to read for myself; which was at quite a young age because my parents were not the cuddle on the bed reading to me types and we did have a lot of books around the house that I wanted to get into.

So I thought I would share the titles of the books that I am bought to read this summer.

1. What Remains by Carole Radziwill
Quite enjoyed it, she has a good writing style. The only downfall was the sense you get that one of the Kennedy’s said ‘it is so nice dear that you are writing a memoir but don’t forget who you are now and don’t tell them too much.”

2. Savage Garden by Mark Mills
Currently reading this one as every now and then I like a mystery. The story line is interesting with good character development but as far as it being the intriguing mystery that I was looking for it is very slow going.

Yet to be discovered -
3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Marley & Me by John Grogan
5. Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett
I like good quality historical fiction, so we will see if this one disappoints or not.

6. My pick for a classic to re-read this Summer Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin

I hope that you enjoy your summer reading choices and maybe decide to try one of my picks. If you have any recommendations for the readers feel free to post them.

1. Australian Shepherd groomed

2. Chocolate lab bathed

3. Summer reading purchased (more about those choices later)

4. Magazines that I need to catch up on piled on coffee & bedside tables

5. Pinot Gris and Chardonney ready to chill

6. Front garden perennials starting to bloom, pots of annuals scattered here and there

7. Strongest sun block purchased

8. Stocked up on ice cream treats – Dairy Queen for Chris/Haagen dazs for me

9. Candle supply checked in case of summer storms

10. Favorite black turtleneck moved to the back of the closet shelf (sob)

Knowing that summer in Alberta is brief and unpredictable………priceless

As mentioned in a recent post the first step in a successful working retirement is the ‘where’.

We spent two weeks in the Maritimes this summer answering that very question. We are now the owners of 23 acres complete with woods, pond, creek, ducks, beautiful mature garden, barn, art studio and 1823 house in Nova Scotia.

It all needs some work but we have the four year plan before we move out there. The house’s potential is hidden under decades of renovations and I am excited to see what the contractor reveals when we strip it back.

While I happily shared pictures of the exterior and the grounds I didn’t let anyone see the interior as it looks now. You definitely have to be there to envision the casual elegance that I know is hidden beneath the old fashioned upgrades.

In the months to come I am going to follow the advice of the experts and collect magazine pictures of rooms that I like. The other part of the process that I am looking forward to is that because the resale component is not going to be a major consideration, when it comes to the design & decorating choices I can actually do things that reflect my personal taste, likes and lifestyle. Now that is going to be interesting.