Well, we’re firmly into September, now. Though it heats up during the day, there’s a definite nip in the air, once the sun goes down. “Good sleeping weather,” Charlie calls it. In the evening, I make sure to close all the windows (except in the bedroom), so it’s not too chilly in the house, come morning.
September’s one of my favorite months here in Maine. For one, the tourists have thinned out, so it’s not so crowded downtown. We still get ‘em, of course, but instead of families exhausted and cranky from spending too much time together, you mostly see mature couples. You know, people who get to bed early and aren’t in such a rush. Folks who know how much a cup of coffee costs at McDonalds with the senior discount.
It’s been years since I waited at the bus stop on the first day of school, red and black plaid lunch box in hand, all decked out in my new clothes. Yet, I still feel that sense of starting fresh, come September.
Frankly, it’s a relief to get back to a regular schedule. Summers have a way of being just go, go, go. What with all the cookouts, family visits, outdoor concerts and the like, seems like every other night we’re off doing something, and most weekends are scheduled to the max. It’s a lot of fun, of course, but it feels good to reign in the crazy eating and I’m thinking about getting back into my exercise routine.
What am I saying? I don’t really have an exercise routine. But I’m thinking about getting one, because I can hear my fat jeans taunting me from the bottom drawer of my dresser, “Try us on, Ida. We dare you! We double dare you!” I’m just not ready for that ordeal just yet. The road from June to September may have been paved with good intentions, but now it’s littered with empty Ben & Jerry containers, and those plastic cups from the Peanut Buster Parfaits down to the DQ.
Yes, it’s September in Maine. Some of the trees are starting to turn. Soon it’ll be all about apples, fresh picked: delicious as is or baked in a pie, and pumpkin flavored this and pumpkin that. But right now it’s sunflowers, fresh tomatoes, corn, and zucchini bread which is sweet, but counts as a vegetable. The sky’s bright and clear. The days warm. The nights cool. And there’s a sense of anticipation in the air. A time for new beginnings.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: September in Maine
Coming Up This Week
September 19: A Visit With Ida, Westbrook Seniors at Westbrook Community Center, 1:00pm, Westbrook, ME
Upcoming Book Events and Performances
September 23 & 24: The View From He’ah Variety Show with special guest international storyteller Antonio Rocha, http://actonenh.org/ Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday 2:00 & 7:30pm, Portsmouth, NH
October 11: A Visit With Ida, GFWC Maine State Conference, 7:00pm, Auburn, ME
October 25: Book Reading: The Sweet Life, Bailey Public Library, http://www.baileylibrary.org/ 6:30pm, Winthrop, ME