September 1st

Unless you live in France, or perhaps in some other country with a centralized school calendar, you don't necessarily start school on the first day of September. But for me, this date will always trigger thoughts of school beginnings. In my childhood, Polish schools always started on September 1st.

And it so happens that Madison public schools are also starting the new school year on this day. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately from his point of view) Sparrow (who is not yet attending his neighborhood public school) does not return to school until next week and so my "first school morning" visit and obligatory school child's photo is only of Snowdrop. Sparrow is happy to wish her luck and return to his magna tiles play.

Of course, to get to Snowdrop's house before she leaves for school, I have to get up super early. School or no school, I still have to feed the animals and check in on the plant life here. But this is actually a treat, because these early September mornings are so beautiful! I linger in the flower fields, I walk over to the meadow to pick flowers for the table.

By 7:15 though, I am at Snowdrop's house. 

As every year, the girl questions the necessity of wearing something new and special on this day. But unlike previous years, she shrugs off the inconvenience and discomfort of putting on anything other than shorts and a t-shirt and merely mutters -- I can't wait for the second day of school!

Oh, how this girl has grown and matured!

So long as I am there, I offer to drop the girl off so that the parents can focus on the prework chores at home. Watching the kids walk into the school building is thrilling for me! How long has it been since we've had an almost normal beginning to a school year?

I come back to my daughter's house for a quick visit with rainbow boy...

... and then I stop by a bakery for breakfast treats. Ed and I have a lovely morning meal on the porch.

You probably have not noticed the various melon slices we've been eating here, at the farmette. They're superb, possibly because they come off our own melon vines. The melon plants have been generously producing honeydew and cantaloup monsters for a while now. And today we cut off our first delicious watermelon. Yep, we are swimming in melons.

I do take a break from chores and do a Zoom call with my Florida pal -- she's the one gives me endless confidence as I tackle especially busy weeks. Do you have a person who does this for you? Who assures you it's okay to find shortcuts and to not plunge into everything that is before you? People who do that for you, who slow you down and reassure you that you can take a moment for yourself, are worth millions. Thank you, Diane.

In the afternoon, I am there in a car line, waiting to pick up Snowdrop. And, in happy moods, we come back to the farmhouse. "I had a great day in school! We did no work!" -- was her theme. Everything had a positive ring to it. "I even liked my dress, gaga!"

(A new book had arrived...)

Evening. I had charged Ed with getting flowers at our local market. Me, I pick up our CSA veggies. And then, instead of cooking dinner and going to sleep (sooo tired!), we take the kayaks over to Lake Monona. And immediately to our left, we pick up Wingra Creek.

He takes the lead...

(Hard to believe we are in Madison's center...)

Then I take the lead...

And we come back to our starting point, only now the sun has set...

We return to the farmhouse. I fix us a fish dinner (with plenty of corn) and I have to laugh when I look at my watch toward the end of it: it's 9:30. Just like in Italy! 

Buena notte!

With love...