I keep thinking over and over that it's been a quiet month. Quiet despite the chaos that was 3 very full days of packing up our apartment and finding another place to live for a couple weeks while our apartment was being renovated.
I found that the only things I really struggled to leave behind were my three cherry tomato plants. About 30 cherry tomatos were on the verge of ripeness. Broke my heart to say goodbye after watching and wondering all summer if they would bear fruit.
A neighbor offered to babysit all of my herbs and my tomatoes. Hopefully she's eating well.
After packing up, we hit the road. Originally we were going to stay in Massachusetts, but at the last minute we ditched that plan and headed home. Our road-leery pup seems to have adjusted to car trips, and knows the command "in the car".
We're starting to think she might sort of like car trips now.
Somehow this packing up and leaving town process helped strip away our usual routine. It was replaced with a slower routine in Michigan. Usually we're running around trying to squeeze in visits with everyone we know, but this time we didn't have time to fill up our schedule with lots of pre-arranged visits. Only one major get-together to celebrate 30th birthdays and an engagement. The four of us haven't been together since my wedding 7 years ago.
It's undeniable, life is just slower here. And quiet. Did I mention the quiet?
Lots of walks in new places. Trying to avoid another round of poison ivy this summer.
But mainly enjoying the pace of the Midwest. I'm glad this is where I was raised, saddled on all sides by fields, water, woods, and simple pleasures.
Tomorrow we head back to our other home on the first coast. Hopefully we can take an ounce of the slow life with us, to carry us through.
