Because things just slow down a little in summer. And because…peaches (and tomatoes!). Because I share so much delicious interior inspiration yet we don’t always find time to catch up. For no good reason at all, we’ll chat as we consider beautiful spaces suggestive of the season.
Summery Interior Design Glimpses
Summer brings to mind long days of sunny weather, lemonade, flip flops and porch sitting! These pastels for the right porch would be lovely!
THE SUN HELPS. I have been able to enjoy some good health days since my Raynaud’s is not likely to flare when I’m nice and warm. It also helps that gardening chores demand stepping away from sitting at a desk and require exercise that never really feels like exercise. 🙂
Pulling weeds and tidying up garden beds keeps me close to the earth and is so much healthier than screen time where I’m living in my head, not my heart.
For me, summer also means reading, and even though I have never been into reading fiction, I’m trying to venture beyond my comfort zone and read stories that intrigue.
It’s a small thing, but when we are open to the new, just like traveling, we’re bound to grow. Do you find this true?
For example, I recently saw a UK-based metal band (Sleeptoken) perform at a concert in downtown Chicago. Was I the oldest concertgoer in the venue? Maybe. But our son is a musician who played in similar bands as a teen so I understand the genre and know it’s not just about screamo or emo. Screamo is actually sort of dear to our family.
Even with ear plugs and hearing loss (lost 1/3 of my hearing and experienced vision loss in 2018- not sure of cause but it coincides with chronic pancreatitis), it was definitely the loudest music I have ever enjoyed!
I could feel the bass vibrate deeply in my chest, and the whole experience felt otherworldly.
I didn’t even realize I needed a trip to Mars, but I did.
The band’s lead vocalist is just as incredible live, and this particular band does zero talking between songs. They don’t even reveal their faces or identities to keep the experience fully about the music. So remarkable in today’s commercial culture where everyone and their TikTok granny is obsessed with identity, recognition, and branding.
I also loved the energy of the concertgoers, all of whom seemed so reverent and thoughtful. So good for the soul to feel this sense of safety in a dark former salt factory where yes, bodies surfed near the stage.
If you love growing, I highly recommend looking in the other direction, changing your typical route, trying what you never dreamed you’d try, and stepping toward a fresh perspective, hobby, or pleasure.
There may be fruit you never considered, and let’s face it…
tomorrow is not promised. We just never know if these are the good ol’ days or if there will even be more time for growth. I mentioned my hearing and vision loss earlier, and I wish I had been more grateful for these senses!
In other news, my husband and I have been toying with the idea of getting another pet, but the time never seems quite right. When we were renovating, we knew we couldn’t offer a safe environment or the kind of time we know training takes.
When the renovations were done, we felt exhausted and like doing nothing strenuous for as long as possible.
Psst. Do you love the soft blues with the terracotta above?
With summer’s arrival, we are thinking about sunny warm places we may like to winter, and the thought of being mobile appeals. If we are renting rather than buying, pets definitely limit the possibilities…so we’re not sure.
You already know we love Arizona so we may look at properties there to fix up and enjoy when these summer days are but a memory.
But we’re open to the Southeast too and prefer not to rush since inventory everywhere right now is so low.
How is your summer going? I’d love to hear about happenings in your world, your favorite aspects of summer, and even your complaints about what drives you nuts in the heat.
If the season is not being gentle, I have been there. As an emptynester watching plenty of peers retire, move away, and disappear into the lives of their grandchildren, there are lonely days.
The quote from Elizabeth Gilbert resonates with me as a creative ever trying to roll with what life and reality bring this very moment, knowing that all things are fleeting and fading. Resistance often is the worst response. Holding loosely even to these blooming summer flowers is a part of mature grownup living in the second half of life. (Even when the second half of life finds more head-banging orchestrations in your headphones than usual! Hahahaha.)
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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Since we are chatting! My first thought is that you need a new pet!
I might suggest throwing yourself into the process and resting. So many places allow a dog now.
It’s not the hurdle it once was. And for Petes sake. find a place in Arizona that’s pretty much perfect
Thank you for your post.
Author
Thank you – everybody I know says I need a pet, and it has been hard to convince them I sort of have three (I’m the pet sitter for my kids and love these furries soooo much) 🙂 I even make homemade food weekly. We are probably overthinking the whole thing, but we know ourselves and know we’ll be ALL IN and that it really will change the dynamic. Traveling with a pet doesn’t sound fun for us or the pet but I totally believe you!
If you want to travel, especially by car, don’t get a pet. You can love up on your children’s pets. I speak from years of experience with my own dogs. It’s so difficult for both the travelers and the pet. You can’t stop at restaurants to go inside to eat and leave your pet in the car if it’s too hot or too cold outside. You can’t stop at unexpected tourist attractions that aren’t pet friendly. I’ve had some pets that liked car traveling and others that hated it. Do yourselves a favor and enjoy traveling without a pet.
Author
Hahaha – just had two dogs here on Sunday and gave em so much love. 🙂 I hear you. That’s what I remember about those years with our sweet girl! And when I say I wanna be all in, this is the sort of nitty gritty I mean. I wanna do the right thing. Our kids are so busy with their rescues that I help with and wouldn’t be able to pet sit when we’re gone. And travel to me means road trips – I’m not crazy about flying except when we have to.
I love this “chatting” and would love the treat of doing it in person one day!! So if y’all make it to the Southeast then maybe that might happen!! 🤗We’ve been enjoying lots of time w our 5 kids all of whom live super closeby (4 of the 5 on the same mtn as us) …playing cornhole w them nearly every evening with even a few campfires together lately bc it’s been quite cool for this time of year here! Our youngest (20) just got engaged over the wkend so that’s been exciting! And I, like you, have been enjoying taking care of my outdoor plants and watching them blossom & grow…love love love my white coneflowers & my fushia pampas plume celosia (new for me) as well as a smoke tree, and my very favorite new plant…apricot purslane!! God’s creativity is so evident in the details …this purslane’s petals are iridescent with the tiniest extra little bloom inside the main bloom…it’s amazing!! Trying to make the most of every day as you mentioned!! And I say having dogs is work!! We love our 3 & they are all outside dogs which requires less work than inside dogs and we LOVE them dearly & they add so much to our lives, but if you’re wanting to travel & you also get to enjoy your grand fur babies often (we have 5 of those ourselves which we see often too!) then I TOTALLY get wanting to hold off adding that responsibility to your life at this point!! Haha!
Author
So good to catch up with you, Amy! You’re selling me mountain life, girl. I will keep you posted on our travel plans because there will be much more of it now! Thanks for weighing in on the pet issue too beause you totally get it. Now I have to google your apricot purslane. The name alone is intriguing. Gotta love the Master Creator’s artistry. Congratulations on the engagement – exciting. We have been sprucing up our secret garden which would be just right for a little romantic wedding ceremony. Who knows? Chat more soon. 🙂
You must get one, Michelle!! Forgot to add the ornamental apricot purslane has colorful leaves like a succulent & the blooms open in the morning sun and close in the evening which is sweet!! They require almost zero care, are very heat tolerant, never wilt, & that is nice because I’m not always able to stay on top of watering potted plants. Same goes for all my hydrangeas…White Wedding (my fav), Tara, Semmes Beauty, Limelight, & BoBo (so many different kinds!) …I do nothing but enjoy continuous blooms all season long! I’m excited about my first ever lemon & lime trees I received for Mother’s Day…tons of tiny limes but only one tiny lemon that is green now…can’t wait to watch them grow!! Have you ever had one?! Can’t wait to see pics of your garden area!
Author
Mmmmmm. They sound wonderful for a beginner like me. The hydrangea here are a treasure too. I had a lemon tree 15 years ago, but it stayed small, and I couldn’t devote enough time to it because…life. Our secret garden requires only pruning of the dogwood hedges (although it’s an undertaking with a ladder, my husband’s strength/endurance/patience, and power tools!). Since the base is a buckled concrete basketball court we covered with little river rock pebbles that crunch beautifully underfoot, I can only add containers should I want more than the tall dogwood. At this point, it’s a true restful place with a faux fireplace, vintage furniture, butterflies, bunnies, birds and visiting deer–on the edge of the forest. For a time, the hedges flower and while those blooms have faded, there’s still this sweet fragrance that lingers not unlike lilac (a favorite scent of my childhood). 🙂
Sounds lovely!! And I meant Michele with one “l”😊
Author
No prob! If you knew how many variations of Michele I am called and the creative spellings, you would laugh! My whole life folks have called me anything but the formal sounding Michele! 🙂