Aren’t those lovely words? They mean alot to me at this moment. I don’t know about you, but for me and most of the women I know, this summer has been rather un-summery thus far. I hope that you have been more successful. I have been wonderfully, but hectic-ly busy with orders (my goodness! another order has come in just since I began this post) and book-keeping and so many other little details of business. Our sons have been away at camp and visiting friends-at different periods, of course, so it will have been many weeks since we have all been together when we are reunited this weekend. And I find that summer is more than half-gone already. It is really quite startling.
Enough so that I am going to be bold and “close up shop” for a month or so beginning next week. This is what I wrote on my website:
“The play months of the year are here, so let us take our jobs as lightly as we can…” these words are from a vintage ladies magazine and I have been sending out the entire little essay with orders for the past month or so. What I haven’t been doing is following its wisdom. All that will change come August 1st, which is the last day I will accept orders before I take a needed summer holiday. Your bountiful patronage has kept me so very busy this summer! I will trust that you will come back with your paper wishes in early September when I return. In the meantime, I do hope to be able to post a bit at The Bower and hope to see you there!
I always know I have made the correct decision if I feel relieved afterwards and I felt pure relief after putting my notice up on the front page. It is gratifying and humbling to make things that other people find lovely and will spend their often not abundant money upon. And I shall fill the orders so gladly that are waiting on my desk right now, and the ones that come in before the 1st……but then I will devote myself to making this a truly-summery-rest-of-summer
We will set-up the pool, and get lots of different organic juices and make popsicles, and play games some evenings on the softly-lit porch, and start a new read-aloud. I shall feel the time open up and use more of the sweet vegetables from our garden and our friend’s garden. I will putter around my home, making satisfying arrangements of seashells and wildflowers and making my studio just so……perhaps even making some collages. And I will share some of it here.
I am going to think of this as a European approach to business. You know how they seem to take weeks off in the summer for family holidays, and whole villages close down for much of August in some places? I think they know something we don’t about how much time and space and unhurriedness it takes to really get nourished and refreshed. That is what I am aiming for.
Wish me well!
The play months of the year are here, so let us
take our jobs as lightly as possible, keep house as little
as we can, experiment not at all with doubtful things
to eat, measure our conduct against the safeguarding
rule of common sense, put ourselves in touch with the
healing hands of the out-of-doors, get acquainted with
the hills and skies and stars, and hope for an autumn
that shall usher in the best year of our lives, putting
us on an upward slope where there is the zest of
struggle and accomplishment – and a hilltop
worth taking.
Play.
At least, rest.
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