A different kind of bravery

I haven't had my hair cut in almost a year.  It was getting really long.  Like, ratty long.  I needed a cut.  We live in Alaska.  Plus, I couldn't afford a cut.  Do you know where this is going?

I asked Lee to cut my hair for me.  No big deal.  Take off four inches.  Make it straight.  Easy.

I was wrong.  He took off at least seven inches.  It's really short.  Much shorter than I wanted.  Lee declared at the end of the saga that we were never doing that again.

I thought I was being Alaskan.  It was brave of me.  Now I need to access a different kind of bravery and feel okay with my new short haircut.

The End of the Summer

It's the end of the summer.  Fall is in the air.  I am knitting again, and dreaming of all the projects I want to cram in before the real cold sets in.  I realized the other day that my knitted hat basket doesn't have nearly enough hats!  And now that I've learned to knit mittens, I need to stock up on those as well.  

Knitting isn't the only sign.  I find myself curled up on the couch reading cookbooks, wanting soups and chowders.  On Sunday I called my mother at least five times to share a recipe with her (now that our freezers are chocker-block full of Alaskan salmon that WE caught!) 

I have jazz on the radio (which is fall music only).  

School starts in a week.  The newspaper is full of fliers for back to school sales and this Sunday's paper had the school bus schedule.  

But most notably, the air is cooler.  Lee and I have the windows closed most of the day.  We are wearing our slippers and sweatshirts.  We cover up with blankets on the couch.  Lee even wore his hat all day yesterday!  

There's a sadness that comes with the end of summer, a feeling that it's time to hunker down, work hard, store up to survive the long winter.  That feeling is more stark here in Alaska.  While I'm sad at the end of relaxation and having to go back to the grind of work and school, and I'm sad that our summer vacation with Mom and Dad has come and gone too quickly, I am excited for fall.  It's my favorite season.  We get to start feeding the birds again.  The foliage turns all beautiful, different from home, but still spectacular.  We get to wear woolen goodies.  We get to snuggle more.  

So we'll spend the next week trying to squeeze out a few more summer moments.  But then we'll plant the fall spinach and kale, put up the canoe and go back to work.