I’ve Missed You

Yes, it seems strange to miss an inanimate object, but I have. I have missed my blog, my followers and the blogging community. I have taken a break. Much needed. I think the time after the holidays is usually one of reflection for me. I feel this way two times a year. One is around my birthday, which kicks the dust off a lot of a lot of things. My mortality, unfulfilled dreams, experiences that have led me to this juncture, lessons I’ve learned, my achievements and what I still want to achieve. But mostly, I think about where I am headed, in many aspects of my life.
There’s a saying, “if you want to know where you’ll be tomorrow, look at your actions of today.” That’s not always easy, but it certainly makes you accountable.
I live in the northeastern part of the U.S. in a coastal community. For those who are familiar with this part of the country, it is called the outer Cape, almost at the tip. The population trickles to only a few thousand in the off-season, but summer brings tourists and expands the community, probably tenfold.
The entire northeast, from New York to Maine. has had more than our fair share of snow and cold. For some reason, this year, much of the snow has hit the coastal communities.
I guess mother nature is reminding us that she’s still the boss and not every year will be like last year. It was one of the warmest winters on record. It was quite wonderful, but at the same time, scary, because the realization of global warming and the earth’s imbalance was obvious. Winters in the northeast were not supposed to be warm and spring like. It didn’t exactly make for an idyllic summer either. At least, not for me, where an over abundance of insects were present. Many of which couldn’t stay away from me.
My mother always said I had sweet blood. Frankly, I wish I didn’t. By mid-July, i had counted 39 bites, with the last, swelling the left side of my upper arm so profusely, that I had to make a visit to the doctor. “Have you seen your arm?” asked the nurse. “Yes, I said, “that’s why I came.” She took out a pen and drew an outline. it was quite a large circle. “Wow,” I said as I looked in the mirror, only to notice that the swelling had increased. “If it gets any larger, call me.” Then she wrote out a prescription for antibiotics.
I couldn’t wait to leave the Cape. I left it to those not allergic to mosquito’s or no-see-ums, one of God’s big mistakes. But where were all the frogs and bats that were supposed to eat them ? Not enough of them for this problem, or perhaps it was over-population on their part, because there wasn’t enough of a freeze to kill them off. I went back to the city, where I welcomed the pavement, cement sidewalks, lack of nature. They can’t do a lot of breeding in this environment.
So, getting back to winter. I welcome it. A little bit, because I know I will be less chewed on next summer. Besides, this is the norm and it restores my faith, that we haven’t screwed up enough (yet) to change the climate of what’s supposed to be the norm in each region.
Still, after shoveling from one snow storm to the other, just to get out of my driveway, I can’t wait for Spring to arrive. I crave the various colors of the flowers and the scents. So bring it on. Please. I’ve had enough and I am more than ready.

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