Memories

This was a busy week that ended well. All was calm and nice as we brought the kids down to the final assembly point for loading into the cars and buses. One of the third grade teachers was singing a Friday song as she led the kids down the hall, and the kids were smiling and laughing. I received some sweet little hugs as I dropped off my bunch of kindergarteners.

The weather has broken from the excessive heat, though some days are still hot. But the humidity isn't high and the temps don't stay in the 80s for long. It's like the thermometer mercury tries with all it has to reach those upper 80s and just can't make it, and settles briefly into the low 80s before slipping down and down for the evening. We have good sleeping weather now.

So the day was warm but nice as I left the school at the end of the afternoon and concluded my workweek. My usual Friday venture is to go to the local grocery store just a mile away from the school before heading home for the weekend. As I entered the store, I saw the same kids I'd just dropped off at the school gym a few minutes ago. LOL, the aisles of the store rang with successive shouts of four different kids running up and down aisles exclaiming "Mrs Prataaaaaa!"

As I waited in the checkout line, I ran into a fellow I'd known at the church I'd gone to six years ago. He greeted me warmly and said it was good to see me. That is always nice, to run into someone you haven't seen in a while. He said he'd just gotten a chicken and had spent the night building a pen for it, and was at the store getting some feed.

As he left and I turned to my own aisle, the lady in front of me was looking at me quite intently. After a moment she said, "Didn't you write for the Madison County Journal?" I said I used to (the editor always put my photo next to my byline). She said she enjoyed my columns. That was nice also.

As I drove home I mused about how it is to build a new life. I guess my life here in GA isn't new any more. I'm recognized by children and adults, I've forged relationships at work and church and the community. I moved here 6 years ago this week. It has seemed like a blink of an eye, but at the same time, I've accumulated a body of public work, a reputation, and relationships. I also have accumulated a cache of memories unrelated to my former life in New England. All this has grown almost unbenownst to me during all that time.

The sea air and foghorns have slipped back in my mind as the newer ambient sounds of cows lowing and roosters crowing are more prevalent. I'm not sure how I feel about that, except to say, time passes, and all things change. You get used to that as you grow older, anyway. The decades accumulate and memories come and stay and then go as new memories slide in, as fleetingly ephemeral as the wisps of fog I used to watch evaporate into the warm sunshine of life.

Fog at Jasper Beach, Machias Maine

Fog at Lubec, Globe Cove, high tide

Sunset at Lubec Harbor

Sunset over the fishing fleet, Lubec Harbor Maine

LOL, waiting for the Fourth of July parade to begin in Eastport Maine. As is typical of Mainers and Maine summers, you have blankets and sweatshirts along with shorts and flip-flops, all at the same time!