Cape Karen
This summer is just flying by - I think? I haven't poked my nose outdoors in weeks. It's just too damn hot. Here's the cunundrum: in the summer it's too hot to enjoy the outdoors, and all our roads are jam-packed with 15 million visiting tourist's. A trip to the local grocery store is enough to elicit some serious road rage. In the fall we still have about 10 million drivers clogging the roads, and the big antique car shows come to town, making it even worse. That lasts right through the Christmas "Fesitival of Lights" celebration when the whole town lights up like a mini-Las Vegas (November to April) and the traffic doesn't begin to thin-out around here until after New Year's.
February is traffic light, in spite of the many Valentine's Day weddings that take place in the Chapels during that weekend, and in March we have nice cool temperatures. We can actually enjoy going out during the first three months of the year! It's wonderful to have our roads to ourselves for a change. But then, in April, Dolly Parton comes to town for her annual parade. (How badly do I want to see Dolly Parton up-close and personal? Not hardly enough!) She opens Dollywood, and it starts all over again.
Such is living in a tourist area - which I've done my entire life - from Cape Cod to Williamsburg, VA to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At this point, I can't even imagine living in a little sleepy town that tourists don't visit. What would that be like?
I don't know where I'm going with these thoughts, other than to say that the hot weather and the heavy traffic 'encourage me' to stay indoors at home, a lot. This year, I'm painting the interior of the house - almost every room - from ceilings to walls, and I'm also making new drapes and curtains. These are my "summer projects." If I were younger, I'd also be tearing up the wall-to-wall carpeting (which I hate) and laying down some new wood floors - but that's just silly to even contemplate. . . I guess I have to face my limitations and give that project to some strong, young professionals who can lift heavy furniture.
So, as the summer rolls on with its heat, humidity and traffic, I am completely oblivious ~ and covered from head to toe in paint! 