n begins the second half

is for

Nephews * Nature * Nurturing * Networks of friends * Naps * Novels * Night * Names * Nova Scotia * Needlework * New York City * Newspapers * New England


That's my nephew, Jesse. He's an amazing guy, rising sophomore at Middlebury College in Vermont. Bright, sensitive, creative, insightful, funny. Oh, the Places you'll Go! to quote Dr. Seuss. Love this guy. Don't see him nearly enough and it's time I did the Anne McKinne thing and sent him a brownie care package to start the new semester off right. Love you Jess!

Three out of four seasons I really miss New England. Okay, I miss it even in that fourth season, but not for seasonal reasons. In the fall, well, you just can't beat the fall foliage of the northeast. And yes, there really are towns, and a good number of them, that have the quaint churches on the greens surrounded by wooded areas or hillsides and old cemeteries. Just get off the well-traveled roads and you'll find them. And people think I'm crazy but I really miss the snow! My last year in seminary was brutal with snow, and since I parked on the street I had to move the car (or it would be towed) or it would get plowed in at the curb. I'm willing to live with that kind of inconvenience for snow! I warned you about crazy. And summer. Sure, New England gets 90-degree days and humidity just like everyone else, but the season is shorter and the nights are generally cooler and it is just far more comfortable for a hot weather-wimp like me to be there in the summer. Not to mention that NE is rich with all kinds of festivals. But it's not just the seasons. I love the history, the colonial architecture and the fife and drum corps that march in parades. I love the rolling hills and shorelines, the old stone walls and the character of maple forests. I love access to the water, to sailing, to the smell and breeze of the ocean. I love the towns that were home to my ancestors, and my own genealogical connection to the stories that shaped people, places, and a nation. I miss the cradle of my own story, and the proximity of my family.

Lest this sound like a post of regret I suppose I should state that I don't regret being in middle Tennessee. I love this place, too. I am near ancestral haunts here, too, and I feel connected to the land. I just love NE more.

And PS. I know I said this yesterday, but I want to repeat it after a couple of conversations with my mother. I have the best Mom!