Putting Away Summer

Posted on 09/30/2018 by Andrew Reynolds

Heather is the gardener in our house.  I poke around a bit and build a planter box now and then.  I’ve also built large parts of the irrigation system, but Heather is the gardener. We have workdays every few weeks where Heather makes a list of what I need to in the yard.

Yesterday was a work day.  There were the normal things like trim the hedge, cut the grape vine, clean the shed, and stuck in the middle of the list was:

“Put away summer.”

Hum – Interesting metaphor, and comment on the season were my first thoughts.  Of course Heather meant to put the patio umbrellas, chairs, tables and other items we bring out for the warm weather – our summer stuff.

As the season changes and the cool autumn winds blows, it’s time for long pants and hot soups. 

Change is in the air.  Yesterday there were fluffy clouds drifting overhead.  Clouds moved in this afternoon as the wind picked up and started shaking the green leaves with their warning of rain on the way.   

So yesterday, we cleaned the shed and put away the chairs that we sit on to eat lunch after church every week.  We closed up umbrellas and put the little tables in their winter home.  Tea will now be an indoor activity.

We put away summer.

While the winds blow, the rain falls and autumn turns to winter, you’ll find me looking out at the patio and checking the list until I see:

“Set up summer.”

Till next time,

Andrew

About Andrew Reynolds

Born in California Did the school thing studying electronics, computers, release engineering and literary criticism. I worked in the high tech world doing software release engineering and am now retired. Then I got prostate cancer. Now I am a blogger and work in my wood shop doing scroll saw work and marquetry.
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47 Responses to Putting Away Summer

  1. huckfinn47 says:
    10/18/2018 at 3:14 pm

    Andrew, we have been “putting away summer” hear near Washington, D.C. What an apt and beautiful metaphor. And thanks for your interest in and support of the novels I put on line. It’s good to know that you’re among those reading them.

    Take care and be well.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Carol Balawyder says:
    10/11/2018 at 4:19 pm

    Put away summer. Perfect phrase! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  3. ParentingIsFunny says:
    10/07/2018 at 10:16 am

    Set up summer–very cute. I was just thinking yesterday how it’s nice that we live in a climate that gets seasons. It keeps life interesting. Those poor saps along the equator.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Diane Henders says:
    10/03/2018 at 8:45 pm

    Aw, how sad to put away summer and drink tea indoors! Since we’ve moved to the coast, I drink tea outdoors as much as possible – even when it’s 5 degrees Celsius, I get out my chair cushion and my coat and a blanket for my legs and drink my tea outside anyway. But when it gets below freezing, I reluctantly move indoors. At least the below-freezing days aren’t too frequent around here! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. George says:
    10/03/2018 at 7:22 pm

    It’s always a little sad for me, putting away summer. I love setting up in spring. But winter will be here soon. Though I hope not too soon.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Mukhamani says:
    10/03/2018 at 8:26 am

    In your place the seasons are so different, I like reading about them. In my place we have only two seasons, summer and rainy season. My daughter lives in Germany, she sent a photo of a tree in front of her house with golden leaves. The weather has become cooler there. Regards

    Liked by 1 person

    • Andrew Reynolds says:
      10/03/2018 at 9:16 am

      Much of California south of where I live has the same two seasons wet/dry. We get a little bit of fall/spring when the temperatures dip. Germany and Europe gets all four seasons.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. dfolstad58 says:
    10/03/2018 at 6:54 am

    I think Heather has a poetic phrase or two left in her. I welcome she guest blog on this site and maybe share her thoughts on the wind up of summer and the anticipation of seasons.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. CJ Hartwell says:
    10/02/2018 at 5:57 pm

    I like that phrase, need to remember it. I’ve been wearing sweaters and boots for a few weeks now, and yesterday — oh my! — we turned on the furnace. 🍂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. aginggracefullymyass says:
    10/01/2018 at 7:16 pm

    It’s supposed to be in the mid-80’s here until mid October. Unseasonably warm. But the leaves are starting to change. Very surreal!

    Liked by 2 people

  11. mitchteemley says:
    10/01/2018 at 4:58 pm

    I’m definitely ready to put away summer, but it keeps setting itself back up. Seriously, I enjoyed the peaceful, winsome quality of this post, Andrew.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Debra says:
    10/01/2018 at 4:28 pm

    Fall is in the air, and even we “down south” are supposed to have a little rain this week. I have my fingers crossed, but I think it’s better that I don’t hold my breath!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Andrew Reynolds says:
      10/01/2018 at 5:05 pm

      Not sure we’ll get much out of this storm system, looks like a few drops over night. Yes, don’t hold your breath, up here storms tend to move either just north or just south of us.

      Like

  13. Allan G. Smorra says:
    10/01/2018 at 2:05 pm

    I’m happy that you didn’t put away your memories of summer, Andrew. Thanks for the reminder and the nod to next year.
    Ω

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Pied Type says:
    10/01/2018 at 10:43 am

    I keep trying to put away summer and make room for fall, but so far I’ve not completely succeeded.

    Liked by 2 people

  15. dorannrule says:
    10/01/2018 at 9:22 am

    I love Heather’s summary of a to-do list…”put away summer.” I will use that for Bill!

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Jacqui Murray says:
    10/01/2018 at 8:14 am

    That is a lovely way of putting it. I may borrow that phrase from Heather.

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Flo jo says:
    10/01/2018 at 7:06 am

    That’s a lovely phase, put away summer. I guess winter just melts; that’s what I look forward to.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Mama's Empty Nest says:
    10/01/2018 at 6:44 am

    We haven’t put away summer quite yet here, but I’m longing to do so! We are enjoying very cool nights and early mornings, but still have some summer-like temps.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. Jeff Branch says:
    10/01/2018 at 5:48 am

    Put away summer I wish. Here in Alabama it is still hot; right at 90 degrees almost every day this week. The pastor of our church once described the seasons here as winter, early summer, summer and late summer. Enjoy your cooler weather. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  20. morristownmemos by Ronnie Hammer says:
    10/01/2018 at 4:12 am

    The only saving grace to putting away summer this year is that summer was pretty terrible. Too much rain.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. timsablog says:
    10/01/2018 at 1:04 am

    Must be nearly time to change the clocks. I always hated the end of October when I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark. At least when we were back on GMT I got to see daylight at one end of the day.

    Liked by 2 people

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