Summers End

As summer winds its way into August, I am reminded that this is one of my favorite times of the year.  Spring is great, Winter is very nice and Fall is wonderful.  But this almost Autumn is amazing.  The days are long and warm, the nights cool and breezy. My bird feeders are filled with dozens of daily diners and my resident lizard family just birthed the tiniest little guys!  Tomatoes and sweet corn are at their peak and my basil plant is going crazy.  I have plenty of fresh mint for my lemonade and more cilantro than I can use in this lifetime.  And my zinnias!  Oh my goodness!  In the midst of this abundance I find myself with more craft ideas than I can possibly put into production.  I browse Etsy and see dozens of crafts I want to try.  I page thru jewelry catalogs and want to buy every pretty bead that catches my eye.  I see a leaded glass window and immediately wonder if I can find my old soldering iron and if not, where can I buy new supplies.  I want to sew and paint and throw pots.  I want to knit and crochet and cross stitch.  I think of new ways to use old things, then want to go out and get old things to think of new ways to use. But there are only so many hours in the day, no matter how long the day appears to be.  I am limited by the fact that I grudgingly and out of necessity work full time at a job that has zero opportunities to be creative.  So what to do?  My craft driven side says "Quit that dumb job and there will be lots and lots of time for making pretty things!" My pragmatic side that likes to eat more than Ramen noodles doesn't really respond...it just sort of makes a pfffft sound.  See, my pragmatic side knows that even if I did, indeed, quit that dumb job, I wouldn't really craft all day long.  I would sleep in, read, go out to lunch, pin tons of stuff on Pinterest, and watch Days of Our Lives and reruns of Wife Swap. Then I would stay up crafting into the wee hours of the morning, feeling my creative juices surging and turning out incredible jewelry.  Only to awaken mid-morning to find that the incredible jewelry I so proudly squinted at around 3am is in actuality uneven, mismatched and pathetically crafted. It's really not much fun taking apart jewelry. So I'll work when I must.  I'll enjoy fresh tomato sandwiches with cilantro and lemonade with mint.  I'll listen to the birds sing as they sit at my feeders and I'll admire my zinnias.  And I'll craft whenever I can, but not at 3am!