It’s official! I am an EMPTY NESTER!! So what exactly is it? According to WIKIPEDIA:
“Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents or guardians may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition.
Since a young adult moving out from his or her parents’ house is generally a normal and healthy event, the symptoms of empty nest syndrome often go unrecognized. This can result in depression and a loss of purpose for parents, since the departure of their children from “the nest” leads to adjustments in parents’ lives. Empty nest syndrome is especially common in full-time mothers.”
Honestly, I’ve been too busy the past few weeks to REALLY notice!!! Let me explain. The month of August is usually a blur for me anyway… with the culmination of 4-H Projects and various activities at our local Armada Fair! The garden, now in peak production (for Michiganders), is basically ignored during Fair week and slips down the to-do chore list. Green beans demand daily picking and zucchini becomes torpedo-like overnight! Forget cheesemaking (unless it’s a quick batch w/vinegar for the chickens!). Somewhere, in-between, there’s the ‘going-back-to-school’ shopping, still required for college-bound students too! And, another wagon of hay arrives, the day AFTER the kids/muscle have left for school!!
Then there’s the unexpected. Life’s little surprises to test us, perhaps even ground us! For example, the rupture of the waste line from our water softener (to ‘treat’ our potable water for the house…a necessity for well-water)! The incident probably would have gone unnoticed for several more days [compounding the water damage] had I not gone looking for fabric [in the basement] to make pillows for Katie’s dorm room. What a mess! It took me two days to clean-up, mop, re-organize the basement!! But, I have a cleaner, less cluttered basement!
During a moment of weakness, I also purchased a half-bushel of peaches. [I blame our local annual Romeo Peach Festival!]. Like I didn’t have enough catching-up to do already!!??? Do you know HOW many jars of peach preserves you get from a half-bushel of peaches? OMG!!!!!! I scoured my supply of every available/empty canning jar and had to make a trip (actually two trips!) to the store to purchase two more boxes of jars!!! Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas???? I mentioned ‘how about peach salsa?’ to The Hubs who quickly gave me a YUK thumbs down. So, I made a small batch of peach salsa anyway. MAJOR YUM!!! The Hubs and I ate two bowls-full w/chips and shared a beer while making dinner! [That’s another story worth telling – adapting to cooking for two – or, forever eating leftovers???]
So, while I’m anxiously awaiting ‘empty nest syndrome‘, I think I’ll make some scones for those peach preserves!
Have a great weekend!!!
Sheepy Hollow Farm 