“HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME” Sly and the Family Stone 1970

Welcome back to SOLO at SIXTY!

One Friday evening in July, I found myself sitting on top of the refrigerator in my kitchen at the beach with a drill in my hand, looking around at a bunch of cabinets without doors, wondering how I got there… and how I would get down! Has quarantine been getting to anyone else? How are you dealing with it?

Y’all know I have been spending more time at the beach this summer. Well, while I was down there last month, I decided a face lift was in order. NOT ME, y’all (though I could probably use one!) My beach kitchen. I have been talking about it for a while and finally decided the time was right. My niece suggested painting my upper cabinets white, and then using a splash of beachy color for the lower ones, so I took her advice. Started one Friday evening, taping out my kitchen, washing my cabinets down, sanding, cleaning again, and then using an old drill I discovered in my storage area (should have brought the one I got for Mother’s Day) to remove all the cabinet doors. (Very proud of myself for figuring out how this relic worked!) That’s how I wound up sitting on top of my fridge removing cabinet doors, thinking to myself that I might not be in the safest spot, but hey, it had to be done! As one of my beach neighbors told me earlier in the summer, I have had to man up to take care of things by myself.

Saturday morning I started painting cabinet doors out on my porch, where it was so HOT the paint dried in half the time. Got 2 coats on both sides of the cabinet doors and by Sunday morning I was pulling up all the painting tape and reattaching the doors. My sister had offered to come help me but I was able to do it ALL BY MYSELF. Proudly. However, I did wait until my son-in-law arrived to put all the new hardware on the doors and drawers and install a new light fixture. (Sometimes I realize my limitations!) It has completely changed the whole look of the kitchen, making it brighter, lighter, and updated. Nothing like a fresh new look to boost your spirit. Just what the “covid doctor” ordered.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Jimmy Dean

And nothing like family to lift your spirits, especially at the beach! My kids came down for our family beach trip and loved the new kitchen! And loved being together. Me too. And then there was the Holcomb beach weekend with my sisters, my nephew and his sweet family. Lots of family time, which I loved. We celebrated sweet Jack and Izzie’s birthdays, as Jack is turning four TODAY, and sweet Izzie’s birthday party was cancelled back in March. My younger sister’s birthday gift to Jack was the hit of the beach – an actual excavator which Jack used to move sand for his sand castles. Along with his dump truck. We had beautiful weather and lots of time on the beach. Izzie was a bit unsure of the beach, but warmed up quickly. Jack loved everything about the beach – the sand, the ocean, the frozen lemonade cart, and the starfish he caught with the fishing net I got him (and released back to the ocean)! I bet he’s the only 4-year-old who can identify the state shell of SC (the olive) or an augur, both of my favorite shells. Wonder where he learned that?!? My patient brother-in-law taught Jack how to fish on the beach – even if the fishing rod was 2+ times the size of Jack. As my sisters said, we love our family, and we are so blessed. 

“There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.” – Leo Christopher

HOT HOTTER HOTTEST! That describes this summer’s weather and I have loved every hot minute of it! This past weekend was the exception up here, though. Saturday was cold, rainy and dreary – it was 70 degrees, y’all! Cold. After a morning cycle class, I spent the rest of my day in my “day jammies”, doing, as my mother would say, “less than nothing”. We all need a day like that every now and then. I know many of you are looking forward to fall’s arrival, especially after getting a taste of it last weekend, but don’t count me in that group. I don’t want my summer to end…

“Time is precious, waste it wisely.”

So how are y’all? I believe everyone is ready to view COVID19 in the rear view mirror, though it doesn’t look like that will be happening any time soon. Mask wearing and constant hand washing have become second nature. UNC tried in-person classes, but that only lasted a week. I feel for college students, and high school students, heck, all students (and their parents!). This is not what anyone envisioned life would be. I have ventured out a bit, always with my mask. But I am tired. Tired of wearing that mask. Tired of no hugs. Tired of not seeing my mom. Tired of not being in my normal routine. Tired of just worrying about COVID – possibly getting it and the long term effects of it. Ok, enough whining. But we all need to “wine” every now and then, right?!?! Decided I needed to “wine” some more on Sunday, so I ventured out (masked) to a couple of wineries. Wine tastings COVID-style (see pictures below) are definitely different. Knowing most wineries do not offer glassware, I took my own. And I was the envy of the other guests. 

“If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.”  Groucho Marx

It may not seem like it right now, but we are all blessed in one way or another. We are here. We woke up today, even if we didn’t change out of our PJs. These tough times will pass, and even if life does not return to the way it was, I truly believe it will be better. Find what makes you feel blessed, or find something that gives you a boost (a face lift, maybe? haha!) and concentrate on that every day. Don’t throw these days away, because as we all know, none of us is promised tomorrow. 

“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.”  Bill Watterson

Best,

Leslie

PS – HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY JACK! And happy WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY DAY – created for photographers to “share their world with the world” which is why I included so many pictures from my world today! Enjoy!