summer breeze makes me feel fine…

Summer weather has been slowly drifting our way here in Minneapolis.
The first few iris and lily-of-the-valley are gracing my gardens, turtles sun-bathe on half-submerged logs in the ponds I pass on my morning walks, and a swell of deep green has washed like magic over all that was so recently barren.

So much life, life, life surrounds me and I am purposing to slow down and notice this host of large and small wonders.
Nature is a healing force, and I find I have need of it especially this year. Part of the healing I’m seeking is for a bit of burn-out with my blogging.

When I started Orange Marmalade 9+ years ago, I had no idea what it would look like and certainly no idea of how it would change and stretch me.
I feel profoundly grateful for the beauty and fascination, rich ideas and lives I’ve encountered in the thousands and thousands of books I’ve read. I’d say about 90% of the time, blogging has been a complete joy, and just a small fraction of the time I’ve had to really push myself to keep up.
But honestly — it has been a massive expenditure of time and energy, and I am feeling the need for a small break and time to do some ruminating on what directions I might take Orange Marmalade in the future, how I could reconfigure things such that areas I am longing to devote more time to personally, can serve both my heart’s desires and the common good.

So, this summer I am giving myself permission to blog quite infrequently.
I have some posts ready to go that I will publish including another huge list of 50+ books of 100-ish pages or less (lots of juicy goodies there!), some graphic-novel-style easy readers to bring pizzazz to your beginning reader, a couple of ace short chapter books, and I’ve still got a stack of picture books on my family room floor that I want to share with you even if it’s just a bare-bones sharing of titles because they are so superb!
I know I will come across other things I just cannot NOT share with you. But there will not be a regular rhythm to the posts this summer.

I am looking forward to doing a lot of work in my wildly out-of-control yard and gardens, reading stacks of adult literature and non-fiction I’ve been itching to sink my teeth into, cooking more thoughtful, plant-based meals,
walking and biking and kayaking, enjoying friends and family, and just not feeling the pressure of weekly lists-of-five and on-going intensive reading projects that I cannot seem to help assigning myself!

One thing I’ve discovered is that the Orange Marmalade community is a sagacious, thoughtful, kindhearted, richly-creative, hearty group of people.
I’m hopeful that when I come back to blogging, we can develop an even more organic, full-of-juicy-life place to meet and encourage one another with good books and lives pushing into the focal areas that have distilled here over the years — kindness, quietude, imagination, cultural diversity, outdoor play (yes, for us adults, too!), Earth-care. And who knows what else.

 

I do hope you’ll stay connected with me!
To that end, I would really love to hear what parts of the blog you find most helpful, what you love, what you wish I would read more of or talk about, or any other ideas or input you have for me as I sift and sort my thoughts.
You can comment below or if you prefer e-mail me at jillswanson61@gmail.com
  I’d love to hear from you.

By the way, the best way to follow Orange Marmalade is by e-mail.
If you are not already a follower, I’d encourage you to click on the three little lines way up in the top left corner which voila! opens a side window and a place to enter your e-mail there.
That way you’ll get notified any time I post something new here which may be extra helpful over the next few months.

Thanks so much for your understanding.