Pull Up a Chair: June 12, 2026

Well friends, we are officially deep into June now, which means two things around here: the humidity has become personally offensive, and nobody can agree on the thermostat setting anymore. Summer in the South really is a special kind of experience. You walk outside at eight o’clock in the morning and immediately feel like you have opened the dishwasher mid-cycle.

At this point, even the birds sound tired.

Still, there is something about this time of year that I love despite the heat. The days stretch out longer, supper gets later, and the evenings somehow feel softer once the sun finally starts going down. Summer may make everybody sweatier and slightly more dramatic, but it also slows life down in ways I think many of us quietly need.

Life at Shady Pines

The free-range seniors continue to thrive in their natural habitat, mostly by refusing to admit the heat bothers them while simultaneously discussing it nonstop.

This week’s entertainment involved somebody announcing they were “just going to sit outside for a few minutes” and then returning approximately four and a half minutes later looking personally betrayed by the weather. Another family member has begun carrying around a handheld fan like it is a life-support device, which honestly feels reasonable at this point.

There was also a lengthy discussion this week about whether ceiling fans actually help cool a room or whether we all just collectively pretend they do for emotional support. No scientific conclusion was reached, but several strong opinions were shared.

As always.

This Week in the Wilderness

This week felt busy in the sneakiest possible way. Not chaotic exactly, just full. Every day seemed to come with a steady stream of little responsibilities that kept stacking on top of each other until suddenly it was evening and I was wondering where the entire day disappeared to.

I also had one of those moments this week where I opened the refrigerator looking for something, forgot what it was midway through, stood there staring into the cold air for inspiration, and eventually grabbed cheese because it felt productive enough.

Honestly, that pretty much sums up my mental state lately.

June always tricks me into thinking life is going to become calmer, but somehow there are still appointments, errands, projects, phone calls, laundry, dishes, and approximately fourteen other things demanding attention at all times. The difference is now we are all doing it while sweating.

What’s Keeping Me Going

At the moment? Cold drinks and lowered expectations.

Iced coffee has completely taken over my personality by noon every day, and I am not even pretending otherwise anymore. Watermelon continues to deserve every bit of its summer reputation, and anything that can be cooked on the grill instead of heating up the kitchen automatically becomes an excellent idea.

I have also fully embraced simple dinners lately. Summer is not the season for exhausting yourself trying to make elaborate meals nobody appreciates properly because they are too hot to function anyway. Give me sandwiches, grilled chicken, pasta salad, and fresh fruit and we will all survive just fine.

A Few Quiet Things I’ve Loved This Week

One thing I have noticed lately is how comforting ordinary summer sounds can be. The hum of fans running throughout the house. Thunderstorms building in the distance during the afternoon. Lawnmowers somewhere down the road. The steady chorus of cicadas once evening arrives.

There is something deeply familiar about all of it.

A few nights ago, I sat outside for a little while after sunset when the heat finally eased up enough to breathe normally again. The sky was fading into that soft dusky blue, everything had gone quiet except for the insects in the trees, and for a few minutes the whole world felt slower.

Not perfect. Not magical. Just peaceful.

Honestly, I think we overlook peaceful too often because it does not look exciting enough.

A Little Reminder This Week

I have been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to let life be ordinary sometimes. Not every week needs to be transformative. Not every day needs to be productive beyond belief. Some seasons are simply about maintaining your routines, caring for the people you love, and finding small moments of rest where you can.

And that matters too.

There is so much pressure to constantly improve ourselves, fix everything, organize everything, and turn every moment into something meaningful that we forget ordinary life already has meaning built into it.

A quiet cup of coffee in the morning.
A conversation around the dinner table.
An evening spent sitting outside.
A laugh shared over something completely ridiculous.

Those things count.

Before You Go

As we move further into June, I am trying to remind myself not to rush through this season waiting for the next one. Summer always feels endless at first, and then suddenly the stores are putting out fall decorations while we are still trying to survive August.

So for now, I am choosing slower evenings, simpler meals, and giving myself permission not to turn every single moment into a project.

And honestly? I think that is enough.

So wherever this Friday finds you, I hope you find a little peace somewhere this weekend. Sit outside if the weather allows it. Drink something cold. Ignore the laundry a little longer than you probably should. Watch a storm roll in if you get the chance.

The dishes will still be there tomorrow.

Unfortunately, they seem very committed to that arrangement.