Be silly today and talk like a pirate

It’s almost autumn. Chrysanthemums have been popping up all over. Even though they are technically perennials, in my home they are annuals, at best. To raise them as true perennials, they should have been planted way back in the spring. Most years I don’t bother with them. I would rather admire them in other people’s gardens than in my own.
The cooler days remind me that it is time to quit dilly-dallying and finish up the many projects I have in progress. For instance, I have a blanket about two-thirds crocheted for my granddaughter, an embroidery project has been languishing in the basket for months, several carvings that are half-done at most, and endless flower beds that need weeding or redone. The bargain plants I bought last week are looking forward to a permanent home where they can spread out their roots. The list is endless.
I’m guessing that you have a similar list of chores that you want to complete before the first snow swirls and dances over the ground.
If you are like me, you will prioritize your list and do what you deem most important while other things will be postponed for later. Or even better, the weather will warm back up and all those chores will be forgotten or put off for another day.
Instead of doing what needs to be done, maybe we should celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is today. This holiday was started by a couple of friends in 1995. It requires nothing more than saying, “Arrgh!” at every opportunity. Other pirate-related words, eye patches and parrots are optional, but welcome. The whole point is to inject some much needed silliness into the seriousness of everyday life. How can you be mad at someone who has a parrot on their shoulder?
Can you imagine storming into an office to complain about something, only to be greeted by, “Avast, matey. How can I help you? Arrgh!” Personally, I would be convinced I had the wrong place. At the very least, it would startle me into thinking the person to whom I was talking was slightly, shall we say, nuts. At best, it would provoke laughter, and everybody needs more laughter.
Most of the chores on our to-do lists are of little importance. Plants will survive or not, with or without my help. Crafts benefit nobody but myself. What is of true importance seldom makes anyone’s list. Time spent with family is far more valuable than any material possession. Time spent with my cousin last week was more precious than our grandmother’s spinning wheel and her diploma that he entrusted to me.
Speaking of cousins, I really need to find a date when everyone is available so we can go through some of the many boxes of pictures we took from my mother’s house. I know my one brother has a vacation coming up but don’t know what everybody else’s schedule is like.
My mind is rambling and hops from subject to subject. The chrysanthemums remind me that I need to corral my thoughts and get myself organized. If there are mums, then summer is over. There is much to be done before the cold weather visits again.
But for now, the sun is shining. The earth has yet to put on her fall perfume. The world is beckoning to me to go outside and enjoy the fresh air.
Arrgh! I hope you enjoy these last fleeting days of summer. Avast, matey. Fall is almost here.