The Last Days of Summer & Link Up On the Edge #260
“To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall.”
Ann Patchett
“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
William Shakespeare
The last days of summer are winding down quickly as cooler weather has already drifted down upon the North Country. I am currently sitting on my couch wrapped up in a giant cardigan, leggings, big fluffy socks, and my favorite cashmere writing gloves because as soon as the temperature dips down to about 65˚F (18.3˚C) or below, my Raynaud’s Syndrome really starts to torment me. If you are unfamiliar with Raynaud’s, it is basically a disorder of the blood vessels where cold temperatures or stress can trigger attacks. When an attack occurs, the blood vessels in your toes and fingers (and sometimes nose) go into spasms which temporarily narrow the arteries thereby limiting blood supply to the far extremities.
When an attack occurs, which tends to be daily when the temperature drops below that 65˚F threshold, my fingertips, toes, and the tip of my nose go frigidly cold and numb. In extreme attacks, the tips of my fingers will turn white, then red, then purple, then even darker purple until the cold becomes a burning sensation and my fine motor skills all but disappear. The only remedy really is to get my digits warm again which helps to open the blood vessels for adequate blood flow. During these attacks, my hands have earned the nickname “Icy Cold Hands of Death” because the frigidity of them can be felt clear through winter layers of clothing if I embrace you in a hug.
But it is still summer for another few weeks and I still have some summer outfits to share before we are plunged into the cold abyss of a North Country winter. I know I just jumped right from the end of summer into hints of winter all but skipping fall entirely. Fall has forever been my favorite season, but fall is the shortest lived of the seasons in these far northern reaches of New York State. In the 8 years that I have lived here, I have seen snow in every month except July and August. So once September arrives, it is no surprise if the temperatures drop to snow-worthy lows. In fact, the low yesterday was 46˚F (7.7˚C) indicating that summer is definitely making its way out.
As I begin to say my farewells to a beautiful summer that was filled with many ups and downs (as are every season of life), I am hoping for a successful, healthy, and smooth transition as my kids go back to school next week and I attempt to find a new groove for myself. I have some big ideas in mind as we head into this next season although I have yet to figure out all the details of the things I would like to accomplish.
“It’s always summer somewhere.”
Lily Pulitzer
I am going to keep it short and sweet today. It has been a bit of a lost week. I started the week by meeting Renee of A Sexual Libra for lunch at Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse. She and her partner, Steve, were in the area visiting family (they live in Maine) and so Jeff and I scheduled a lunch meet up as they began their journey home. It was such a wonderful time. We talked and talked as if we all four have been the best of friends for a million years. I do so appreciate when connections like this happen!
I was riding high on all sorts of good energy but Monday evening I found myself slammed with a bad case of strep throat. So I spent the remainder of the week in bed forcing myself to rest so I could recover quickly. I still have a lingering soreness in my throat and some leftover fatigue but I suspect by the time the kids return to school on Tuesday, I will be ready to hit the ground running. Until then, I hope you all have an amazing weekend…
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite (Most Clicked)
Jill of Doused in Pink shared her post, The Completer Piece You Need in Your Closet This Fall, featuring this really chic caramel colored blazer paired with denim and sneakers. I always love this combination for a sassy street style look.
Fashion Favorite
Emma of Style Splash shared her post, Styling Our Statement Sleeves-August’s Style Not Age, featuring the most joyful outfit in vibrant shades of neon with the most perfect vintage floral print on her magnificent trousers.
Non-Fashion Favorite
Marsha of Marsha in the Middle shared her post, Dealing with Grief, and as I read it through it I related in so many ways having also lost my father at a very young age and learning to deal with grief before I ever really knew what grief was. What I have learned through a lifetime of losing loved ones is that grief is a unique and personal journey that we mostly have to travel alone. But in sharing our stories of personal loss and grief we can help others to feel not so alone.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress-Torrid / Kimono-Shelbee’s Shoppe / Shoes and Earrings-Target
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
54 Comments
Jennifer
Raynauds is the reason I want to move. But my hands still turn white in the summer. I think once I’m done with the medical medium acne protocol, I am going to do his raynauds protocol. I’ve been going back and forth between doing that and inflammation next.
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I totally get it, Jennifer, living in an equally cold climate to yours. Summer isn’t so bad for me unless I am in the cold air conditioning. But literally as soon as the temperature drops to 65˚F, it starts immediately! It is so strange because at 66˚F, it doesn’t happen. It’s a weird arbitrary temperature to set off the trigger! I was always under the impression that there was nothing to be done for Raynaud’s so now I am super curious as to the Raynaud’s protocol. I need to go do some research for myself! If there are ways to dramatically reduce these symptoms, I will absolutely give them a try!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
So sorry about your strep! Get better soon and so glad you got to meet up with a friend. Love this end of summer outfit! Thanks so much for the link up!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! I am already feeling about 95% better. It really is just a bit of lingering fatigue that I have been indulging with lots of lazy rest! I hope you have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzy
I’m so sorry your Reynaud’s has started to rear its ugly head again, Shelbee. You really are living in the wrong part of the country! I hope you don’t suffer too much with it as the cooler weather comes. I’m also really sorry to you’ve been unwell with Strep throat. When it rains, it pours, right?! At least you had a wonderful lunch with your blogger friend!
Big hugs for a speedy recovery
Suzy xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzy! Oh, it will be okay with the Raynaud’s! I have lots of gloves lying around the house to help mitigate the symptoms. And strep throat seems to get me every year right around this time, too! I was on a mission this week to drown it out of me! I drank so much water and took so much vitamin C that I was feeling much better within about 48 hours of onset. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzy
Glad to hear it, Shelbee! I did chuckle when I read you tried to drown the Strep Throat….there I was thinking you were rolling about drunk LOL (until you said water!!).
Suzy xxx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahah, you just made me laugh! So you know I am such a naturalist that I really hate to take any kind of medications for illnesses of this sort. My first course of action is extra vitamin C and lots and lots of water! I figure if I over hydrate, it will flush out all the bad stuff thereby drowning it completely! It worked because I am feeling 100% today, less than 5 days from the onset of symptoms. If I had gone straight to the antibiotics, it would have taken just as long plus I would have gotten a terrible yeast infection from the meds! Go natural! With water…not booze. LOL
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
Sorry to hear about the Raynauds Syndrome Shelbee. Temps have plunged here, around 59. I feel the cold so indoors am wearing 3 layers. Like the stripy skirt. Hope you feel a bit better over the holiday weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! Oh I have been dealing with this Raynaud’s for quite some time so I am used to it. But yeah, the cold weather definitely adds a little extra discomfort to my lifestyle. But it’s all good. It just makes me appreciate the rest of my health that much more!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Oh my goodness girl, why don’t you move if you suffer like that from the cold? Thank you for the party. Love your outfit.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh, we will move from this frigid place when the time is right, Amy! Haha. For now, I am going to suffer it out until the kids graduate from high school. Then North Carolina or Tennessee will be our destination! But a lot can change in 10 years, so you never know. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
I’m jealous of your cooler weather!! It’s always summer here – Lilly was right! How fun that you and Jeff got to meet Renee and Steve, it’s awesome to make connections like that!
Have the best weekend!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Kellyann! I do love where I live when it is summer, spring, and fall. It is the winters here that are brutal! We really did have a wonderful time with Renee and Steve! Since they have family not too far from me, I suspect we will be able to get together again. So that is exciting! I hope you have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Gosh! Thanks so much for giving me a shout out! You know, when I started writing that post, I had no idea what I was going to say. It just came pouring out.
I thought having a wonky thyroid was bad enough, but this Raynaud’s sounds even worse. I spend the winter all bundled up in sweaters and throws. I’m glad you know when it starts (yeah, 65 seems like a strange starting point) and how to handle it.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thank you for sharing your vulnerability in that post. That is very intimidating to do but so important for healing yourself as well as others. My favorite blog posts are ones that dive deep into understanding ourselves and the human condition. I am always searching for the reasons why I am the way I am or do the things I do. And so much of it can be traced back to childhood things…especially childhood loss. I applaud you for bravely sharing your innermost thoughts on the topic of losing a parent. Speaking of thyroid issues, I did have mine checked a few years ago because the strange cold flashes and such seemed like they could be a thyroid issue. But nope. My thyroid is functioning just fine. It’s just the Raynaud’s and premenopausal cold flashes that disrupt my life in winter. And apparently Raynaud’s afflicts more women than men…oh the joys of womanhood! I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
I just discovered Marsha’s blog and actually wrote a post inspired by a pair of pants she shared and had to buy! Read that post too and found it really interesting. Hope you can keep your extremities warm, you need to move down south =)
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am loving what Marsha is doing on her blog! She just launched it recently as she had been reading many of our blogs for a while now and got inspired to write her own! I love that so much! And I definitely do need to move south! Our 10 year plan is to do just that. Once the kids graduate from high school, we do want to relocate to the Smoky Mountain region. I can’t give up my four seasons but a milder winter will be nice!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
First off super cute dress! Such pretty colors in these stripes. The photo of you and Renee is adorable. I’m glad you had such a great time together. And I’m only now starting to wrap my head around the idea of a true Autumn and Winter. When I left KS, I vowed never to return to a state that had winter. But things change, and I find myself embracing it. Ugh! Strep throat. So glad you are on the mend.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! This dress was an impulse buy from Torrid clearance a few years ago. I don’t love it on me but the kimono definitely helped to improve the fit. It kind of just looks like a giant sack if I wear it alone. I will have to try belting it as well. I do love a true autumn season which we don’t get much of here. We go straight from summer into winter! I kind of love the way the seasons are in the Asheville area. There is true, true autumn which is absolutely stunning to witness in the Smoky Mountains. I still need to get down that way to have a proper viewing of the fall foliage. And the winters are winter but very mild compared to the winters in northern New York! The strep has finally left my body just in time to enjoy the holiday weekend! I hope you have a lovely weekend as well, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Love your bold striped dress with that great komono topper! Glad you got to enjoy some friend time recently, and are feeling better from Strep. I am not looking forward to the end of summer and the aproaching cold weathe at all, either! Hope you have a good weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! It was wonderful to meet up with Renee and Steve! We had so much fun talking and getting to know more about one another. It was a really cool couples connection, too! Stay warm as the cold weather moves in, my friend! Happy weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Lauren Renee Sparks
I have never heard of Raynaud Syndrome. Thank you for opening up about it. And I hope you feel 100% before Tues!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lauren! I hadn’t heard of it either until my sister started having symptoms about 10 years ago. Then my symptoms started about 5 years ago so I knew immediately what it was. There isn’t much to do for it either except try to keep my exposure to super cold things at a minimum. My poor sister has a vintage ice cream truck business so she always has her hands in a freezer making the symptoms so bad for her. As for the strep throat, I am feeling 100% today. Thankfully! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Mica
Your striped dress is beautiful! sorry the cooler weather causes you pain – hope it doesn’t stay so cold and you get some warmer autumn days! It’s spring here and the weather is starting to warm so we are making the most of it!
Thank you for the link up!
Hope you are having a great weekend 🙂 We went to Australia Zoo yesterday, so much fun 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Mica, thank you so very much! Unfortunately, it gets wicked cold here in the winters so I am in it for the long haul with my cold hands and feet! I will be happy when spring comes around again! But I do love the fall season. It has always been my favorite season and I suspect that will never change despite the cold. I bet the Australia Zoo was pretty magnificent on a beautiful spring day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
Sorry to hear you’ve had a bad throat and a flare up of Reynaud’s Syndrome, I hope you’re feeling better now. Thanks so much for the feature, that has really made my day! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! I am feeling much improved today! The strep throat is gone and my energy is returning…except now I am in PMS mode! Haha. I can’t seem to catch a break this month. But things are looking up, school is starting on Tuesday, and I am ready to tackle some things in a most energetic way! Happy weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin
Crazy that summer is ending! Glad you got to meet up with your friend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tamar! This summer flew by, didn’t it?! I hope you have a wonderful back to school season, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
Ugh, my Raynaud’s should be flaring up soon too – it hits me often when my hands get wet and then cold. Boom, just like that, white fingers, no feeling in them. I have to submerge them in a sink of hot water to get colour back in them, but that’s pretty painful (as you likely know). So, I feel ya, Shelbee!
Love your striped dress, and hoping that your strep throat is feeling better, sweetheart.
Thank you so much for the link-party! I put up a pic of me and my mom. 🙂
Happy weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sheila! I am very familiar with the pain that comes from submerging cold fingers into warm water! They get all tingly and numb and burny before the feeling comes back into them. I have tried heated fingerless writing gloves that plug directly into my laptop to generate heat into the pads that you insert into the gloves. But they were really cheap and I burned my hand pretty badly the last time I used them. There is no temperature control on them and they just get too hot! So I ditched that hazardous idea and went back to plain old un-heated writing gloves! Oh the things we must endure in this life. But it all makes our experiences so much richer! I have grown to appreciate warm hands more than I ever had before! I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lucy Bertoldi
I’m always so sad at the end of summer…I never want it to end. Guess I’m gonna have to consider retiring to Florida!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Fall is my favorite season, Lucy, so the end of summer is kind of bittersweet for me. I do love the crisp fall air and all the things that come with the season like football and hot chocolate and soup and fire places! But I am growing to appreciate the summer even more the older and colder I get! Florida is a bit too much for me, but we are considering a move not as far south once the kids graduate from high school. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
I’ve never heard of Raynauds before but I can’t imagine how difficult it could be to live with, especially in the northeast where it gets very cold! I hope your children have a good back to school day!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Laura! I had never heard of Raynaud’s either until my sister developed symptoms about 10 years ago. And then my symptoms started about 5 years ago and just get worse with each winter. By the time my kids graduate from high school, I will definitely be ready to move south!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
Shelbee,
Great outfit … perfect for late summer. In SoCal, I know better than to be fooled by a brisk day in September as that area is often hit with a heatwave or two before mid-October. Fortunately, my locale near the beach stays cooler but Fall is still weeks away for us. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are feeling tiptop soon.
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Rena! It is normal here as well to have a drop in temperature in early September followed by a week or two of some warmer summer like temperatures. By October though, we are firmly planted in autumn. Strangely, the leaves began changing colors here a few weeks ago which is very early in the season and definitely evidence of climate change. I hope you have a lovely holiday weekend, my friend! I am feeling much improved so I am ready for a relaxing and peaceful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh you have got some issues to deal with at the moment. Because my body needs all the energy to just breath, it doesn’t have the energy to keep me warm. So I feel good when it’s above 25 degrees Celsius. It’s awful to feel so cold isn’t it, it paralyse you. I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer, we have really warm days here at the moment. The stupid irritating thing is that next week it will be very warm here, and we are going to the North, islands, where its about 6 degrees colder. Grrrrr.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Nancy! The cold really can paralyze me sometimes! When I can’t feel my toes or use my fingers, it can be very frustrating, indeed! I am not quite ready to say good-bye to summer yet either. It has gotten much cooler here this week, but I suspect the temperatures will go up a bit again before the fall is really here. I hope you have a wonderful time in the islands north of you despite it being a bit colder there!
xoxo
Shelbee
Deborah L Stinedurf
Oh my friend, I so hope that you’re feeling better. On a lighter note, I really dig the dark summer vibes you have going on here! xo
Debbie
http://www.yourstyledstory.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Debbie! I am feeling much improved! I still have some very summery outfits to share, too, before we are firmly in the midst of autumn. How are you doing with not going back to school this year? Is retirement weird or just plain old relieving?! I hope you are having a lovely holiday weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Wow, I have never heard of that. I am so sorry that you have that. I will be chanting for you on that.
Thanks for hosting and I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Patrick! It really is okay. I have learned to live with it and deal with it. My life is so full of wonderful things that I can’t let some cold digits ruin it for me!
xoxo
Shelbee
Maureen
This is a fun summer outfit! The colors of your dress are beautiful. I am sorry to hear about that cold temperatures wreak havoc on your body. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the temperature where you are stay warm a bit longer. On my end, I am not ready for summer to end. It flew by this year and I am just not sure where it went! Plus, it just means times flying by and we are that much closer to the end of the year. I am really not ready for that! On another note, I hope you and your family are well. Happy long weekend Shelbee!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Maureen! I hope it stays warm for a bit longer, too! The next 10 days should be decent with highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s and lows in the mid-50s. Also, my husband recently resealed all the heating duct work in the house so we are hoping that makes a difference in the temperatures indoors this winter. This year really did fly by and the holidays and end of year will be upon us soon. But I plan to just keep living in the moment each day at a time! I hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Chickenruby
I bet that dress looks fab without the wrap also. i suffer with the cold, with chillblains. I’d actually put my summer gear away and dug the fleeces out, but we seem to be having a mini heatwave that I’m embrassing. Thanks for linking with #pocolo
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Suzanne! I have not yet put any summer gear away or even removed the air conditioners from the windows because I am certain we will have another mini heat streak before the cold really settles in. I will definitely embrace it while it lasts!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michele Morin
Swooning over the Ann Patchett quote. Gotta read her!
And I love your twirly skirt!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michele! Doesn’t that quote create the most beautiful imagery?!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jean | Delightful Repast
Shelbee, I finally got here! I’m at #76 with my Belgian Waffles – or Regular Waffles – with directions for freezing and reheating good as new! Thanks so much for hosting. Your explanation of Raynauds Syndrome is the best I’ve heard. I’m glad you’re finding ways to cope with it AND that you got over the strep so quickly, and the natural way. Happy Autumn! You look radiant!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Jean, thank you so very much! I really just try to explain my experience with symptoms from a real person perspective. I feel symptoms from any cause are so subjective that I really only can offer my personal experience but I think personal experiences are the most helpful to others. And yes, the natural way of healing is always my preferred way! I do love when it is effective. Haha. I hope your week is off to a great start!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lovely
This is such a beautiful end of summer outfit! I’m sorry to hear about the Raynaud’s Syndrome and hope you feel better with your throat soon.
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lovely! I am feeling back to 100% now and ready to tackle this week of back to school! I hope you are having a fabulous week, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee