Daily life

Not much going on over here, which I why I haven't written much this week. My days have been lovely and quiet. Well, ok, we had a slight family crisis Wednesday, but other than that not much has been going on. I'm enjoying watching fall come. (I love the crisp, cold air that has filled my bedroom by the time I go to sleep.) I'm very much looking forward to a long, quiet hike this weekend up at Twin Lakes. I'm trying to keep up with the housework, and get some projects done (started?). Other than that, life is very quiet. 

I've been thinking a lot about my friends and how much they mean to me. I know I'm terrible at keeping up with the ones who are far away. Well, if you're reading this, know I think of you much more often than I am in touch with you. So, thanks for loving me despite my faults! 

Good news!

Good news! My old kittie, Charlie (16 years old), had to go to the vet today for his yearly shots. Poor Charlie has started to really show his age. He doesn't always land on his feet, he wobbles around when he walks, he wakes up confused and scared in the middle of the night (senility, says the doc). The vet was happy, though, at how healthy Charlie is...and that made me happy! 

Charlie loves to sit in front of the fire. He's happy winter is on its way! Good thing we have this screen - otherwise, he'd try to sit right next to those toasty flames! ;-)

I'm off to run errands; I'm sure Charlie is off to find a warm, comfy place to nap for the rest of the day! So exhausting going to the vet!

Right before my eyes

Fall is my favorite season, and here are just a few reasons why...

...the beautiful sky - that crazy color of blue

...the amazing trees, each one unique, even the colorful shades of brown

...the cold that is hidden within every breeze

I particularly love the aspen trees as they change, here in Colorado. It is quite a sight to see. The evergreens, of course, remain steadfast in their color, shifting only the slightest bit from spring to summer, fall to winter. 

The aspens - now they are another story. In the spring, they are the lightest green, almost iridescent. Summer brings them into a deeper color. Fall brings out their glory, just before they rest for winter. 

I love the symbiosis they have with the rest of the forest. Seeing their brilliance juxtaposed against their own white trunks dotted with black, the green of the spruce and pine, the rocks, even the underbrush is stunning. Words can't really describe it.

When you're standing in a grove of golden aspen, even the light is different. That cerulean blue sky is quickened to its brightest against the foil of these leaves.  And the golden air that surrounds me makes me feel like a child wandering in some fairy land. Words escape me. I want it never to end...

As I walk through the forest, I see that even the underbrush has put on its finest, arraying itself in all the colors in its wardrobe. Scrub oak turns copper, wild strawberry leaves take on the color of their fruit, pink granite rocks peek out from under fallen leaves and bracken. Wondrous!

Anchor

Come walk the trail with me as we make our way toward sunset.

See those distant hills? 

They mark our time as the sun creeps below the horizon.

Sneeky, isn't it, how the days pass - 

this one quickly, that one as slowly as a cat's early morning stretch.

I bask in the sun of my life - love, friends, sisters.

Even my daily chores fill my hours with meaning as I prepare a meal to sustain, 

clothes in which to work,

a place to lay my head.

Meaning isn't found in what I do, or who I am, 

but in why all those are, and who they serve.

As for me and my house, 

we will serve the Lord.

No trite phrase, glibly uttered,

but a truth and a commitment wholly felt, 

fully believed.

This measures my time, my days, my life, my meaning.

This holds me in my hours, yet lifts me up

toward an eternal hope.

Time to switch

Have I said that I have this lovely house? I especially like it in the fall. Somehow the light is very different, warmer, more golden. It floods in the windows and just makes everything look so pretty! I will, however, be making a rather strange switch this week or next. Even though I have a beautiful dining room with pretty furniture, dishes, etc., it is a room that doesn't actually get used very often. I seldom have more than 4 people at my table, and yet it is the center-piece of the room - of course!

I also have this very sad, cramped office/craft space. I like to sew, knit, make stationary, bind small journals, quilt.... Right now I'm doing it all in the smallest, coldest, worst lit room in the house! I'm home all day - I'd love to have more space for that kind of thing. 

I think I'm going to switch the two! Yes, it will look a little odd to walk into my house and see an office right in front of you, but c'est la vie. I'll give it a go and see how it works. I even have 2 lovely friends who have offered to help, so now's the time! When is change a bad thing - especially stepping out of a convention and trying something out of the box. I'll give it a go...

My garden

Slowly, very slowly, I worked on planting flowers this summer. I did not get my weeds under control, or my blobs of grass planted, but I will weed more this fall and get to the grass in the spring. I just ran out of energy and good days! Whew! Here's what I've got so far on one side of my front yard...

Every garden needs some sculptural interest...

Who doesn't love echinacea?

Last but not least my rock and thyme combo...

Rain

The rain patters down in that perfect early morning way, covering each blade of grass, each glistening rock, each blooming flower. The sound of the rain lulls me, tempts me back into bed, into a book, into my journal - something quiet and introspective. I love the rain, I love what it does for the colors of fall, what it does in my heart, calming me, soothing me, bedding down for a season my should-dos, hectic days, scurry here and there mornings. As long as the rain lasts, I will relax, be calm and rested. Lovely!

September 11

What a day to remember! This is the Kennedy assassination of our generation - we will all remember where we were when it happened. I was in my kitchen, making pancakes with friends, one of whom was to return to France that very day. We watched speechless as those terrible events unfolded.

I'm not exactly a screaming patriot. I'm not someone who will defend the U.S. even when she's wrong. I can even understand, to a certain extent, why those terrorists did what they did. But I thank God for the protection our country has had, the peace we've experienced for so many years, for the safety in which we live our lives. 

As another election approaches, I know who I'll vote for.  I have lots of reasons for this. No matter who is elected, let's each live our lives with integrity, honesty, hard work, and all the things that have made America a safe, powerful, politically free country, the first place refugees of war, oppression, danger come to. Sanctuary for the world. No matter where we're from, who we follow, or what we believe, let's each be a sanctuary of peace and love to all we know. 

Happy Birthday...

...to me! Epiphany last weekend that I am quite self-critical, so this year I am going to only focus on what I did accomplish this year. 

took a trip to Jordan and spent lots of time with lovely family there!

sewed beautiful curtains for my sun room

went on several lovely hikes and bike rides

had tons of fun at a family reunion

quit my job

made a couple of new friends

made a giant leap forward in how I trust God

threw a couple of fun parties

did not buy very many new summer clothes :-)

made some progress in my house management

started landscaping my yard

Pretty good list just off the top of my head! Happy birthday to me and all the other September birthdays out there. Make your own list of what you've done this year. It will make you smile!

No pity

I just have to say that the worst thing about these damn migraines is the way it wears me out emotionally. Not only do I wake up with an idea of what I'd like to get done in a day, and then can't - after these several weeks of frequent painful days, my heart becomes so fragile that the slightest thing sets me crying. Yuck! Despite my lovely friends, my great companions, I feel lonely, falsely abandoned, as if I have no one in the world. 

Sidebar: Granted, three of my best friends are many miles away (Julie, Naomi, Kimberly). And...this week I have the additional sadness of having recently said goodbye to some new but deeply felt relationships (Jessica, Tara, Wiwin, Brandi) - being reminded of their distance. I guess I do have some reason to cry today.

But have no pity on me! Life is too short for that kind of nonsense. The truth of the matter is that my pain is a small thing compared to that of so many other people. It doesn't negate it, but certainly puts it in a good perspective. I know this sad self is temporary, that tomorrow I'll wake up and feel much better - physically and emotionally. I'm not writing for pity - I'm writing to vent. Isn't that the purpose of this forum? To be honest and transparent even when what I write and what I want might seem contradictory? (I.e., why write that I'm having lots of migraines unless I do want pity, when pity is not what I want? If pity is not what I want, why write the migraine part? Hm, I have no answer to that...today.) 

Anywho, there it is. This is where I am today - feeling sad for not very significant reasons. And writing this for no reason at all, except to put it out there. Take no pity on me, but smile if you read this and it touches you somewhere. Then be encouraged - the sun is shining, fall is coming with its cool days and beautiful colors, and somewhere, even if far away, we're loved. That I know.

Gray day

I woke up this morning to gray skies, low clouds, and decidedly cooler temperatures. Feels lovely, actually! Fall is coming! 

All our company has left, it's back to our usual routine, and that's just fine with me. Oh, I have had a wonderful time, though, with Wiwin - an old friend from Indonesia who was just here visiting for three weeks. We hiked, talked, laughed, shared our hearts, and just had an amazing time. I'd forgotten what it's like relating so closely with someone from my home country! There's something just a little different - brings out the Indonesian in me. :-)

So back to life. Time to clean the kitchen (which has been sadly neglected...again), catch-up on some laundry, housework, mail, etc. I'm looking forward to it, though. September and October are 2 months of non-scheduled time...finally. Days and days with not much going on. Oh, an occasional event here and there, but mostly just time for me to be at home and work on some projects, both big and small. Yes! Feels very good. 

On with my day, and this next season, both literally and figuratively in my life. The summer is over, traveling, whirlwind time management is over. On to the calmer, more peaceful pace of autumn. We'll see what that means in a month's time. Meanwhile, the kitchen calls!