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...