Friday night grateful moment

The days are getting shorter, it is very clear. When I wake now, it is often to an alarm, not with the light of dawn as is the case in the middle of summer. Sunset is earlier too, and the evenings cool just beautifully. Midday is still quite warm, and word on the street is that there's not a fan available anywhere for purchase, as all the new college students have scooped them up to cool off the dorm rooms.

I am improving, every day, from this weird summer illness. My cough frightened a few people on my first day back to work, last Monday. Everywhere I went, I had glasses of water at the ready, and my Ricola cough drops. I maintained a half-day schedule for most of the week, with an exception for Wednesday where meetings and clients sucked away nine hours lickety-split. Afternoons I laid about and responded to emails and napped and continued to watch The Closer.

As for gratitude, I do have that in spades. For my own health, and for the continuing road to health for loved ones who have been unwell. Health is such a tricky, fickle thing, sadly. Every day I hear stories of diagnoses and prognoses that are less than ideal. One moment ago you thought yourself a healthy person, now you know otherwise. Having the courage to face a serious illness, that's something I'm also grateful I don't have to deal with, right now. I pray for those who do.

I've been grateful for pretty decent sleep this week. We're adjusting to a new world where a mobile Seth (driving) is able to socialize and twice this week came home after husband and I had fallen asleep. Wow how the times, they have changed. (I also napped very easily in the afternoons, as I mentioned above. Glorious, if brief, naps.)

I'm very grateful this week that when General and Chief saw a window of opportunity (the garage door got left up) and took off down the road, my dear SIL saw them and scooped them up and brought them home. They are not road warriors, and there were follow up conversations about the vital vital need to make sure all doors and gates are latched securely! Grateful for safe pups.

I'm grateful for understanding colleagues, for pitchers of water delivered to conference rooms and coworkers trying not to make me laugh! The laughter never fails to bring on the Black Lung cough.

Summer flavors continue. We are in the heart of perfect watermelon season, and between the three of us we can plow through a great deal of watermelon in an evening. Berries are waning, but nectarines remain, and new crop apples and pears are joining in. The kale has been stalwart, showing no sign of stopping; same goes for zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, okra... I am grateful for our garden; every season I learn something about gardening, and appreciate the produce so much.

Skyping with my mom in the middle of the day in the middle of the week has been nice (post-nap). I'm grateful for technology that allows for keeping in touch so easily.

Been reading up a storm, but all work related. I look here on my bedside and see a lot of books I keep meaning to dive into, but just don't have the mental space most evenings. I am grateful for so many options in my information intake, even as I am often daunted by those options. I could read all day every day and still feel like there's more to take in.

School starts on Tuesday, and I think we're ready? Hard to know with a high school junior. He has taken care of all his registration and fees and such on his own, got his parking permit for driving to school, mister independent! It's great, and good to see him back with his band buds, getting ready for marching band season. I'm grateful for his social group, that he has good friends who are good for him too.

And if it's the last weekend in August, it must be fair time. Even though I'm not sure I'm going to venture over to the fairgrounds much, if at all, I love knowing that it's happening, all the produce and baked goods and sewing and quilts and photography, etc., all in their places with judging and ribbons and all. And the bunnies! Maybe I will have to go over there just to see the giant bunnies. So soft and sweet. I'm grateful to live in a small town where the fair means traffic jams and school's out (for the private schools who started earlier this week) and carnival rides and elephant ears. It's a fun tradition.

I feel a little short tonight in my expressions of gratitude, and for that I apologize. Tiredness descends, and Nyquil is on the way. Wishing you oodles of rest and relaxation over this long weekend.

Peace.