Friday night grateful moment

So much to be grateful for tonight.

It's Friday night. And as I say, quite often, I haven't looked forward to a Friday this much since last Friday! I'm positively giddy with the prospect of sleeping in tomorrow morning.

This week was Seth's birthday, the young man turned 17 and we had a lovely time together. He woke up very happy at the prospect of this milestone. Somehow 17 seemed to him a much bigger deal than 16. I think the car and the job have something to do with it, and he's really stepped up in his overall responsibility level. We're quite proud of him.

Seth and his cousins last Thanksgiving. They've each grown about a foot since then!

I'm grateful for the sunshine, which appeared today and seems to be on tap for the whole weekend. That delights me so very much, as there are some vast swaths of yard that need a bit of tidying before the fall weather tips into winter weather. I can sense the audiobooks being queued up for hours of listening/weeding pleasure!

The garden is winding down. I went out this afternoon and pulled up some pepper plants and harvested a few of the more mature butternut squashes. There's a rumor of frost tonight so I wanted to be a bit prepared. While I miss the burgeoning harvests of August, I am grateful to still have ample kale and a variety of squashes. Sure wish a few more tomatoes would ripen though... that's a bit of a pipe dream, I'm sure.

Anticipating the month of October makes me grateful. For family (visits!) and friends (visits! birthday celebrations!) and the boy (his birthday party too!). I'm looking forward to it all. And after October there's November, with Thanksgiving and our anniversary, and then there's Christmas... you get my drift. Lots of celebrations coming our way, and I will be grateful for each one.

And there's the season itself. Autumn. I have been the usual amount of grumpy (just a little) about the darkness, but in general I am happy happy about the change in the air quality (crisp and sharp, great to breathe in in big gulps as I head out in the morning to work), the change in the light as it filters through the trees, the cloud formations as they move so quickly through, one storm after another ... Autumn is lovely.

I'm also grateful that September is over. I enjoyed the blogging challenge, and am glad that both Jen and I had the stamina to eek it out every day. There were a couple of days when I thought, "Really? Really? Not feeling it. Let's take a break." But in the end, it all worked out, more or less and neither of us had to eat crow, or whatever it was that we agreed the not-blogger would have to suffer if 100% posting wasn't achieved.

I'm grateful for friends who walk their talk. I was shown a beautiful example this week of grace in the face of loss and disappointment, and I was inspired.

And rather than posting the NSFW Pooh quotes that Jen sends me sometimes--they are hilarious, but entirely inappropriate for the blog--I will leave you with this lovely thought:

Wishing you love, joy and tenderness! Yes, sing it.

Peace.

Sept. 25: Fall soups!

Yesterday I had my first cup of butternut squash soup (with coconut milk!) of the season. It was delightful. The night before, I made potato-white bean soup, with red potatoes from our garden, which is also quite lovely. The weather has turned so quickly, and the darkness at both ends of the day is creeping in without regard for my love of light and sunshine. But, it is fall, and my love for autumn weather is well noted, so I'll just zip it (my mouth!) and keep making soups.

Here are a couple more that I am looking to make very soon:

chili

minestrone

Don't those soups just shout out, "Fall!"? I think so.

Besides soups, I am also looking forward to roasting vegetables more--the root ones and brussels sprouts especially--and enjoying pomegranates and various citrus fruits too. (Trying to look on the bright side, as I am already mourning the fresh fruit, berries and waning tomato crop... sigh.)

What autumn food are you looking forward to making? Do soups make your list?

Jen and I (and now my mom and Lisa too!) are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.

Thursday 13: 13 things I love about fall

1. Putting on my jammies and robe early in the evening and somehow feeling like that's just fine. Do that in the summer and it seems very slackerish...

2. Hot drinks for the purpose of warming me up (not just waking me up!), inside and outside (hands around the mug).

3. Brisk temperatures. Not cold during the day yet, but brisk. I adore brisk.

4. Autumn light. It's leaner, thinner, the shadows longer. Awesome light.

5. Birthdays: mine and the boy's. Double awesome.

6. Less yard work. Triple awesome. I am very much over the yard by the first of October, true story.

7. Holiday anticipation.

8. More energy. It's like clockwork, the way my energy picks up in the fall and winter. I love being able to count on that.

9. Baking! And not worrying about the oven warming up the kitchen too much; in fact, looking forward to that fact.

10. Pumpkin in just about everything (that one is extra-specially put into the list for Jen, who does not understand the "pumpkin in just about everything" phenomenon. I'll take your share, dear one.)

11. All those shows that somehow don't have episodes in the summer (I find the whole "season" thing doesn't work for me in TV land, ha)--The Good Wife, Homeland, Castle, etc.--are back. That fits in with the jammies-early mentality I mentioned previously...

12. Craftiness gene gets switched back on. Related to the more energy and the less yard work... get out the yarn! Crochet hooks! Fall decorating!

13. Layers in clothes: cardigans, scarves, tights, boots, sweaters and coats! Some of my very favorite items.

I could go on for a bit longer, but I will hold myself to just 13 for now...

What is your favorite thing about fall? Give me more ammunition for my autumn love!

Thanks WWJen for this photo on FB yesterday--lovely!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Friday night grateful moment

ow long has it been since this blog has sat quiet a whole seven days between posts? Awhile, really, take my word for it, you don't have to actually look back and read to find out. A looooong while. But, this week got a little busy and then it got busier and then busier, and I looked up and here it is Friday night. Happy happy happy to be at Friday night!

My first thought was "I'm too tired" to articulate my gratitude and off I went, searching for visuals to do the trick. But then I got a second wind of sorts and decided to take a stab at actually verbalizing a few of the things I am most grateful for. For all its "effort," putting the thoughts into words that string together and (generally) make sense helps transition me more solidly into a lasting state of grateful.

Toward that end...

I adore living where there isn't a lot of light pollution. A few nights back we went to sleep with our bedroom deck slider door open, enjoying the evening air. Well, the enjoyable evening air turned to really-cold middle-of-the-night air, so I got up and closed the slider, but couldn't help looking out and up at the beautiful, brilliant stars. I am so grateful for even fleeting reminders that we're part of something so much bigger. (I know I've posted the image above in previous grateful posts but I can't help it. I think this one is a keeper.)

Every time I eat a tomato from the garden, I feel like I'm living on borrowed time. OK, so that's a little dramatic. But I AM enjoying every last tomato, and the flavor just never gets old. I'm so grateful for home-grown produce. (Time to mow the basil again this weekend! I feel a pesto dish or two coming up!)

I saw a friend in passing today, someone who used to be more of a friend than currently, and this thought went through my brain: I'm grateful for every friend I've ever had. Friendships change, and morph, and can come around again or leave entirely. I've been changed by friendships; I've learned a lot over the years: about the value of friendship, about myself and about others, as well. There are some people I wouldn't invite back into my life for anything, but that doesn't take away from the time we were closer.

I am so grateful to live in a home that has love and kindness and tenderness at its core. My men are so accommodating of my sometimes-emotional ways, and don't mock me when I cry at silly ads on TV or Secretariat or... (fill in the blank). I get hugs when I need them, and affection and compliments and appreciation for my contributions. Being me is pretty awesome.

source

Today the temperature was in the 80s. What's up with that? I am grateful for the sunshine and warmth, even though in my fall-lovin' brain we should be cooler and rainy and such. But I keep thinking I really shouldn't still have to water everything, should I? I fear my yard walkabout this weekend... what may have expired from my neglect? We'll see...

I'm grateful for the coming week, the coming month, the season that is upon us! I know I give a lot of whoo-hoo to autumn, but Oct-Nov-Dec hold my very favorite dates of the year. Now to remember to breathe and actually enjoy it!

When I get a little caught up in my own head, thinking over the same petty issues or problems, I am always always grateful to be able to turn to my collection of sayings and images and wander through, looking for something to jump out at me. It never fails that something grabs my attention, at least one, maybe more... This week, it was this simple piece, from one of my favorite artists, Rachel Awes:

I hope that you have a lovely weekend, filled with all the things you want and need to greet another week!

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment

utumn, fall, whatever you call it, appears to be well and truly on its way... Even writing that sentence feels a bit premature. And yet, crisper mornings, shorter evenings, cooler temps, stacks of back-to-school supplies... yep, fall.

Granted, there are pieces of summer still rolling around in my mind and pouring out of the garden, from fabulous tomatoes and basil and summer squash to dahlias and nasturtiums and fever few blossoms. But already I can feel it all slowing down, an inevitable slide toward the dormancy of winter.

Usually, I'm all over fall. I have been known to annoy more than one friend with my "Yippee, pumpkin lattes!" posts on Facebook (yes, I'm looking at you, PDX Jen) and my overt joy at leaves turning colors and frosty blades of grass... and I'm sure that will happen again--both my joy and my ability to annoy--but there's a real push-pull for me between summer and fall this year. I have come to love, not merely tolerate, the heat that is a Walla Walla summer. The month of August with Seth was just really, really great. In many ways, it feels like we are all, as a family, just getting into our summer groove, and yet here we are, poised for structure and the fresh starts of a new school year. (Yeah! Darn.)

So much in the months ahead is lovely. Fall brings with it so many things that I adore, culminating in the holidays and family time that comes with the season. Between now and then, I'll breathe a little more deeply, close my eyes every once in awhile, and just try to enjoy the moment of where I'm at. And be grateful.

A few of the specific things I'm grateful for, this week:

My brother, who sent me this blog post about gratitude just today; you must read it, seriously. Having a sibling who gets you is not to be underestimated. xo Shelby.

For friends who remind me of the real and the true.

For quiet days. For the bliss of living in a quiet spot, where the loudest noises at times are tractors starting up (two farms over) or a neighbor calling their dog. Most often it's the chickens five acres over or the doves on our own eaves. Qui-et.

For the scent of chiles and corn roasting. I swear, I could eat the air in the house right now.

For my husband and my son, who never fail to make me laugh, even at myself. I am very thankful for laughter.

For the prospect of a long weekend, getting things accomplished and enjoying a little down time. How precious time is... to have a little of the more relaxed kind? Bonus.

For this sliver of in-between time... not quite fall, not quite summer. I am looking out on deep lavender skies and golden gray hills... with apparently a blue moon to boot! I walked down to get the paper tonight and was struck, as always, by the beauty of this setting, and how very lucky we are to have this particular piece of paradise.

For the bounty of produce that our land provides. Apples are ready to eat!

Wishing you the peace of the weekend, and things to be grateful for too.

Peace.

Common Miracles, week #22: The ordinary stuff of life

 “Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.”

-Pema Chodron

s I look around my world during this beautiful autumn, I see many ordinary things that qualify as common miracles:

*Leaves turning color. We don't have a lot of yellows and oranges, but quite a few reds... on fire!
*Pheasants scuttling around the front yard.
*Bunnies sitting and munching in the rain.
*Dahlias still blooming, happily.
*Flowers my husband brought home for me.
*Thanksgiving (Canadian) flowers my parents sent to us, so beautiful.
*Plum cobbler, yum. I could make a whole meal of it. (Well, I kind of just did.)
*Seth on his trumpet, making beautiful noise.
*The sound of rain on the shop roof (I could sleep out there!).
*Dark clouds against the mountains.
*Smell of turkey roasting (again with the Canadian Thanksgiving... we call it "warm-up Thanksgiving" around here).
*Pumpkins all piled up outside the grocery stores. 
*Fuzzy socks and warm sweaters.

In a way, I feel like fall snuck up on me. But in another way, it seems right on time. Loving every minute of these cooler days and wishing that somehow darkness didn't have to come along with it. There's certainly no common miracle in the dark! Ha.

I am indeed inspired by my everyday good fortune, and I hope you are feeling the same, whatever your Monday held!

To see how the Common Miracle project started, go here.