And It's Almost November

For once I'm actually almost looking forward to Halloween.  It's never been (for me) even a remotely "liked" holiday, but this year it has felt like summer/fall with our warm and lovely weather for so long that I'm certain once that calendar turns over to November we'll have some cooler weather. (And of course, when I bought that bag of halloween candy I made sure to pick a variety that we like just in case there's leftovers.  I'm quite fond of leftovers.)

Me in the leaf pile.

So The Husband returned safely from CA.  It was lovely to see him at the door ready with a hug and a kiss.  I haven't wanted to leave his side ever since. We spent yesterday morning bagging up the leaves and pine needles in the backyard.  And it was great to be out there together.  Toward the end I was so out of energy that I just fell over into the pile, causing The Husband to chuckle in surprise when he turned around and saw me. (I made sure to fall forward so I wouldn't have any chance of getting any microscopic critters in my hair, that'd totally freak me out!)

Packing down the leaves.

9 full bags.

And those leaves / pine needles?  The 9 bags we filled were just the beginning.  The maples haven't dropped a single leaf it looks like.  And only one of the tri-color beeches has shed any leaves and the honeylocusts in the front are always the last to leaf out and the last to be leafless so we still have lots to do, if'n the weather cooperates.   And speaking of leaves?  Our grandson and daughter were out raking in the wind the other night.  They saved us hours of work.  How thoughtful and generous they were with their efforts.  The bad part of all those leaves?  They've filled all our freshly cleaned gutters  to overflowing.  The Husband wrangled the blower up on the tall ladder but we just aren't young enough to get up on the roof for the access we need.  I see another professional gutter cleaning in our future...

We finally got the driveway and patio concrete sealed.  It feels good to have that done and know we can now better weather the winter.  The storms held off just long enough for the crew to get the work done - yay!

Had our annual eye exams the other day.  My one cataract has grown substantially.  It's almost at the point where I'll have to have it removed.  And I'm nervous.  My vision is one sense that I truly cherish.  But the cataract interferes with my vision enough that it is a bit of a constant frustration.  So when it's time, I'll be ready.  The floaters are also annoying and they might be bad enough to have fixed when the cataract is removed, but I'm postponing that decision until I absolutely have to.  This aging process is not only frustrating, it's discouraging.  I'm not ready to be old.

And today was my last day for triple duty at church.  Another reason to be grateful for the beginning of November. Next week is Stake Conference and though the weekend will be overfilled with meetings, at least I'll have a bit of a break from my anxiety-filled Sunday School class.

I'm grateful for the storm coming through, we've had lovely weather, but I really enjoy a (mild) storm once in a while.  I'm grateful for getting projects done around here.  For extended family who sacrifice their time and comfort to help us with the yard work - my heart still warms when I think of how much that helped us.  I'm grateful for healing of blisters on the bottom of my toe so that I'll be able to walk in the morning. And for the safe return of The Husband - he is my whole life! I'm grateful for friends to do dinner and movie with that make the time enjoyable.  And I'm grateful for loyalty.

Wednesday Wishes

I ate almost the whole thing!

• Last night I headed off to Wild Zucchini for a solitary dinner of salad.  Between page turns of my book I became aware of a couple - it appeared they were waiting for someone.  Sure enough, pretty soon their friends/adult kids arrived and they went to order.  As I was leaving the restaurant I noticed them sitting all together, heads bowed, hands clasped as they said a blessing on the food.  We see that a lot when we're back east / in the southern part of our country.  Not so much here.  (Our little family generally blesses the food in the car prior to entering the restaurant.) I loved seeing them give thanks. I wish I saw this more often.

Moon just before sunrise.

• One of the routes for my morning walks takes me down a trail that is frequented by kids going to school.  Over the last couple of weeks I've passed a couple boys, maybe 14 or 15 years old.  They're always chatting and enjoying their trek to school.  The last several times we've passed I've heard them talking about something or other that is stressful.  Or "stressing them out". I so wish there was less stress in this world.

Lots of leaves and more still to fall.

• I took this picture of the current state of our backyard.  I love the leaves, love the sound when I shuffle through them, love their color, even can find enjoyment in the cleaning them up.  It often takes us several weeks to get them all packed in the garbage can and toted off in the garbage truck. And that's with at least half of them ending up in the next door neighbor's back yard because of the wind. (Thanks, Wind.) I wish there was some magically quick and efficient way to send them to leaf heaven (or wherever it is that leaves go).  It takes a fair amount of time, even with help of others.

• It was quite dark when I headed out this morning. And the sky was clear, absent of clouds.  The stars were bright and I loved seeing them.  But...I wish we could see the stars here the way our out-of-state-a-bit-away-from-the-citylights-family sees them.  They're lucky. Here we only see a fraction of the beautiful stars in the night sky.

• And I wish I was tactful and kind. I so dislike when I hurt someone, even though it's really never intentional.  I wish relationships were easier, that I knew better how to make a (long overdue) choice for us in a kind way.

• I wish that I could look at every day as a "perfect day" through the perspective that each day that I get to experience this world is a perfect day of love, kindness and opportunity.

• I wish that I could always remember that sweet scene from the movie The Help where the maid tells the little girl, "You is smart, you is kind, you is important."  Good attitudes to incorporate in my treatment of others.

I'm grateful for reminders of the goodness of our Heavenly Father in our lives.  I so need them. I'm grateful for the forgiveness I hope to receive for all the mis-steps I make in this life.  I'm grateful for the beauty of this fall season, and for a yard of our own that requires some outdoor time raking up the leaves.And this week I'm grateful for Thursday - the day The Husband comes home!

Today Totally Feels Like Tuesday

And no, I'm not sure what Tuesday is supposed to feel like, I just know that today feels like it.

Soup/half sandwich & chips, yum.

• Last night I treated myself to Corner Bakery Dinner.  The guy taking my order was a bit astonished at the size of my gift card.  I told him it was a birthday gift from my husband for when he's out of town. He thought that was awesome.  It is.  And my dinner was pretty good, too.

• I've been having a long-term hankering for chocolate milk.  Yeah, I know.  That's for kids, right?  (I still think if my Mom had let us have chocolate milk (forget the cost, I know they couldn't afford it) I wouldn't have such bad bones at this point in life.  I'd have great bones because I'd have had lots of milk all the time.) And it seems I can never get enough of the good stuff.  Problem is, the good stuff is hard to come by.  I find myself stopping in at random grocery stores whenever I pass one, looking for the good stuff.  I used to kind of like the TruMoo, but am not fond of the flavor, not to mention that if you're going to have chocolate milk, the low or reduced fat is just not going to do.

Yes, a favorite of mine!

So, after dinner last night I stopped in at the WalMart Neighborhood Market for some fresh zucchini (I really like it pan-seared for lunch).  Could hardly believe that they were out of fresh zucchini.  But, what they did have was this yummy Darigold (one of my favorites) chocolate milk.  I bought 2.  (Half a gallon is overkill, even for me.) These will stay fresh and cold in the fridge and I can make one of those little bottles last a couple days.  Yes, my tastebuds are jumping up and down, "yippee, yippee, yippee!"

The moon was so pretty.

• I really missed my morning walk yesterday.  And somehow I just can't bring myself to do the same kind of walking later in the day.  I am definitely a morning person. This morning's walk was pretty close to perfect:  58 degrees, breezy (but not windy) peaceful and quiet. I took several pictures but will only post one, trying to keep the boredom to a minimum.

• I've been fussing and stewing over Sunday's lesson.  But finally, I think I've got how to end it!  Now I only need to figure out how to dive in. Been looking all over for the engagement picture that I know we've got around here somewhere, but it's MIA. Coming up with the rest will come, once I have a key component of the lesson in my head, the rest just sort of flows.  I so wish this was a easy for me as it is for some.  I'm so very uncomfortable in front of people.  As it is, I pretend we're just having a chat. And that they're all my friends.  I still come out of class with dripping armpits and an uneasy stomach.

• I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this quote before, but I still like it:  "Gratitude is the memory of the heart." -- Jean Massieu

• I'm grateful today for teensy bits of inspiration, I need them so very much.  For phone calls at 7 in the a.m. while I'm out on the trail, and for speakerphone capability so my arm doesn't totally cramp up trying to hear the sweetie of mine on the other end of the phone. I'm grateful for fun books to read, movies to watch and sewing projects to enrich my days.  For down comforters to warm my nights in that big bed.  And for hope that Thursday evening is coming quicker than it seems.

And Another Few Days Later

And here I am.  Without pictures, though I've taken plenty.  I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out where the time goes.

I spent the week working on my Sunday School lesson (The Law Of Chastity was a tough one for me -not to live, but because it's a very tender subject and I wanted to do it justice - which I probably didn't quite), went to lunch with a couple friends, managed to make it through about 3/4 of the book Inferno in preparation for the movie this coming weekend, practiced the piano a bit and just generally enjoyed the weather.  We'd have the heat on at night and I'd bundle up when I went for a walk but by the afternoon we were flinging open the windows to catch the fresh scent of fall.

I also bought a few birthday cards and gifts, and put my lazy/dying brain cells to work trying to figure out what to get for people that we care about.  We ended up taking the Sister Missionaries to dinner when their host family had to back out (Corner Bakery to the rescue again.  The rescue?  It was me from having to cook!) And we actually went on a friday night date.  Just the two of us.  I can't actually remember when we last did that.  It was just lovely.

I've spent a lot of time reading words about the gospel from General Authorities of the church and having my soul warmed again by the presence of the Spirit testifying truth.  And have become convinced once again that one of the crucial keys to discipleship is being open and receptive to the Holy Ghost.  How grateful I am! I pray every day for my children.  And grandchildren and friends that are hoping for Heavenly help.  I hope for each of them all the best that life has to offer - which means that I hope they'll make wise choices and work hard to be close to the Spirit and remember those covenants we renew each Sunday during Sacrament meeting.

And yesterday I was so lucky to be able to play for the baptism of our little next-door neighbor.  It was one of the best ways to spend a Saturday morning.  The meeting was calming and reverent and I was so glad to be there.

All in all, it's been an interesting week because of the journey through the days that my thoughts and emotions made.

The Husband has been having cookie cravings.  Last night we indulged in a scoop of cookies at Corner Bakery - I so love those bite-sized chunks containing chocolate.  Today's dessert after our post-church snack-meal required more cookies.  Lucky for us I had a Ghirardelli cookie mix in the pantry (I remember when I'd think of a cookie mix with horror!) which took no time at all to bake and almost less time to devour.  I'm in a cookie/sugar induced haze.

I've been texting back & forth with a granddaughter.  How delightful it is to have someone reach out to me.  And there's only one more week of what feels like triple duty.  October is my turn for playing the organ in Sacrament after which I put on my teaching hat for Sunday School then back on piano duty for Relief Society.  And I've been quite vocal about the stress that it brings for me on Sundays to do all of that.  And yet, really? It's not hard to play the piano, I love the piano and the joy it brings into my life. I doubt the organ and I will ever be friends, but at least we're coming to some sort of uneasy truce though my hands still tremble every single time I have to put them on the organ keys.  And I'm still planning on finishing out the year and then being done teaching Sunday School every week.  So in all seriousness, church could be so very much more anxiety producing than it is.  I should be grateful for the opportunities to serve.  There are so many people that could serve in all these capacities much more competently than me.

I've been checking and re-checking my phone for a picture of some kind to share, it doesn't seem right to put something here on my blog without a picture or two.  But I think I deleted them all as unimportant.

I'm so grateful for a camera (phone) in my pocket to take pictures wherever I go!  I love looking for something specific and thumbing through all the memories those pictures cause. I'm grateful for friends that skip Sunday School to chat with us (on our way out of church because our block of meetings is over).  It was a delightful 40 minutes.  And because we were in the hall, there were several other friend-sightings that occurred.  (It was the most social interaction I've had all week long.)  I'm grateful for cookie mixes in the cupboard.  For something to look forward to:  Thursday! (That's when The Husband will be home from the mother-ship-office-trip.) I'm grateful that we could walk to and from church.  And for answers to prayer.