Ten Reasons Autumn Is My Favorite Season

We can still enjoy the last roses of a late summer.

The street lights up with yellow.

When you make dessert it doesn't heat up the house.

Autumn Joy Sedum

Autumn decor and the smells of November fill the house.

Mums and pumpkins

The doves come to visit.

The sunflowers are ready to shed their seeds.

There is that moment that a tree begins to turn.

It isn't too hot to eat a dinner in the shed.

Surprises I Never Expected: More Thoughts On Moving Back

When it became a realization that I would be able to move back to Kellogg, and move next door to my mother, there were things I knew would work out well. Mom could share the beauty of her backyard and the infamous Seven Sisters Rose We would share meals. Any time I wanted to I could be brought up to speed on General Hospital.  I would always be informed on the best deals at the grocery stories each Wednesday when the ads came out.

Then there were surprises I never expected to happen.

I never expected to have birds coming to our backyard so quickly.

I never expected the cats to adjust so well. We wanted them to be indoor outdoor cats and they have adjusted by staying close to home, avoiding the street, and getting along most of the time with each other.

I never expected to be sitting in a backyard on Cameron Avenue sitting around a fire with my mother!

I certainly never expected to have the longest, mildest late summer/ early autumn I can ever remember allowing us to plan and plant for next year.

I never expected to feel so much at peace so quickly.

Gathering Leaves, Words by Robert Frost

Robert Frost captures the simple thing in life. That is why I love his poetry so much.

Gathering Leaves

take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop? 

Robert Frost

Freshening Up And Giving Myself A Break

Every so often I like to freshen up my blog. It is a bit like thinking and writing. It clears the cobwebs, gives me more motivation, and it challenges my computer skills. I still don't have buttons linked and other parts added, but it will come in time.
When we went on our retreat away from home last week we did the same thing. We cleared some cobwebs, came back more motivated and we gave ourselves a huge break. JEJ and I needed to do that. We think Rome can be built in a day, so when it comes to projects around the house, we feel the urge to get everything done before the weather gets colder, before the snow flies, before November comes, before the first frost.

We have moved into November. When I was teaching I dreaded November. It was a weary part of the school year with grades, conferences, darkness when you arrived home, changes in weather, and lack of energy. I had an ongoing struggle with depression during that month. This year I like November.  We are giving ourselves a break. We decided last week while retreating we don't have to work on a project every day. If we want to read books in front of the fire, we have given ourselves permission to do that.  If there are leaves on the living room floor that should be picked up, we know they will eventually get off the carpet.

It is a better way to begin the shift in the seasons and weather. We are privileged to be able to do it because we are retired. As November has begun,I  have enjoyed reading four books, working on my blog design, doing some writing,  learning how to use a different camera, and giving myself a break.

Happy November!

Six Things I Still Love About Moving Back to My Hometown

As most of you know, in July I returned home to Kellogg, Idaho when I left my teaching career. People keep asking my if I like it, and every single time I smile and say, "Yes!" I wrote a similar post in August. Here is an update. Many  of the reasons are still the same.

For the first time in twenty years I can go grab groceries in five minutes. The days of  preplanning meals and stocking up are gone. I love it. I feel so much more creative in my cooking.

I hardly have to visit a gas station. I had a set routine when I lived in Martin Creek and commuting. I knew each Saturday it was fill up time. I keep checking my gas gauge, thinking I must be on empty. No sir... and what a money saver.

The sunsets. Everyone that lives on the west side of Kellogg knows that if the sun is out, prepare for a spectacular show of beauty as the day comes to a close.

The family is close. It has been over thirty years since I have lived in the same town as family. Not only is Mom next door, but sister Carol and family are five minutes away. I love it.

A choice of restaurants.  Again, for many this is a small thing, but to able to have food delivered, go to good restaurants close by, and have lots of choices is something we love.

 Day trips are easier. We loved our day trips in northeastern Washington, but we always had to drive quite a ways. We can be at the river, the lake, the mountains, or on the gondola in no time.

I think I will stay awhile.

Sibling Assignment #170: Memories of Montana

I gave this sibling assignment this week. It was simple:Memories of Montana. I will link the other sibs' posts when done.

There have been conversations between the sibs recently about a place to visit when we are all together in November. Montana kept coming up. It reminded me of how much I love Montana. In my whole life I have not been to Montana many times, but each time I visit the state I grow more attached to it's beauty.

Each August around our anniversary and close to when school started, we always tried to plan a getaway  to rest and recharge before getting into the routine of the school year again. In August 2013 we found a lovely cabin on the Clark Fork River by Clark Fork, Idaho. We discovered two things on that trip. We were very close to the beauty of Montana and there was a cedar grove close by.

There is something about hiking through a cedar grove with camera in hand. I love being surrounded by natural history, coolness, green, moisture, and quiet. We found Ross Creek Ancient Cedars and I captured a series of photo images I really liked. It was fun today to revisit the cedar grove through the pictures. Now I want to return.