Learning to Be in the Moment

There's a change in the view from the porch. The woods are full of color. From my perch in the loft, I look out at the treetops and they are thinning. There is much more sky peeking through the branches. The sourwoods' crimson has faded, the oaks are beginning their costume change from green to red or gold, and the Asian Pear (always the first to bloom and the last to shed its leaves) are still hanging on to their summer green.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. This may come as a surprise to those of you who know my feelings about summer! I enjoy summer so much, that while everyone else is sweating through August and looking forward to September, I'm very careful not to think those thoughts. Summer will end, Fall will arrive, and then presto... it's winter...my not so favorite time of year.

Once fall arrives, however, I savor it. This fall has been wonderful. Summer gave up its grip, reluctantly, and we are still having warmer than normal weather. I am enjoying the best of both worlds; warm days, cool nights, and the mosquitoes have finally disappeared. This past summer was very hot and humid. For the first time in years, we never ate dinner on the porch. Between the heat and the mosquitoes, it just wasn't pleasant.

The leaf change is the part of the season that I savor the most. Even if the days were cold, they would still be pretty. Last fall was excessively wet, but the golds and the reds brightened up the gray days. There really is no way to do fall badly. We are in the midst of a severe drought this year, the opposite of last year. Everyone expected the colors to be dull, but against the cloudless blue sky nothing is dull.

Fall in Georgia is a season that lingers. Everyday, something has changed. One week it's the dogwoods, the next it's the sourwoods. As one group of trees lose their leaves, another group has begun the change from green to gold.

There is one downside to fall and I've had to learn how to deal with it. The more vibrant the colors, the clearer the unfortunate truth. What is most beautiful today will be gone next week.

Marigolds Present

Marigolds Past

There is a lot of talk these days about staying in the present. It is so easy for us to look ahead, or behind, either worrying about what is to come or thinking about what is past. Fall teaches me to just Be. I enjoy the cooler temperatures, the changes in color and the woods as it moves through this season in time. Good advice for every day. Now if I can only remember that lesson in Winter.

Sticking To A Plan on a Beautiful Fall Day

This summer has played havoc with my life. Now that I'm home and life is returning to normal, I've discovered I can't find the old rhythm I enjoyed last winter. I may not be the most organized person, (believe me when I say I know some people who were incredibly organized!), but I am pretty organized in how I approach things. I actually have a little notebook that sits on my counter with my daily plan written in it. I call it my LPJ. (Life Plan Journal) After we moved here last summer, it took a while to find the new order of things, but last fall, I finally found a schedule that worked for me. I had a pattern of doing things. There was time to write. The house got cleaned when it needed it. Some tasks were assigned a day to be done. Activities were tucked into the daily plan. I was even good about keeping a food diary and getting some type of workout on a regular basis. In fact, I lost several pounds! Life was smoooooth.

Spring came and trips began. All was well. I was gone a week, home a few days, prepped for the next trip; you get the picture. There were curves in the road, but all in all, the ride wasn't too bumpy. Then summer hit.

Suddenly, we were gone. A LOT! While I managed to get in a good long walk a few days a week, a daily routine was useless. Most of the time our days revolved around other people. We ate out every day. Lunches, dinners, occasionally even a breakfast. My food diary went out the window. I mean, what was the point? It was there to help me stay aware of the food going in. Oh, believe me, I was aware, with every sugar, fat, or salt laden restaurant dish that sat on the placemat in front of me! Who knew exactly what all was stuffed into even the smaller portions, or lighter fare?

Well, I'm home now, so it's back to normal, right? You would think so. But old habits break easily. ( I know. The saying goes "old habits die hard". Not for me. ) The simplest thing would be to start up with the LPJ. The days are the same as they used to be. Just plan the next week and fill in the old routine. Except I forget to do it. And when I do remember to write out my daily plan, I forget to check it.

I've also discovered any workout plan I had before is too hard now as evidenced by the new aches and pains. I've been away from it for so long, I'm back to square one. Retraining. Taking it slow. Instead of my daily walk with our steep hill, I've had to change it up to include the steep hill only a couple of times a week. My workouts at Curves are suddenly harder now than they used to be.

The other problem is I have plenty to do without looking at my old LPJ to see what's next on the agenda. I came back with bags of family photographs from my husband's childhood home, and boxes of stuff that need to find a new place in an already full house. I have fall projects. But it's fall. The yard is calling. I'd rather be outside!

There Is So Much To Do!

And therein lies the rub. I've found it really difficult to find time to write. Mornings? Busy. Afternoons? It's September! The weather is so gorgeous. Evenings? That has often been one of my best times to write, but by then, I'm beat. And ready to kick back. After all, that's what I've been doing in the evenings for the last four months...Kicking back, chillin' down. Like I said, Old habits break easily.

It will take some time, but I will get my old routine back. The one where things go pretty smoothly. It will happen by winter. But for now, Fall is calling and I must go.

Just Call Me Frederick

One of my favorite children's books was Frederick by Lio Lionni. It was a story told like a fable of a field mouse who spent his days absorbing the colors, the feel of the sun, the words that would remind him of sunny days when he and the other mice were holed up underground in the cold, dark winter.

The other mice are annoyed with Frederick because while he is enjoying the present, they are preparing for the future. Of course, when winter comes, Frederick has little food stored up for himself. As the winter drags on, the other mice get bored and restless. That's when Frederick comes through. Frederick starts talking. With words he paints pictures of flowers, sunshine, and warmer days for his friends. The moral of the story is a wise one. There is a need for the gifts each of us provide.

Lately I feel like Frederick. Not the wisdom part...the wistful part. When I walk I can't take my eyes off of the trees along the sidewalk. I seem to stop and photograph everything. One tree will be all green, the next is a shade of red so bright it almost hurts the eyes. The hillsides are a myriad of colors; gold, red, orange, and green. The pear trees haven't begun to change, but the eastern redbud has turned bright yellow and is dropping its leaves.

As I walk I breathe in the air, soak up the sun, drink in the colors and try to embed them all in my brain so that on a cold, gray day in February I will be able to pull them from my memory bank.

Part of me is still the 'worker mouse'. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about gathering nuts for the winter months. Giant Eagle will make sure there is plenty of stuff to make my own comforting soups and stews. But there is still a little work to be done. Monday I mowed the grass while soaking up the blue sky and rust colored hills.

Maggie wandered the yard sniffing the air and the grass for the many smells left by deer, rabbits, and other unseen visitors.

Yesterday I pulled frost-wilted plants from the beds and thinned out the herb garden, breathing in the sun-warmed sage and thyme. Maggie laid beside me in the grass soaking up the sun.

Any excuse to be outside, I thought. Just call us "Frederick".

Gradual Transitions

Years ago my family spent the end of summer in Connecticut at family cabins. The end always came too soon, and I, who relished vacations, never relished the idea of going back to work.

At the time we were living in Florida, which was a minimum 3 day drive for us. I would pack up the kids and the dog and head south. Larry was never able to allot that much time for a vacation, so the pattern was for me to drive the family north, visiting friends on the way. I would pick him up at the Hartford Airport so he could spend a week or 10 days with us, and take him back to the airport so he could fly home. Then we would begin our southern trek, visiting more family and friends.

The first day started out full of wistfulness. The first night and next day was spent at Nanny's catching up. Phase 2 was through Virginia. The kids traveled well, and I sang along on the radio, while they did their best to read or pretend they didn't know me. Day 3 was through the flats of the Carolina's and into Georgia. It was here I started to plan my fall school activities. Book clubs, incentives, bulletin boards, and story programs all came into focus on this particularly flat stretch of the road.

By the time I got home, (after 3 days on the road????) I was ready, not just to be home, but to get back to work!

Fall is like that. Summer fades reluctantly, but slowly. The warm days slow down and turn into gorgeous days. The humidity clears. Afternoon walks become more pleasant as the heat relaxes.
One day you are in shorts, the next in jeans. A hoodie is added in the evenings. The cold front moves through. A sweatshirt is donned for a mid-day walk. The air is brisk and refreshing on your face.

And you realize you have just made the transition from summer to 'almost' winter.

And just like that I realize it is still lovely out. The heat I enjoy is gone, but my pace is quickened when I walk. My coat keeps me warm. Winter will be here soon, but before it gets here there will be more gradual transitions. And when it arrives, I will be ready.

Living in the Moment

The last few weeks have been gorgeous! Blue sky, bright sun, low humidity; a crystal clear day with cool but not cold temperatures. It is Fall. Is there a better time of year? I don't think so. Even so, I have such a hard time welcoming September which signals the end of summer. I love the warm weather and sunshine so much, that when Labor Day comes, I start to regret the end of summer. I see fall as the pre-cursor to winter. I find it really hard to just enjoy it.

That attitude has always bothered me and I've struggled to find a way to deal with it. Worry is something I just don't allow myself to do. It is a waste of time. It ruins the present without doing anything to improve the future. I get that. So when I hesitate to really enjoy the present because 'winter will be here soon' I recognize the uselessness of that attitude. It may be easy to recognize, but that doesn't mean it is easy to conquer.

Each year I struggle to find a way to embrace the coming of fall. Finally this year I 'got' it. I had that AHA moment when the picture finally came into clear focus and I saw the real issue. I realized that for every day I was wishing it was still August, I was missing the fact that it was gorgeous out.

Last year I attacked the problem by listing the 10 things I liked about fall. This year I will do it differently. Today I updated my blog page with just a few of my favorite fall pics. It took me hours to do this because I had so many pictures of fall to sort through. Some old, some new. Clearly I love this season!

One of my favorites though is the single red leaf on the green maple tree. Maggie and I were out for our walk when I saw it. Hmmph! Clearly somebody (or someleaf) is in a hurry! I felt like telling it to take its time and enjoy the moment.

It is so much more fun that way.

#2 Crunch, Crunch, Skuffle

It's been awhile since I've posted. As usual life has gotten away from me, but I'm ready to catch back up to it!

Today feels more like winter, but the good news is that fall isn't over yet. The air was more cold than crisp as Maggie and I took our walk but it got me to thinking of other walks on fall days.

As a child I remember skuffling through the leaves on my way to school in the Fall or jumping into freshly raked piles. When we moved to Florida there was a part of me that missed that. Florida trees don't lose as many leaves in the fall. There were a few times when walking in the woods brought back that memory but it is more dramatic here. I think it is because so many leaves have come down at once. The bigger the leaf the better the shuffle!

When my father was in the hospital one year, my sisters and I gathered at the hospital. It was early November and we went out for a walk. The sidewalk was buried under layers of dry and bright yellow poplar and maple leaves. The sound of the crunch, and the smell from the sun warming the leaves was old and familiar and comforting.

Our pear tree is holding on to its last few leaves, but the yard is polka-dotted with the rest. The leaf fall is almost over. The shuffle, skuffle, crunch will last for a short time, but that too will pass. I'll enjoy it while I have it!

# 3 Crisp Air

Don't you love waking up in the morning to that crisp clear air? Or looking up at night to see thousands of stars glittering in the dark? I have yet to meet someone who doesn't appreciate a crisp, cool Fall day. Even those summer fanatics can't help but succomb when the mugginess clears. The forecast of a "Cold Front" might chill the heart of a summer lover, but when the morning dawns cloudless and clear even they (and I) find their step is lighter and quicker.

I am one of those people. I am a walker and so is Maggie. Maggie has gotten too old for those hot summer walks, but I am still up to the challenge. Maggie waits at home while I go out each morning and she greets me when I walk back in dripping with sweat, face mottled from the heat. Summer heat has been gone for awhile now, but we both are enjoying the cooler days. Her step is perkier and at the end of our walk my body is warm, but the glow on my face isn't threatening heat exhaustion.
Not everyday is crisp. Later this week itwill be cold and chilly. But right now we are having some gorgeous days and I want to be sure to enjoy them! Fall has more crisp, clear days than any other season and it is one of the things I really love about Fall.

Pumpkins and Apples

I'm going to keep today's post short and simple. It's not my strong point, but today it is my purpose. This is the time of year for pumpkins and apples. What is my favorite part about it?

Apple pie...cinnamon smells...fresh, homemade applesauce, apple cobbler, bright red, crisp, crunchy, juicy...I love them cut up on my cereal in the morning instead of blueberries (also yummy!), a bushel of fresh apples keeping cold in the garage so I can grab a few to bake or one to eat...and, oh my gosh, the unbelievable apple dumplings with ice cream at local fall festivals!

Pumpkin Patches and all their fun; corn mazes, hayrides, children's games
Tiny tots in a pumpkin patch carrying their very own pumpkin.
The Pumpkin Patch at our church where every penny goes to help people in need locally as well as globally and not one cent is spent on administrative costs... (I'm very proud of that)

Pumpkin--pie, bread, muffins, pancakes, cookies, cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, Sorry. My stomach just growled.
Pumpkins decorating the garden, gourds in a table top arrangement, white pumpkins, green bumpy pumpkins, jack-o'-lanterns...
Little ones hollowed out for flower arrangements,

Red and Orange...the color of the season and another of my favorite things.
What's not to love?

#5 October's Goldrush!

It is impossible to talk about Fall without talking about the changing leaves! I'm not going to say much here. (Are you relieved?) After all, everyone from pre-school and up knows that the leaf change is the most significant thing about Fall. Suffice it to say, that I agree. Instead I will let the pictures do the talking.

The view from my deck. It is tough I know, but someone has to look at it!

Ornamental grasses display their showy plumes as a salute to fall.

Fall is the time of year for driving, but it is hard to take in the sights and not wreck the car.

Fall takes its time in Pittsburgh. With the wide variety of trees, the leaf change comes in stages. It takes a beautiful season and stretches it out. And that is just fine with me!

#6 High Sky

Have you watched the Jimmy Dean commercials for their breakfast sandwiches? They feature Cloud, Rainbow, and Sun having a hard time waking up and getting going until they get a sandwich. They may seem to border on dumb or strange or odd, but that is the world of commercials, isn't it, and they do get their point across. There is one that has been on lately where Cloud is hanging low and gray until someone gives him a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich. Suddenly he perks up and floats up into the sky.

I think Pittsburgh needs a bunch of those sandwiches. We are home to the low-flying gray cloud. It hangs here most of the year. It can (and DOES) get depressing. I know one woman who's husband takes her on a trip to the water (any water) whenever she goes through 40 days of gray sky. That's a bunch of trips in the winter, let me tell you.

Well, Fall is our preparation for the winter doldrums. Summer days are much brighter than winter, but it is October when we have some of the best days. Blue sky, high white clouds, low humidity and perfect temperature are days to relish. Fall afternoons are spectacular. The late afternoon light on the hillsides are too magical to describe. Last Halloween, as neighbors gathered outside in prepartion for trick or treat a few of us were chatting when one pointed to the hillside. All conversation ceased as we stood transfixed at the glow on the trees from the setting sun.

The first weekend in October was miserable. A planned cookout and bonfire was moved inside as the rain poured for two days, matched only by the unseasonable cold. Last weekend was just the opposite. We climbed into the corvette, top down and drove north to the Franklin Apple Fest under a cloudless sky, and gorgeous scenery. Like a squirrel, it is these memories that I stockpile for the winter ahead and I pull them out frequently!

#7 Seasonal Dress Code

I am a natural born procrastinator. There are various reasons for my stall tactics, depending on what I need to do. For instance when it comes to decorating for the season, it always takes me awhile to get in the swing of things. I'm pretty slow when it comes to decorating for Christmas. While the rest of the world spends Thanksgiving weekend in a shopping and decorating flurry, I'm usually still savoring the last of the fall decorations, reluctant to move on.

I'm not much different when decorating for Fall. I wait until September is almost over before getting my box of fall decorations out and letting summer go.

That being said, I have to admit I love fall decorations! I love fall colors: orange, yellow, rust, gold. They are my favorite seasonal color pallet. I've already stated how much I like yellow. The others just blend in and support it. One of the best parts about fall is how those colors shine.

The colors of fall show up everywhere, from clothes, to food, to leaves, to decorations. It is as if the whole world was waiting for this moment. Spring may be the season of pastels, but no other time of year celebrates itself so fully.

#8 Petunias Out, Pansies In

Today is a wet and gloomy day, but as I look out the window my neighbors garden glows with orange and yellow marigolds and my hillside still sports the tail end of goldenrod. The leaves haven't begun to change yet, but they are on the cusp of change. There are tinges and hints that soon the green will leave. Fall is a change of scenery in so many ways which is one reason I find it so refreshing. Even those well tended gardens of summer perk up with a Chrysanthemum makeover. Fall flowers tend to leave the red white and blue behind, and welcome gold, purple, orange and russet. I love fall colors! It was one of the things I missed when I lived in Florida.

Several years ago while I lived in that warmer climate I made a trip to PA in October. The poplars and maples were bright yellow. (You'll remember in a previous post that I love yellow.) When a breeze blew through the trees a shower of bright gold fluttered to the ground. The air shimmered yellow. It took my breath away.

I never felt like wearing a lot of rust, or orange in September when I lived in Tampa, but I had loved that aspect of the season growing up in eastern PA. That trip home was a reminder why Fall clothes work so well here, but not as well in the tropics. Here oranges, russets, golds blend in with the scenery.
And so do the purple and yellow pansies. The tired, leggy petunias are over. It's time for a Fall Makeover and the pansies, zinnias, marigolds and mums are just the thing to do the trick.

#9 Open Windows!

I talk a lot about liking summer, even the heat, but if I'm perfectly honest, I love any day that allows me to open the windows. Unfortunately, I'm a bit like Baby Bear. If it is too hot, I want air conditioning. If it is too cold I want heat. But when it is just right....I love having the windows open!

I like hearing the outside sounds, whether it is cars on the highway or the birds singing. It is the sound of life going on around me and it is all good.

I like the smell of the air, although 'smoky' from someone burning leaves can get annoying when it gets in the house, so maybe I'm not that crazy about it inside...but outside...it can be ok.

I love open windows at night even if it means an extra blanket, but I don't like breezes blowing on me. I'm not sure why, but I really don't, especially on my neck. I will wrap myself up in a hoodie, or pull the covers around my head.

Today is an 'open window' day and I'm loving it. (No breezes) I heard the school bus drop the kids off, their chatter as they filled parents in on what happened. I heard someone mowing his lawn, reminding me I should be doing that instead of this.

Maggie likes it too. She sits at the window to see what's going on. So today, this is my next favorite thing about fall!

10 Things I Like About Fall #10

As much as I love Summer I also love Fall. Over the next few weeks I will share the things I love about this time of year. My favorite things are in no partictular order. The truth is, it depends on the mood I'm in or the day itself.

Goldenrod tops my list because it is one of the early signs and because it is so pretty. In early to mid September the goldenrod blooms and this year it seems to be particularly abundant. Why do I love goldenrod? Well, obviously, I don't get hayfever from it! I love it because of it's color. Even on a gray day that gold plume glows on the hill. The day I took these pictures it was overcast, but the goldenrod makes its own sunshine.

Yellow is my very favorite color. It is the color of sunshine, of happiness and cheer. In September when the fields are losing their green, the goldenrod takes over and brightens my day. 

To Everything There is a Season.

This week we were out for a drive and it was obvious. Fall is nearing an end. The groomed lawns of summer and the luminous color of fall were past. In it's place was the wild landscape that comes with late fall. It carries a beauty of it's own.

Field grasses have gone to seed.

An occasional flower defies the fact that summer is over.

 Leaves lay in piles on lawns...

...and in flower beds

Early morning frost outlines each blade of grass.

As a teen on my way to school in the early morning I loved the look of the sun coming up over the brown fields, leaves, grasses. Everything had a glow to it that was beautiful. It is true. To everything there is a season. (Ecclesiastes 3) And each season has it's own beauty.

The Pumpkin Patch

Our church took on a new fund raising project this year. We are selling pumpkins! I've been involved in a project like this before. When we lived in Florida, Jenny introduced the idea to her Youth Fellowship group when she was a junior in high school. It was so successful it is still the main Youth fund raiser over 15 years later.

I've discovered one big difference between a 'Pumpkin Patch' in Florida and one in Pennsylvania. The temperature! Last week when Jen called me I was at the patch. It was a cold, blustery day with rain showers occasionally pelting us. I was bundled up in long underwear, jeans, socks, boots, long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt, coat and hat. It was NOT a 'perfect fall day'! In Florida I would have been enjoying a balmy 80 degrees in a cute fall t-shirt with pumpkins and scarecrows on it. And my customers would have been able to see it.

The weather and I have been very consistent. I have been at the 'Patch' every afternoon, and it has been cold, windy, and cloudy every day. Sweatshirts, hats, gloves and heavy coats are the uniform of choice by most of the workers. The occasional bursts of sun were welcome, but short lived. I don't know that it is actually colder than usual. I suspect my perspective is colored by the fact that I am out for 3 hours at a time, and usually just sitting, as opposed to walking or being physically active.

Despite my complaints, the 'Patch' has been a lot of fun and has a lot to offer visitors. Along with a cornstalk maze and activities for children, there is a story telling tent, some musical entertainment and a concession stand on the weekends.

I'm really glad we have taken on this project. It is a great opportunity for church members to work together, and to meet the community. I hope it is a huge success and we can repeat it in the future.
But right now, what I'm really hoping for are some warmer days. I have a couple of fall sweatshirts I want to show off, and it's hard to see them under all these layers!