Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Long shadow, soy beans ready for harvest, and a clear blue sky. A lovely late-September evening ride.

Last week, my frugal ways caught up with me. The weather has been cooler in the mornings, which is fabulous. I love getting up to 50 degrees. I love transitioning from shorts and t's to jeans and long-sleeves. And from sandals to close-toed shoes. Especially shoes I just bought for a whole $5 at a yard sale. A pair of pristine Born casual leather (yes, even though I'm vegan, I do have some clothing pieces that are made of leather) shoes perfect with jeans.  As I set off for work, I had a spring in my step because of those shoes. But then, walking across the parking lot at work, something felt off with the left shoe. My initial thought was this must be why they were set out at a yard sale for $5 . When I reached the doors, I stopped and picked up my left foot to peer at the bottom of the shoe. All I could do was laugh. So much for what I remember referring to as "the best buy of the year" when I handed over the $5. I continued to my office, thinking I could make it thr

Last weekend Angel Baby and I went to visit Funny Delightful Son in his new home a state away. We first swung over to his former home and picked up his lovely lady friend so she could ride along with us. Four hours later, we arrived to find Funny Delightful Son standing on the sidewalk outside his apartment, waiting for us, a big grin on his face. Long story short, we had a fabulous couple of days. Saturday we took a tour of his work campus, which is absolutely incredible. Seriously. If I had a campus like that to go to everyday I would go every single day with a huge smile on my face. The artwork alone throughout the buildings and around the buildings begs for attention. I was constantly walking off to inspect a sculpture or a painting or a mural. There are water features, a variety of landscapes, and seating spaces whispering come over, stay awhile . My favorite spots were the waterfall outside a cafeteria, and the swings on a balcony where one could spend hours enjoying the view ove

 

Tuesday the temps reached 90. Around 5 pm, I realized I am so over the heat of summer. I'm ready for cooler temps and then the cold that will follow. For one reason. Mosquitoes. They've been just awful all summer long. The boys and I can't step outside the back door without an immediate frontal, side, and rear attack. I'm not exaggerating. It doesn't matter what time of day we try to get out. The mosquitoes are waiting and ready to assault us. I've doused myself in more bug spray the last three months than I have my entire life. The poor doggoes end up with mosquitoes on top of mosquitoes vying for space on their snouts. Taking a walk is miserable for them and me. For whatever reason, the mosquito problem seems to be relegated to my side of the village. As soon as we get three blocks away, to the east side of the village, the mosquitoes lessen. And two blocks further they all but disappear. There is a creek about a hundred and fifty yards behind the house, which

Next to the peony, the zinnia is my favorite flower. There's just something about zinnias. Perhaps it is their vibrant colors. Or maybe it's the subtle nature of their existence. Whatever it is, they've captured my heart and make me smile every single time I seem them when I pull into the driveway, return from a walk with the boys, or am outside working around the house. My vision for next summer is to have several zinnia gardens around the house. Just thinking about it gets me so excited for what's possible next summer. It does seem fall is just around the corner. While the temps last week were nearly unbearable, 92 with a real feel of 110 several days in a row, this week has been on the cooler side with the evenings and overnight temps dipping into the 60s and even the 50s. Our morning walks have me in jeans and a new favorite flannel shirt I found at the thrift store. Switching over from shorts and sleeveless shirts to jeans and long-sleeved shirts is always one of m