Friday Morning

♥

Three Charming Things ~ On a Day When I Needed Them

With the mailing of Miss Eloise, I have now donated 73 book characters and 400 books to my former elementary school's library.  There are about that many students in the school, so my donations are a drop in the "reading material bucket," but it's a drop that wasn't there before, after all, so I'm happy.  

I walked about thirty minutes in the rain this morning and found this double-leaf heart.  Birds circling overhead, late October trees in vivid contrast to the sooty-looking sky, and leaves like mixed candy on the ground and in the puddles:  Autumn, you are sweet.  I have been dragging through fall this year and feel so drained and discombobulated every day lately.  I cling to these beautiful things and record some of them here in pictures--and then log back off and bring out my journal and pen to record more of the words. 

And dear little Stuffed, forever and always my favorite stuffed animal.  ♥  Until the heat is turned on in our building later this fall, this fur-covered yin-yang ball can be found in a nest of pillows and afghans or with his front paws stretched out under the space-heater.  Just knowing that something this beautiful and adorable and cuddly and pure exists, does my heart good.  And that he is a part of my life:  Well!  He is one of the sweetest parts, and I am thankful. 

Stuffed with the Yellow Trees

It turns out I posted almost the same photo exactly a year ago. 

October Heart

And so begin my days off.  ♥

Stop the World

Ah!  I woke up wishing I could stay home today instead of trudging off to work, and the feeling hasn't eased-up as the day's progressed.  I'm off the next two days, though, so here's to hanging in there this evening--and to having a job in the first place.  Tomorrow and Thursday will find me--when I'm not outside admiring leaves, at least--in this chair with this cat, so help me!     
 

October Color

A ten-minute walk around the block tonight to take a few pictures.  Snow flurries swirled and stuck to my chest this morning as I walked, but tonight, post-flurries and then rain, it's cold but calm. 

The neighbors' gardens still show spots of color, although not many houses have pumpkins on their porches yet. 

This may be the fall I finally carve a cat jack o-lantern for our front stoop.  I have yet to live anywhere that gets trick-or-treaters--none of the houses I grew up in ever got more than a few, nor have any of my apartments--so the decorate-your-home-and-stock-up-on-candy parts of this month never really factor in when I think of October to-dos.  Maybe a big cat pumpkin for out front this year, though, just to add a bit of sweetness to the neighborhood. 

Ah, fall!  May Heaven turn out to be an eternal autumn.  I love it so. 

I also love the shade of green these neighbors have painted their garage door.  It actually looks a lot like our bathroom walls now.  

So much gorgeous, vibrant color.  Love, love, love.  ♥

Seven Nice Things

I was nursing a headache most of yesterday--yes, my turn, Lisa!--but am feeling better today for Day Off #2 and have gotten a lot done.  And am just enjoying myself.  Seven sweet things this week:

1.)  'Am still working on my 80s childhood memoir.  Loving!  It!  ♥  That pile of paper scraps in the photo above is all the remaining notes that need to be turned into index cards--which will later be turned into "real" writing.  The pile has shrunk so much since I started this in earnest earlier this year.  My goal for the rest of today is to get as many scraps onto cards as possible so I can move on to the filling-the-notebooks-with-rough-drafts stage of things.  Progress!

2.)  The building manager and a plumber had to stop by earlier this week for routine winter-prep radiator maintenance, and as I welcomed them in,  the plumber glanced around and unexpectedly greeted me with "Oh, I like it in here!  It's very family-oriented!" and moments later commented, "It smells really good in here too!" as he left.  I hardly knew what to say besides thank you, but both remarks made me laugh.  A sweet encounter.  

3.)  A coworker left a thank you on my note that accompanied the cookies I'd brought into work last week and later thanked me in-person.  A day-brightener for me. 

5.)  Chicago Cubs in the World Series playoffs!  I'm not wildly enthusiastic about any one team--I tend to wish them all well--and it would have been a treat for Dad if his Pirates had advanced in the playoffs, but how fun to see the Cubs and their fans having such a great ride this fall.  

6.)  This pup, an English Yellow Lab--

--is now my younger brother's dog.  So sweet!  ♥  My brother, his wife, and somehow-almost-two-year-old Bianca have all wanted a dog for ages, and this one looks so dear. 

7.)  Chilly fall weather has returned, and with it, a pot on the stove here of simmering cinnamon water.  Today's mix is simply cinnamon with vanilla, but as I finish my iced teas while I write this afternoon, I'll throw in the lemon slices too.  Snow flurries and a frost warning are in the forecast for the next few days.  Oh, fall!  Love, love, love.  

'Back to the index cards.  'A sweet weekend to you all. 

Video: 60 Seconds with Stuffed

Now that I (think I) have figured out how to share the videos from my camera--and even add music--I should take you on a virtual tour of my shoe-box of a kitchen, or along on some of my walks, or. . . !  The possibilities!  I feel mad with power!  ;)  

Thank you all for your kind responses to Friday's post.  ♥

Today is my day off and is supposed to be a sunny 74°.  We'll see where it takes me.  Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends here. 

And a sweet day to you all.  

You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be. ~ David Viscott

The past two weeks have been wearying, and aside from a Saturday when a combined headache, kink in my neck, and day without sleep found me waving the white flag from my bed, I have plodded on and even have some good things to show for it.  The bathroom has been put back together post-painting, with new shower curtain and curtains too.  The bedroom wall-painting is almost done.  The headboard project is at least begun, with stars, string lights, and waiting-for-payday pillow shams next on its to-do list.  The bedroom curtains are up but lacking their ruffle-trim, tie-backs, and the hankie-patchwork-type sheers I'm planning to hang underneath them.  The 1980s childhood memoir-writing continues. The healthy eating continues.  It feels, though, like I've just been hanging on and getting through this fall so far.  Do you remember the brilliant exchange between the frustrated sheriff and his secretary in Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men?  It keeps coming to mind this month.  "What is it that (Justice) Torbert says?"  he asks her.  "About truth and justice."  She distractedly answers, "We dedicate ourselves anew daily.    Somethin like that."  The sheriff responds, "I think I'm goin to commence to dedicatin myself twice daily.  It may come to three fore it's over."  Hear, hear.  I brought in Halloween cookies for my coworkers this week, and the cashier yesterday morning told me "I love your smile" while bagging my groceries, and I'm choosing to accept both gestures as signs that hope is not lost.  :)  Here's to the plodding-on.