The Present

I'll admit that these days, as the work pace and associated stress pick up (not that it was exactly a leisurely Summer), my thoughts are turning more and more to lush longings....partaking of my famous pumpkin bread and coffee by the fire, hearing Yeti--and Linda--crunch through leaves, drinking in glorious colors that illuminate the soul, nestling into flannel shirts and soft blankets.  Fall isn't here yet; I've heard her whisper, but she's not here....which is just as well because I won't see the light of day (except on weekends) for the next three weeks!  But I find myself waiting, yearning for her arrival as one awaits a lover who has been away too long, much as I used to be consumed by anticipation of Linda's arrival when we were building a relationship over 300 miles. My beloved and I will celebrate six years together this Fall...that adds to my profound love of this approaching season.  All I know is the promise of Fall's imminent arrival is what carries me through the final hot breath of Summer, the long, stressful days, and too short nights....She's coming, and I for one will welcome her with open arms.

Rainy Days and Mondays

The Weather Channel was quoting the Carpenters this morning when giving the forecast for a wet and windy Monday.  Rainy days don't bring me down, especially when they can be spent properly (as yesterday was not), but yeah....those Mondays are a killer!
My fantasy?  I'm dreaming of a wild and woolly day, one in which I can flit from scarf to never-to-be-completed- sweater, practice some sadly neglected spinning, with rest breaks of reading and napping.  The reality that awaits is a long and hectic work week.  Sigh.  But Linda and I worked diligently this weekend and the week's meals are already prepared, ironing is done for a couple of weeks, and Yeti is once again pretty and fresh-smelling courtesy of the Universal Dog Wash. We even had a date night and saw The Kids Are All Right.  Small victories, right?

Yee-hah!

Pretty pleased so needed to post this little bit of success.  On June 1st I stepped on a scale and was very unhappy--and scared--with the number staring me in the face.  So I got serious...started using the Weight Watchers Online program I'd been paying for every month and ignoring for two years, started really paying attention to how and what I ate--ya know, fruit is pretty darn good!, even got in some exercise (Yeti's been assisting with that!)....and today I reached my first (of many) significant weight goals, and have lost 21.2 lbs!  There's a long, looonngg way to go, but I'm thinking this is really going to work.

Blast From the Past

Yesterday we went to the Columbia Greene Humane Society's annual Paw Picnic.  The weather was gorgeous, the setting--Waldorf Farm in North Chatham--serene and impeccably beautiful, the hosts gracious and generous,  the auction lively, the food absolutely delicious, and the organization of the event seemingly seamless and flawless.  The afternoon was capped by a fun, friendly, intimate performance by David Cassidy--yes, THAT David Cassidy.  It was a delightful blast from the past (his rendition of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine was damn good, and I rarely like covers), and my favorite image of the day is the womon rocking it out near the front row, waving her Patridge Family lunchbox in the air as he ended the performance with--of course--I Think I Love You.

In the Wink of an Eye

It's August already, people!  MID-August, in fact!  When did this happen?  Probably while I was buried alive in my office, or huddled in the chilly air-conditioned bedroom hiding from the exhausting heat and humidity that has poached this rapidly waning Summer.  Okay, so maybe you knew Summer was flying by, and are wondering what sparked a similar realization for me.  Grapes. While watering the blueberry bushes this morning, I peeked over at the grapes....the Concords are definitely starting to purple up, and the Reliance--candy that grows on vines--are blushing, with just a whisper yet of sugar sweetness that lingers on the tongue.  They aren't quite ready, but in a week or two, our half-dozen Reliance bunches will be harvested (and gone!).  The yarrow and coneflowers are dry, tired and ready to call it quits, but admittedly, we haven't hit 'the moment' yet, the moment that happens sometime every August when you glance around and realize everything has a blowsy, stretched-and-tattered-crepe-paper, stayed-too-long-at-the-party look.  We're not there yet, but it's coming.....the squirrels are racing around gathering black walnuts bigger than their heads, parents and children are crowding the stores shopping for school supplies, the stars are falling from the sky (not that we've seen them with the cloud cover, but tonight, maybe).  Apples are appearing at the Farm Markets.  And one morning this week, while walking Yeti, I caught just the faintest scent of Fall on the breeze.  It vanished like a firefly's light, but for one breath, Fall made Her promise.....

What a Life...

Blessed Abundance

Thanks to the Hudson Farmers' Market...

Um, Watchdog? Not So Much...

Imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen, where Yeti was sprawled on the floor, just in time to see the UPS guy walking away from the door having just left a package.  The front door is open, leaving only the screen door between us and the world.  Yeti's head (and thus her eyes and ears, being a normally-put-together-canine) were 11 feet from said screen door.  Was I greeted by barking?  Or even, "Hey mom there's a stranger at the door you gotta come deal with this!!!" alertness?  That would be a big no. Nada. Ne rien. Zippo. She woke up when I opened the door to get the package.  While safety was not part of our motivation for having a dog, a little communication about strangers at the door wouldn't have hurt.  Well, at least we know we're totally safe from being ambushed by killer rabbits with big teeth.
And the package?  The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, published by New Harbinger Press, and also 'prescribed' (along with the Wii Fit Plus Yoga) by my doctor.  Personally, I prefer a menage a trois with Ben and Jerry for stress reduction, but since that's out of the picture these days, we'll give the book and yoga a try!

Good Things

A couple of days off; dinner on the back porch with Linda, my sons, my sister, and younger son's girlfriend; watching hummingbirds and then bats as the evening progressed; letting Yeti meet everyone; laughing so hard it hurt; Nestle frozen pineapple bars; waking up to a clean house (okay, cleanER) after having prepared for company; Weather Channel promises that the humidity is finally going to drop; anticipating the fun we are going to have with the doctor prescribed Wii Fit Plus (we'd been wanting one but had put it off due to cost, but when my doctor recommended the Yoga program in it as a 'treatment' for my over-the-top stress--seriously, she did--we took the plunge and I'll hook it up today); seeing the scale numbers continue to drop; the bursting sweetness of the orange cherry tomatoes picked in our garden yesterday; looking forward to a weekend with more good things like Farmers' Markets and maybe picking up my knitting again; and this: