This is the mood I'm in today.
Bring it.
It's 35 degrees up here in NW Indiana, and I believe I can rest now, knowing that outdoor pursuits are laid to rest for the time being.
For some reason - I always feel in limbo at this time of year.
Fall - absolutely my favorite time of the year - but I'm left wondering if I should start pursuing indoor activities, or continue weeding, etc.
You think it's all over outside, and then it's not - just kidding - it is - wait, nope...
That's how it seems to me!
Do I put the hoe away or not!?
Make up your mind!
With a frost due tonight - I can say -
Goodbye.
Goodbye mosquitoes good bye fresh beans, goodbye humidity, good bye summer breezes in my bedroom window - goodbye grass mowing, goodbye zinnias
(perhaps the hardest goodbye of summer).
But, as I increase in wisdom and wrinkles, I'm realizing that behind every goodbye,
there awaits a
hello.
Sometimes these hellos are unwelcome, as I've found out recently.
I did not welcome sorrow with open arms.
I did not.
And yet - with sorrow unwelcomed - there are still lessons if we search deep enough.
Oh how I'm embracing my friends and family now - oh how I make a point to contact my sisters daily - I never let Glenco leave without a hug and a kiss. Family suppers are much more often.
Sometimes in death - we find life.
So, as I sit here robed in fleece, clutching my new favorite tea - 'Yorkshire Gold' -
I'm feeling a goodbye in my heart, a so long to summer and all that it holds.
As you may or may not know, I strive to go the entire winter without complaining.
So I say this right now -
Fall - you are welcome here!
You - in all your blaze of glory - even though you bring certain death behind you - I embrace you.
I will drink your tea, I will celebrate your pumpkin-spiced anything - I will revel in the color and texture you bring to our world.
I will embrace the condensation on my kitchen window whilst the soup simmers.
I'll slip on my fuzzy slippers with gratitude.
I will be thankful for a cupboard full in preparation of the cold.
I will marvel in the cyclical nature of things.
And I will make the most of you.
I will dive into my indoor pursuits with abandon!
I will find beauty and balance in all things.
I will continue to be the best Jayme that I know how to be - and I will continue to
look for ways to improve and live fully.
As the leaves fall off the trees, I will let thought patterns and behaviors that do not benefit me fall.
Goodbye summer - hello fall.
What are you happy to say hello to at this time of year?
Bonus points if you say 'Downton Abbey'.
:-)
I'm welcoming it too, Jayme. Just not what follows here in Ontario. Love the 'kitty in the window' shot. Love Downton Abbey. Sending a hug, Deb
ReplyDeleteThere is not another like you my soul sister, thank you for all you remind me to be grateful for. For reminding me that seeing the positive will only cause the heart to sing. Your better than any anit-depressant! lol The way you turn the table on things that don't always make us look forward to seeing. You are quite the something, a God ordained leader of sorts. I love your outlook on life, it has healed me many times. Thanks for sharing all that you are. xo Your simply Ah-may-zing!
ReplyDeleteDownton Abbey- Downton Abbey- Downton Abbey....AND if you have NOT seen Call The Midwife yet it is a "must watch"...as good as Downton Abbey but in a different way and era.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to crisp mornings and cool nights this time of year...and the riot of color-oh-how I LOVE that.
I am NOT relishing snow and winter though...Not MY season- not for ME at all! xo Diana
Yes!! I LOVE Call the Midwife, too!! Have you seen The Paradise?!
DeleteJayme, I am loving autumn but not liking the cold today. I just love fall's beautiful colors. I do like to think of the up coming family get togethers that we all enjoy. Blessings to you, xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteToday we had our local Fall Festival under glorious blue skies. Beautiful arts and crafts in the shade. I am concerned about the winter, but finally got the attic insulated, so maybe this old house won't be so darn cold all winter. I do look forward to knitting more and snuggling into the sofa to watch Downton Abby and Call the Midwife. I am still trying to figure out celebrating fall and winter in a low carb way. I also welcome reading more of your heartfelt posts. Thanks, Jayme!
ReplyDeleteI love fall. I love the smells and the colors. I love the crisp air and bright, bright blue skies. I am not looking forward to the big electric bill that will appear in my mailbox by the end of October but I am so thankful to live somewhere that I can experience all the seasons and their changes. This weekend the big, fluffy down comforter goes on the bed, the featherbed goes back on the mattress and I really looking forward to snuggling in the middle of the bed, having the window open at night and feeling that cool air around my face when sleep. I am anxiously awaiting the new season of Downton Abbey but will also admit that I am happy for the return of my guilty pleasure, Scandal. (I am, now and always, a bit of a bad girl...just secretly!)
ReplyDeleteThe second season of The Paradise on Masterpiece Theater! It's right up there with Downton...in fact, it must be just down the lane in the next town and a few decades before. And I know how you feel about winterizing the outside..."should I leave the peppers and eggplant in case they grow a bit more? Do I deadhead the mums? Are we sick to death of chard yet? Is there enough warmth in the days to dry caulk?"
ReplyDeleteAaaaah...but soup. And candles. And bakey things. Worth the cold for sure.
Hugs!
Sorry I can't name a favorite TV program because I don't watch TV. Just can't being idle for the length of a TV show or movie for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed though that you have 35 degree weather! It is 90/100+ degrees here in California. Oh how I would love to feel a cool autumn breeze! San Francisco is even having unusually high temps. There have been years when we have worn short & t-shirts when we went to cut down our Christmas tree. That's just wrong!!
We chased the spring through the north and now will try to chase the fall through the south. I love the season, but find as I get older I don't like it too hot or too cold. RV life works for the most part to avoid bad weather, but I do miss a home. Maybe one day.
ReplyDeleteWe chased the spring through the north and now will try to chase the fall through the south. I love the season, but find as I get older I don't like it too hot or too cold. RV life works for the most part to avoid bad weather, but I do miss a home. Maybe one day.
ReplyDeleteLove this time of year yet wasn't quite ready for cold this soon. But fun to fire up the wood stove and eat a cozy dinner. You describe the conflict between in and out this time of year so well! I don't know why I didn't think things might be gone (like the zinnias) in the morning! Cut a lovely bouquet yesterday and will cherish them while they last. I love Downton Abby and (don't judge me--haha) Once Upon a Time. Thanks for posting such great thoughts Jayme--always love what you have to say :).
ReplyDeleteOH how I miss thee!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good word. I need to embrace fall...and all that comes next that I shan't speak of until I must...
Maggie Smith!... because I love her in anything she does, not just Downton Abbey,which I have never watched a full episode of and yes I am fully aware that I'm probably missing out big time. TV hasn' held much appeal in recent years, but I really and truly oughta look at that series because I know it's spectacular. I used to be a summer girl... but the fall has so much to offer in natural beauty and oh, those recipes and apple picking and pumpking carving and COOL TEMPS TO OFFSET THESE LOVELY MENOPAUSAL HOTFLASHES. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! What great "encouragement" to wake up to... this morning!! I love fall, too!! and you sure know how -best!- to put it all into words...
ReplyDeletelove you!!
I can totally relate to your post. I just have some carrots that were put in late to dig from the garden and then I am done. A few of my geraniums are just gorgeous still, along with my two boston ferns. I bring them in at night then put out yet during the day. I am going to try to keep them flourishing. Wish me luck. Where do you find these terrific vintage pictures? I love them both! As always, you look good Jayme and I love the picture of your table setting. Do you eat out on your porch year round? I love it. To dine with all those windows and look out at nature. So sweet. Happy Fall Jayme.
ReplyDeleteDebra
Fall is my favorite time of year . . . and yet I don't seem to really ever take advantage of it, and its wintertime before I know it. And I"m thinking "wait, where did fall go?" I love pumpkins. I love crisp fall days. I love the smell of leaves. I love sitting around the firepit. Thank you my friend for reminding me to savor EVERYTHING!!!
ReplyDelete1. BEAUTIFUL pic of my good friend!!!!!
ReplyDelete2. Fall is my absolute bestess, most favorite season of the whole year- and Thanksgiving is my holiday!
3. Got Downton Abbey season 4 for my birthday and am getting reacquainted in prep for the new season :)
4. Found my mini pumpkin collection- FINALLY (sold the piece of furniture it used to reside in- couldn't remember where I had tucked it for safe keeping- geesh!) - NOW I am finished decorating
5. Embracing the cool mornings and evenings- relishing the changing light.
6. So happy to "hear" from you today!!
Ok but Downtown Abbey, which I am looking forward to is a winter time treat. So are we talking this time of year, fall, or winter? Because I hate winter, but this year I have decided to embrace it. I even have a list of fun things I am going to do to have the best winter ever whilst still living in one room. So let's talk winter since fall is good And gorgeous this year have you noticed the sunsets, sunrises, the leaves.
ReplyDeleteI plan on making new soups from one of my many cookbooks that I rarely use but just look at the pictures. Sew. Crochet-always crochet. Wear leggings with boots and dresses. In the summer I am always in jeans and working. Finish a picture I started painting at one of those "fun" painting nights. But it wasn't fun because no one finished their picture and it was stressful trying to finish it. I am going to make curtains for my vintage camper that I just fixed up. And plan all the fun things I'm going to do next summer!
I am making my own candy boards. Bought 24 bags of sugar last night at Aldi's. Gotta get busy on this rainy day.
Cindy Bee
Ummm...Downton Abbey. Hello to sweaters and blankets. Lovely post, my friend.
ReplyDeleteAww Jayme, you are so pretty!! Love this post, and your Fall decor. I needed a reminder to savor this time of year too.. thank you :) -Tammy
ReplyDeleteI've gotten so behind on Downton Abbey (as in whole seasons behind!). But I have some holidays coming up when I can catch up. I will try my hardest to follow your example of no complaining through the winter. Ours down here are much milder than yours, so I'll try to keep that in mind, too. By the by, you have inspired me to love more on my home and its yard (or "gardens," if I'm feeling fancy). Thank you for that!
ReplyDelete