Tag: fall

some days

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Some days are so lovely you’re nearly brought to tears with happiness.

Yesterday was perfect. I went downtown early to avoid possible parking annoyances due to the free Bruce Springsteen concert. I had planned to read on a bench somewhere along the Downtown Mall, but as I walked along its stretch I remembered that there was a whole expanse of unexplored historical territory about a block over: parks, buildings built in the early 1800s, the old courthouse, and several imposing statues. I rambled up the hill into the cobblestone square and found a little park with a Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson statue and several inviting benches (isn’t it just so wonderful that we honor Confederate soldiers? hint: no).

Pardon me if the rest of my writing becomes incoherent. I’m trying to think past the hulkish rage-crying of the four year old in the apartment upstairs.

The weather warmed to a balmy 80 degrees by yesterday afternoon, but it was mild in the shade of fall-colored trees. I took a few pictures of the orange and red leaves to send to my loved ones in Florida. I began reading Half the Church on my kindle and when that became too overwhelming (it deals with incredibly weighty issues), I went over to the library to get a library card. I haven’t had one since high school, so it brought back all the joyful expectation the library held for me then.

The work day was satisfying – we got through the after-concert rush without any major hiccups. When I work the afternoon shift, I get to see the sun set on the way to my car. It’s always beautiful; I never get tired of looking up. As dusk settled in, the sky was streaked in turquoise and orange. So many days here are like this, I’m sure, but I hardly make the time to appreciate it.

Can you believe I get to see this every day?

 

october moodboard

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october

october

Before the month is over, I intend to enjoy:

  • Making use of my scarf collection
  • Comfy cardigans and flattering jeans worn out in the lovely, mildly cool weather
  • The printed tees I’ve added to my wardrobe lately
  • My gray, second-hand Minnetonka moccasins
  • Crossbody Vera Bradley bags, perfect for adventures
  • Old school Madeline L’Engle books and literature on Christian Feminism
  • My ballet classes; I wish I could go more than once a week
  • Hot chocolate and mochas
  • The colorful fall landscape along Skyline Drive

good things

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I have been inexplicably crabby this week. I’m tired – of what I don’t know. Just unhappy, feeling stuck, getting down on myself for not having better hair, reading better literature, making better food, taking more photos, etc.

During weeks like these, I especially need to recall the good things.

  1. I got another raise at work.
  2. After two weeks of heightened customer traffic through the shop, I finally feel at ease making multiple drinks in a small amount of time.
  3. The mattress pad I bought through Groupon arrived and I cleaned all the bedding, so now we have a cushy, clean bed in which to sleep.
  4. I finished reading the book, Camilla, by Madeline L’Engle.
  5. The landscape is alive with vibrant, warm, falling leaves.
  6. The weather has been perfect.
  7. I found a vintage, handmade ceramic plate at the thrift store today to complete the living room decor.
  8. I have a car in working condition.
  9. I have really enjoyed planning outfits and getting dressed lately.
  10. I made Pumpkin Cake.
  11. I have a day off to do whatever I please.

How is your week going? What are you thankful for?

home tour: The Kitchen

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It’s difficult to keep our tiny kitchen clean enough to photograph most days. If there’s one space that’s really lacking in our rental, it’s this room. There’s no dishwasher, which I can deal with, but the lack of counter space can make it difficult to tackle basic kitchen tasks and previous tenants have added an odd assortment of hooks, nails, and pins to the walls and ripped a hole in the linoleum. We’ve had to get creative with counter top appliance placement, facing the microwave out to the great room to take advantage of the open counter design.

The room theme is a bit rustic on accident. Daniel’s mother made the needle art early on in her marriage and gave it to her parents-in-law. They gave it to us as a wedding present and it has shaped the overall feel of our kitchen ever since. I purchased the “Equal but different” tea towel on Fab and stretched it over canvas stretcher bars when I still worked as a framer. I made the unfinished clothes line frame to hold post cards, but decided to feature favorite photos of loved ones and travel destinations this time around. I love looking at beautiful faces and places and getting nostalgic. Nostalgia is particularly suited to the kitchen, I think.

Custom cutting board, wedding gift; Swedish pot pad from my parents; Candles and holder, wedding gifts; Ceramic vases handmade by my sister.

There you have it. This is the cleanest the kitchen will ever be, so I hope you enjoy it.

 

autumn light

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I took a short walk yesterday evening to enjoy the crisp air and setting sun. I felt a bit crazy walking more after being on my feet all morning and having to hike back to my car by the least efficient route due to the Dalai Lama’s visit, but I’m glad I got out for a bit. The sun sets earlier each day, but the clarity and warmth it provides during daylight hours at this time of year make up for it.

The leaves are beginning to change their colors and fall to the earth, but many thriving green leaves remain. I plucked some from their branches to use as stamps for a small craft project.

meditation on fear

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Observe the browning leaves:
do they worry
as they die, and fall
and fall to graying earth?
Do they fight and struggle
and scratch against
the muscled fingers of gravity?

No.
They willingly go to decay,
to shrink,
to crunch under foot and
Not return.

They green in strong winds
and spackled springtime light alike.
Then, knowing it would be so
all along,
They die.

Give their pigment up,
fearless,
joyful, willing us,
Hope.

week in a list

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  1. The online business experienced a high point this week, for which I am quite thankful. If you need to update your wardrobe, you should take a look. 
  2. My manager asked me to take some photos of the shop for the company website. Although I didn’t get paid anything extra (apart from photographing on the clock), I’m excited that I had the opportunity to dabble in commercial photography (I have previously only done portraiture or product photos for my own business).
  3. The weather makes everything better. Today, everyone downtown whipped out their boots for their first wear of the season. A friend once told me that fragrance travels farther (or at least we can smell it better) when the humidity drops. I theorize that that’s why we’re hit by a wave of nostalgia in the fall and spring; scent is one of the strongest memory inducers. Alternately, we’re just all relieved to be able to walk outside in a single layer of clothing and feel perfectly comfortable.
  4. Daniel and I explored midtown today. It’s where all the cool people are. Charlottesville pleasantly surprised me again when we discovered they have a local food market and an organic, locally farmed butcher shop!
  5. A middle aged, male customer told me I have nice skin today. I could feel creeped out, but let’s be honest: when people say they are creeped out by compliments, they are just covering up their elation at having received one.
  6. We hung out with some of Daniel’s colleagues at Mellow Mushroom last night. It was less awkward for me than I anticipated (when you’re a non-student among students, it can be difficult to add to the conversation).