Thoughts on a Saturday morning. . .

Saturday, 10:30 AM. . .

What a pleasure it was to "sleep in" this morning until eight o'clock! I look forward to Tuesday and Saturday mornings for that reason.  After yesterday’s dealings with a sputtering, engine-light-flashing car, while out of town, the extra rest was blissfully welcome.  It was brief bliss however, since I quickly remembered the dismal status of my car and that I am presently without a vehicle.  Not that I had any plans to go anywhere today, mind you.  But what if the need arises? What about tomorrow?  I placate myself by opting to delay thinking about those questions until later, when and if the need arises.  Right now, I’m quite content with being “stuck” here.  It’s a beautiful, sunshiny day! The fragrance in the air is heavenly!  The warmth of the sun is like summer, yet the air is sprinkled with leaves floating aimlessly to the ground. There is a subtle difference in the ‘look’ of things and a keen ear will notice the changes in the outdoor sounds – the bird noises, for one thing, the rustling of the small animals in the woods, for another.   Their chattering noises tell me they are very busy preparing their winter ‘stash.’   Ah, yes, the long-awaited transitions from summer into fall have begun, and, try as I might to hold onto one season, the next will always scoop me up and carry me joyfully to the next.

 

I am remembering a past September day, the 18th, as a matter of fact, but I don't know the year.  It was when some or all of my kids were still in school.  It was a day much like this one but further into fall and the trees were just about to reach their peak of colorful brilliance.  It was so hot, that when the kids got off the school bus, I took them to the river to go swimming; a rare occasion for mid-September.  It was a favorite place to us for many reasons, but  I, particularly, was amazed by the fact that when I stood in a certain spot there in the river, I could look around me in every direction and all signs of civilization were hidden from view -- no roads, houses, wires -- not even in the distance.  [I always thought it was an awsome sight to behold and I found it thrilling to feel like I was catching glimpses of 'untouched' landscape similar to what our former inhabitants, the Delaware Indians, had seen.  The reason for their reverence of the land is, indeed, apparant to me.]  What a memorable day that turned out to be!  As we waded out into the river, we were treated to a grand display of brightly colored leaves floating all around us and the reflection of the vibrant mountains, flawlessly mirrored in the quiet sheen of the crystal clear water was an absolutely breathtaking spiritual experience!  I thought about how I had almost resisted the spontaneity of the idea to drop everything and go to the river.  (There were too many things we should be doing, like homework, making dinner, etc., to be so impulsive.)  "I made the right choice," I decided, once there, and it gave me a chill to think how close I had come to missing out on those treasured moments.  I had taken the time to carefully watch a red leaf as it approached me.  It brushed up against my arm as it floated by and I watched it drift downstream until it was out of sight.  "I'm going to tuck this away forever," I thought, and that is what I have done.  I call them "mental pictures," absorbing a moment in time and filing it away in one of the private 'albumns' of my mind, where I can view it at will, anytime, anywhere.  Around this time of year, I have always recalled that long ago day.  I can 'see' every detail of that red leaf, still, and sometimes I wonder about the rest of its sojourn on the Delaware.  Do you suppose it sailed all the way to Philadelphia, carrying the DNA from my arm with it?  If so, does that mean that I, in a sense, made that journey, too?  Who's to say where reality and essence divide?  Or if the division is complete or intertwined?

 

Today's reality is that I am leaving my car cares behind me and that the endeavor I am most eager for is to roll some big stumps around and arrange them in a circle around the fire pit.  This, most definitely, is of highest priority on my ‘fall readiness’ list – even above having the heating system checked.  I’m looking forward to bonfires on crisp, autumn evenings!  Sometimes I wonder what the little woodland critters think of me.  They don’t seem to pause what they’re doing when I invade their world.  Maybe they’re so busy, they don’t notice me at all.  Maybe they think I’m merely one of them, however oddly so.  If that’s the case, I feel honored to be welcome in their wholesome, unassuming, busy world!
 

I wonder if they “sleep in” on Saturday’s, too……………………………..?     

Blessings enough. . .

 7:00 PM......

Whew!  Lawn's mowed.  Or should I say "field."  It was so high, there were daisies blooming in it!  First, I had to pump up a tire, using a bicycle pump (because I'm afraid of the air compressor...one of these days I'll tackle that.)  The oil in the mower was very low so I made a dash to town to buy some...but only after verifying with one of my sons-in-law the online research I had done so I wouldn't feel like an idiot when I made the purchase.  That may sound odd, but I've never had reason to buy motor oil; I guess I thought all home garages and workshops came automatically stocked with endless supplies of all that kind of stuff!  At the auto parts store, still in my grungy apple-picking clothes, work boots & gloves, and sun visor, I saunter up to the counter and say, confidently, "I'd like some 30-weight motor oil."  I had no idea what that meant; I was just repeating the words my son-in-law told me to say.  "Do you want it with detergent or without?" the nice gentleman asks.  ... Huh?!  Since my ignorant self had already been outed, there was no point in my trying to save face.  "I have no idea," I admitted, still puzzled.  I can't say I understand all of what followed, but I did come home with motor oil and I have learned two things: 1.) I do NOT need the kind with detergent and 2.) you should always use the same kind, whether with detergent or without, and you should never mix them.  

The mowing process was going smoothly until a tree root that I didn't see in the high grass got wedged between my front tire and the wheel on the mower deck.  I was stuck; unable to go forward or in reverse.  Now what?!  "Where there's a will, there's a way," I decided,  and by golly, after a few tries I was able to lift that mower up enough to get the little wheel to set on top of the root and that was all that was needed.  I hopped on and finished the job.

Now I am hungry and, realizing that for the past day or so I have only eaten apples, applesauce, apple crisp, and apple pie - spaghetti is really hitting the spot.  The way I am wolfing it down will probably result in some serious indigestion in the middle of the night but right now, I don't care.

The grass has been mown, the kitchen sink is full of clean, fresh apples, and the deer are contentedly munching the peelings I left for them out under the apple trees. 

Blessings enough for one day, I'd say......

Pendulum ride. . .

I seem to be struggling these days to find the stamina to keep abreast of this summer's emotional roller coaster.  I call it "keeping my head above water."  I have felt my vitality ebb and flow as if it were riding on a pendulum in full swing.  The 'highs' have been oh, so exhilaratingly thrilling and the 'lows' have been oh, so anxiously stressful, and full of sadness!  But then, that's the reality of life and its parallels, isn't it?  And I don't recall a guarantee anywhere in any of God's promises that would indicate that those parallels would be doled out in equal increments in accordance with what we might deem 'fair.'   Then, what would we learn?  How would we grow?  And what would be the point? 

Thankfully, for the most part, I have learned to be tuned in to the warning signs that occur whenever I am about to hop on that 'pendulum.'  Most of the time, that is.  Sometimes (like now) I have been so immersed in my own busyness that the ride had already begun before I realized I am a passenger!  When that happens, I know it's time to practice what I preach, so to speak, and to start using the 'tools' that have been so carefully honed; the ones that will rebuild the power of positive thinking tower.  So...lately, even though it may appear that I have been functioning in business-as-usual mode, I have actually been "holed up" inside (literally as well as metaphorically) using my 'tools' and reminding myself that I am responsible for my own choices.  When in doubt, I simply choose thankfulness because there is always, always something to be thankful for.  

There is no doubt in my mind that I will emerge at some point with a reasonable facsimile of my usual energy intact.  I do hope it's soon, though, because this 'swim' is taking too long and my head is getting tired! 

Maybe the turning point is here; I did shove myself outside to wrestle with an overgrown barberry bush today......and judging by the heap of prunings I had, I think I won!  That's always a good sign.  

       

Dawn patrol. . .

Cloudy mornings confuse me by suspending my psyche within the early morning hours while the day dances merrily along its way. I think the same must be true of "Neighbor Cat" who is making his dawn patrol now, during late morning.



"Neighbor Cat" pauses his chipmunk hunt long enough to peer at the frog who has taken up residence in my little garden pond.