A Warm Week, a Wet Whistle, and Wonderful Walks

Thanksgiving Thursday seems to very often center around simple things.  I like it that way.  Most days there’s nothing profound happening, unless you count meditating on something about God.  That’s always profound.  But in the everyday, things to be thankful for are usually plenty and simple.

This week I’ve been basking in warm weather. 

No way should I have been outside with the boys today, wearing jeans and a T-shirt.  November in New England was always hats, mittens, and scarves, bright stinging cheeks, and piles of musty leaves.  Somehow we got an amazing blessing: 60’s and 70’s and all the sunshine you can handle.

Each morning before we plow out the backdoor, full speed ahead, I’ve been serving muffins and porridge and drinking tea.  Something about that hot, sweet beverage (English Breakfast Tea is the substance of choice, currently) fills me up and makes me smile.  I feel connected to my roots. 

I’m English.  Someone must have known that was awfully boring, and made a lot of teas to compensate.  Pinkies up!

I am also thankful for the wonderful walks I’ve been able to take with the boys. 

Our little makeshift tandem stroller has taken us on warm photography walks close to home, saving gas money and just enjoying the neighborhood. 

You should hear Riley crying out, “Woah!  OOOOooooOOOOOh!  BLECH! (for garbage cans) and “That!  Wuz that?!” all the way down the road. 

I love our outings. 

Quinn hangs out for the ride, and looks less than amused until someone directly socializes with him.  Next year, maybe.

What a great week.  It’s had its share of stress, to be sure.  But the “spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down” has been a big serving spoon this week. 

Thanks, God.  🙂

I’m Compassion. How Do You Do?

Yesterday we missed a wedding.  I’ve known the bride my whole life.

Granted, we were never close.

And we weren’t actually invited to the wedding.

But I picture it taking place in an apple grove, with some sort of ivy winding up and over a wrought iron arch.  A gorgeous Autumn ceremony.  The minister is just getting to the heartwarming stuff at the climax of his speech.

Suddenly all you can hear is

AP’M!

AP’M!

AP’M!

AP’M!

AP’M!

AP’M!

AP’M!

That’s Riley yelling “APPLE!” and waiting for someone to notice his brilliance in suggesting the name of the nearby fruit at the top of his lungs.  There he goes, scooting in between rows of guests, squealing and laughing.

Then there’s another noise, sort of quietly violent, as Riley’s mama starts losing her cookies.  Must have been a bad apple.  Someone catch that kid!  He’s getting too close to the bucket!  He’s getting too close to the bride!  He’s as curious as a cat and as fast as boiled Crisco!

I bet they wish they’d invited us.

The point is, I learned a lot in the last day or two.  I’m joking about the wedding.  Someone I know did get married, but my 1:30A.M. mind just thinks it would have been hilarious if our comical circus had showed up. 

You see, I never thought I’d be the parent with the rambunctious toddler.  MY children were going to stay perfectly in line. 

And I, not having actually thrown up in 16 years, never had much compassion for those who got stomach bugs.  It was more like, “Oh the poor thing.  Glad I didn’t get it…”

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.  Psalm 86:15.  I posted that as my verse for the weekend, and funny thing – God’s been teaching me to have compassion – to sympathize with those who struggle or suffer.

After all, I was one of those rambunctious toddlers whose heart was good and happy and whose bum never hit the chair.

And now I was one of those poor souls hunched over the garbage can while my loving husband rubbed my back, and my parents whisked our children from the room.

Thank you, God, for your love and faithfulness – for getting me through and reminding me how much I need you.  Maybe I’ll have the chance to reach out to someone soon in compassion.

I feel like now I can say sincerely, “I know what you mean!  Let’s get through it together.”

Free and Funky: Green Bean Wreath

Wreaths make me drool.  Especially the viney ones, all interwoven with ribbon and twine and looking like birds’ nests. 

The only problem is that they cost more than a visit to the dentist for a gold tooth.

So… PASS.

My older son, Riley, was cruisin’ the backyard the other day, and made me a special gift of one of my green bean vines.  Thank you, dear!  How lovely…

Then it hit me.  These really ARE cool looking, aren’t they?  They ARE vines, right?  And then, as he wandered from garden to hose to sandbox to bouncy ball to deck to picnic table, to plants, to puddles and mud pits, etc etc etc, I began cleaning out my garden and turning it into free, funky decorations.

Obzoiv.

A whole bunch of leafy, half-dead vines twisted together and tied with twine can become:

A perfectly good wreath for which I paid ZILCH.

Granted, I tied it with twine, but we had that on hand anyway.  Little by little I’m trimming off wilty leaves, like the ones on the bottom left.  Look at that.  Live sculpture.

So pretty…

…whimsical…

and free.

May my son’s boisterous enthusiasm for the outdoors inspire you to see the possibilities in your own backyard.

A Breath of Fresh Air

It’s been a wonderful Indian Summer.  Is that politically correct?  Oh well.  If they ever change it to make it more PC, I may jump off a bridge.

Every day the boys and I have been outside, tossing sand around, oohing and aahhing over airplanes and clouds, pushing the tire swing back and forth, puttering around in the remaining garden life, and just running for the fun of it.

I don’t know what your weather is like right now, but ours has been GLORIOUS. 

And that is what I’m thankful for today.  I wasn’t ready to let go of summer yet, and here we are in mid-October wearing capris and short sleeves, getting dirty and sweaty still.

Soon enough, winter will take over and we’ll be bound indoors. 

For today, we soak up every ray of sunshine and load up on Vitamin D, God’s way.

(And now it’s raining… but we needed that too.)

The GREAT Outdoors

No matter where you live, the great outdoors exists.  Outside your apartment window or just out the back door.  Through the hospital window or all around the deck.

I’m so thankful for the simple pleasure of walking outside and drawing in a deep breath of crisp Fall air.  I don’t know what the weather is like where you live, but I hope you’re able to enjoy it as much as I’m enjoying the coming of the New England Autumn.

Bright blue skies.  Towering white and grey clouds.  Gorgeous sunrises and the slow warming of the day. 

There are many, many opportunities to sit out by the sandbox or weed a little before the leaves fall and demand attention.

Faces get dirty…

…and sunny…

…and the garden, though far past its prime, is still producing tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and herbs.

There is so much left to be done (as you can see).  But today I’m just going to enjoy the sunshine with my boys. 

All too soon we’ll be cooped up inside, longing to get out without heavy coats and boots.  Oh who cares?  We’ll go out with our coats and boots.  The outdoors are GREAT.  May our adventures be, too.