Firsts

I pushed my luck with the lovely fall weather and put flannel sheets on the beds. This inevitably results in another spell of unseasonably warm temperatures. So far, so good... Had to turn the heat on, even. Then we had our first frost from which we rescued the houseplants just in the nick of time from where they've been hanging out on the front porch since July. First snow followed a mere 24 hours after first frost. Wimpy, rainy-snow mix, but snow nonetheless. Which makes for the first oatmeal of the season. 

As I write this the rain/snow has yielded to rain, the squirrels are performing their mad squirrelly dance in the front yard, and the view of the muted autumnal trees across the way is no longer blocked by the corn our neighbor doggedly harvested late into the night. 

The colors, the briskness outside, the coziness inside, the rhythm of the season's chores and preparations for winter, all of it together restores my equilibrium. Everything feels right and good and grounded, even in the midst of the swirling chaos that is our ongoing house renovation and slowly settling in to this new space. Even just gazing to the right of my computer at this view through the picture window is calming. Thank you fall.