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The weather outside is //
As I look outside my window // Fall is in full swing. The morning temperatures are quite crisp now; I’ve had to pull out my big Carhartt for morning chores. Yellow leaves fall from the trees like confetti. The garden has been mostly put to bed for the season, just a few more areas to weed and amend. The pace on the farm is slowing and a winter of rest is on the horizon. We’re so close! I think I can, I think I can…
As I look around the house // Four pumpkins picked from a local farm sit in a row on the kitchen table, ripe and waiting to be carved into jack-o’-lanterns. Our kitchen island is overflowing with eggs. I have a pile of warm, cozy blankets to wash and pile into the living room baskets. It’s so trite to say nowadays, but I have always loved this time of year.
Thinking about // this poem from Mary Oliver:
“I Worried” by Mary Oliver
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
I’m less a worrier and more of an overthinker, a predict-er, a planner, a Plan A/B/C-er. While that way of thinking is sometimes helpful, it’s also so very exhausting. Lately, I’ve been practicing the art of going outside with a blank mind. No lists or plans, just intentionally seeking and naming beauty in my own backyard. Harder than it sounds (!!) but a good challenge. I feel a lot of peace when I can accomplish it.
On this week’s to-do list //
– work on refilling/stocking “winter emergency packs” for each vehicle
– start switching out the kids’ wardrobes
– pack away my summer dresses and bring out the sweaters
– move Fred from pasture into the permanent pig paddock
– work on my junk journal
– give the little boys’ haircuts
Currently reading //
- Fiction: The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day
- Nonfiction: The LCP Solution: The Remarkable Nutritional Treatment for ADHD, Dyslexia & Dyspraxia by B. Jacqueline Stordy PhD, Enemy: A True Story of Courage, Childhood Trauma and the Cost of War by Ruth Clare and Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay
- Religious: The Catholic Mass: Steps to Restore the Centrality of God in the Liturgy by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
On the menu this week //
Monday: loaded breakfast enchiladas
Tuesday: white chicken chili
Wednesday: meatballs with mashed potatoes
Thursday: Refrigerator Cleanout Night
Friday: tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Is the book on the Catholic Mass a good one? I have been thinking about finding a book looking at the history of the Mass — have you ever found one on that?
I’m only about 70 pages in, but it’s excellent so far! I have not yet found a book specifically about the history of the Mass, but would be interested in reading that as well. If you ever find a good one, please let me know!