Weekend Away

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This weekend was a lovely weekend away, with a visit to family on the farm where I grew up, and a loop around through the mountains of north-central PA to lunch with my step-daughter at college.
Western NY is lovely at the close of summer, gardens bursting with tomatoes and beans and pumpkins, the corn drying on the stalk and the leaves not quite turning.

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The zinnias bloom vibrant and cheerful, undaunted by a first early frost.

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Blue Skies Smiling At Me

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This day the sky shone crystal-clear with not a cloud to be seen. Just sky, stretching on forever, with the occasional glint of a plane in the setting sun.

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The heathery fields beside the trail glowed with goldenrod at dusk.

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The cicadas are still singing, but I think it may be a swan song.

Of Quilts and Comfort

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The temperature has dipped and the air has cleared, with enough chill to warrant blankets. Over my shoulder I pull the quilt made for me by my paternal grandmother, scraps of fabric of unknown provenance stitched together, more practical than lovely. Such a change a day brings. Just last night I slept fitfully in the clammy air, dreaming of an autumn that never seemed to arrive.

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Starting & Finishing

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This day started with a visit to market, and reminiscence with my sisters about how over 90 years ago our grandpa used to shop for plain Mennonite suits at the Hager Department Store, with its ornate “H” and elegant facade. Amazing to think how long ago he walked the same streets & shopped the same market where our very feet were today.

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The day ended with a fast-moving, intense thunderstorm, and then the quiet of a sunset.

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Rituals

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I don’t have many indulgences, but fresh ground coffee beans for my coffee each morning is one of them. Before my shower, and before I’m even awake, really, I stumble to the kitchen, pour beans in the grinder and get the coffee started for the day.

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This is also a sign to the kitties to run to the kitchen and line up for treats. Sad are the mornings when I’ve forgotten to stock up on treats- I try to pass off their regular food but they know better and walk away in disdain, tails twitching.

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No matter how busy the morning, I try to grab a few minutes by the window, cup in hand, enjoying the first few sips of my morning brew. But the best mornings are the ones with no agenda and no deadline, to savor an entire mug and ease into the day.

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Fall Teaser

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Today I snuck a rare day off work, on a random Thursday, because despite the mountain of work that always threatens to bury me, there was nothing that couldn’t wait one more day. It was a perfect day to be off, dawning crisp and cold like autumn even though it’s only August.

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I had a lazy tour around the farmer’s market and was delighted to find the season’s first apples, smelling like orchards and fall.

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I brought my treasures home, and supper was a veggie buffet, with sweet corn, sautéed zucchini, heirloom tomatoes with basil, and sweet watermelon.

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I ended my work-free day with a walk at dusk, in the chill of the evening.

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