Autumn, Then & Now

The leaves are dancing and twirling into ever growing piles in our yard, while the last few brilliantly hues cling desperately to the only place they've ever known. The winter berries are coming on the stage with a glad song, and the mums are out in full force.

Mmmmm, I love this time of year! It is such a beautiful and inspiring season, with seemingly endless analogies. My eyes never tire of drinking in the gorgeous color palette that our Creator displays with wild abandon at this time of year, 'tis quite impressive.

The sunsets right now up here in the foothills have me in constant awe of the beauty of warm light contrasted with color. I have some lovely images to share, hopefully in the next day or two... tomorrow my new software is due (hoping, hoping!!), and then I will be gungho getting a whole pile of images processed (can't wait!).

In the meantime, I have taken this week to refocus my attention to other needy areas; the laundry room has had a revamp, the attic been organized, my desk unearthed, my personal artsy journal of photos, magazine clippings, etc. made leaps and bounds, the girls' wardrobes updated and old/too small items either stowed away or are leaving the premises one way or another! :)

I also had a chance to sit down with a book that I'd read once years ago before marriage... It was good then, but excellent now that I'm actually in the seat that the book speaks to. Called Letters To Karen, it is a compilation of letters written by Karen's father Charlie W. Shedd, a pastor, to her before her own wedding. It's really only a booklet, so take a quiet hour before bed sometime to see what I mean when I say it is full to the brim with nuggets of worth! One of the topics that Karen's father touched on was housekeeping/"wifing", and in it he quoted an old English Proverb: "There is but one hour a day between a good housewife and a bad one." Oh my, that was convicting. Anyone who knows me personally will know that a tidy home (in every nook and cranny) is not my forte. I may know where everything is and be a organizational freak, but those darn dishes in the sink just seem rooted to the spot, as well as that laundry basket of folded clothes waiting to be put away. I've tried putting an hour on the timer the last few afternoons and it has helped tremendously. Let's hope this good streak lasts! :)

I was looking back over some older photos and found one that a friend took of our little family a year ago. Here's another that my sister in law snapped of us a couple Sundays back. I love how much the girls change in just one year; Evangeline now fits the same clothes that Elizabeth was in! :)

Happy Autumn!

~len