The entrance of November seems to officially welcome Fall in my mind. Gone are the Halloween decorations and gone are most the clinging summer leaves. The trees bare themselves for what is to come, Thanksgiving themes are out on display, and my heart begins to ponder the year that is past and the year that... Continue Reading →
An attempt at thanksgiving
As the chaos of classroom noise subsides and I close my curriculum notes for the evening, I give thanks. For three gifts of the reaping. A table-full of breads and muffins, fruits and breads - a sweet Fall gift from parents at school. Macaroni Grill take-out dishes - perhaps not in the traditional sense, but... Continue Reading →
The lullaby of gifts falling
I need a long, hot bath. I need a massage. I need to inhale. An alarm clock shook me out of sleep fraught with angry dreams. School bells every 43 minutes kept me moving from one class period to another. I'm done in. Still, the Fall air beckons, and I stumble outdoors to capture its essence.... Continue Reading →
Crazy joy. {In pursuit.}
A deep breath of cool crispness. A sigh of cinnamon. A spoon of pumpkin chowder. New beginnings from the ushering out of summer's greens. Whatever is so wrong with childlike giddiness? Whoever said leaves shouldn't fly beneath the feet of the aged? It's a pursuit of crazy joy. In the writings of Ann Voskamp. In... Continue Reading →
I’ve got a hankering for a couch
The weather can't make up its mind. Some days Summer blazes on in full glory. While other days Fall flits around like an ADHD student...or an emotional woman...or both. Such is also what one can expect from oneself when the weather plays hide-and-seek with dependability. Yes, folks, ever since I was freshman in college, I've... Continue Reading →
Juxtaposition. Curling of brokens and browns.
Yesterday, shivers made merry with the glorious reds and yellows outside my living room windows. A summer hold-out finally gave in to the claim of lingering frost, green leaves transforming themselves into their pre-winter wardrobe. Today, reds and yellows curled into brokens and browns, dropping away with the wind. Beauty. Here for a day. Now... Continue Reading →
Reds and oranges
A stripe of fire streaks across the dawn sky. The rich orange flesh of butternut squash lays bare before my knife. Greens, yellows, and oranges rustle in the dying trees. Raspberry gems dye fingers and dishes crimson. Scarlet leaves lose themselves in evergreen vines. The tattered cover of favorite book wedged on fireplace mantel. Festive... Continue Reading →
A feast of fall
I wish that I could say that I baked, cooked and created this weekend out of a sheer love of all things homey and productive. Ah, that would be a nice reality, if only it weren't just a dream. Truth be told, I completed several culinary projects due to the fact that the food in my... Continue Reading →
End of a long day
The clock reads 5:40 p.m.. My body would believe that it is at least several hours later. I can hear my family chattering in the background, as my mind attempts to wind down from the rigors of the day. This is the week of Parent/Teacher Conferences, and all fellow teachers understand the sheer exhaustion that comes with the... Continue Reading →