Perfectly Content

I have been trying all day to wrap my head around the fact that we are into November. What have I been up to that I feel as though I have completely missed October? Granted, October was very gray and gloomy and rainy, toggling between too warm and quite chilly, so there was nothing grabbing your attention and saying "I'M HERE!!! I'M OCTOBER!!!!" But the very chilly, very windy weekend we've had makes you stand up and take notice that the penultimate month of the year is here.

On Friday I took the afternoon off of work thinking I had to get my windshield replaced, thanks to a rogue rock flung in my direction from the car in front of me a few weeks ago. The guy took one look, said "Yeah, we can fix that" and twenty minutes later told me I was finished. I was absolutely overjoyed to have my afternoon emptied on a chilly cloudy Friday. Home I drove, and claimed my corner on the sofa with the last of my sweater to finish, afternoon Jeopardy on TV, and a cup of hot chocolate nearby. Pizza for dinner, some scented candles, and a Halloween visit by a ninja turtle in training made the day perfect.

I plugged away at various this-and-thats for the rest of the weekend, and late this afternoon, while taking out a bag of trash, I noticed the light. It hasn't been clear and sunny for a while, and as we just set our clocks back last night the light was very different--usually I'm eating dinner or starting my workout when the light is just so.

This small shaft of golden light lit up just a touch of this tree. It always amazes me how some leaves confront their own mortality right away, and others fight and fight before giving up the ghost and turning brilliant colors before they float to earth, becoming a crunchy carpet for both man and animal.

I understand folks who don't want to jump in puddles, but I don't get those who don't find joy in kicking through the leaves and crunching them under your feet. The gusts of wind (and they were quite strong) made it hard to be outside too long, as it was really chilly, too (almost cold). But I absolutely had to stop and take a picture of the final act of this year's hydrangea bush.

Those flowers, those colors, are both growing on the same bush, along with some that are even bluer.

There is nothing like golden afternoon sunshine on a blustery day. It's just so very perfect.

As is evening candlelight. Especially when the flames lean in for a kiss.

There was also closet cleaning, next-project planning, pattern tracing, sweater finishing, and blanket forts. I am going to bed happy. Night-night :)