Is not this a true autumn day?  Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonize.  The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit.  Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  
GEORGE ELIOT, LETTER TO MISS LEWIS, OCTOBER 1, 1841
From The Life Giving Home by Sally & Sarah Clarkson

I love fall.  The crisp mornings, the warm afternoons, the cool evenings.  The trees changing colors – only God could make death so beautiful.  Jackets, pumpkins, mums, candles, soup & bread dinners…I could go on and on.  I’ve been cooking and baking more and so enjoying this weather.  

Soon our maple tree will be covered in red.

Our family has settled into fall well.  The kids are thriving in school and I’m beyond surprised and grateful that we’re still attending in-person.  I was sure we’d be sent home by now.  Our campus has had a few classes quarantined for possible symptoms, but so far we’ve been spared.  We are thankful.  I continue to tell the kids that every day they get to go to school is a gift.  Enjoy it.  Learn all you can.  Be kind.  Work hard.  And have fun.  

Life is busy with school and activities.  We are slowly moving into a season where I often feel like the chauffeur of the family.  James has a drum lesson Tuesdays right after school.  Wednesday evenings are youth group and Sunday school.  And Thursday and Friday afternoons are ballet.  We still are making family dinners a priority and shift dinnertime if needed so we can all eat together.  Our Friday family nights are more crucial now to give us a time to connect as a family.  The kids are growing so fast and learning so much.  They are becoming more independent – coming home from school, doing homework and chores, packing their lunch.  They are remarkable young people and we are privileged to be their parents.  

Kenny continues to work from home which is working well.  His days are very full but we’re thankful he’s home more and able to spend more time with the family.  Since I can’t volunteer at school, I’ve been working hard getting projects done around the house.  I finally got all of the mattresses cleaned, aired, and rotated.  We had the windows cleaned inside and out and the carpets cleaned.  I spent one morning cleaning all of the wood blinds and washing curtains.  And, I’ve been sorting and purging my old desk in the office and transferring items to a new desk.  Slowly I’m crossing things off the list!  

On September 5th, Kenny and I celebrated our sixteenth wedding anniversary with hot air balloons!  We have some friends who own a balloon and participate in the local balloon festival every year.  This year, they needed some extra hands and asked us to help crew for the day!  Typically, all of the balloons launch from the same location.  Because of COVID this year, the balloons launched from many different sites around town.  We really enjoyed interacting with maybe 50 people versus the thousands that usually attend this event.  

We’ve been attending the balloon festival for many, many years and have some wonderful memories.  See previous posts here:  2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. Working up close with the balloon was so much fun and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Setting up before sunrise…

Checking winds

Drake, in the cowboy hat, has been a classmate of Anna’s since Kindergarten. His family owns the balloon.

Launching…

Burning off some steam

Chasing the balloon around town…

Landing and packing up…Landing involved quickly pulling over to the side of the road and racing through the field to help hold the balloon down as it landed.  

Tailgating afterwards…We all met at a park afterwards for some yummy food and a balloon ceremony.

All of the kids chasing geese.

Drake & Anna

The balloon glow that evening…Due to wind we couldn’t inflate the balloons but we still enjoyed the beautiful sunset and time with friends.

Way to go James!

Our weather changed drastically this week – Swinter has arrived!  Summer and Winter have collided and I’m not sure who will win.  We’d been having very warm weather – in the 90’s – then the temperature dropped significantly and along with it came snow!  Autumn is supposed to arrive in less than two weeks so hopefully we’ll still have a fall this year and get to enjoy some moderate weather for a change. 

While the snow was a complete shock, hopefully the moisture and cooler temps will help the fires in our state.  The smoke and air quality have been so poor lately. 

Our mountains have been hidden many days recently from smoke.

Monday night we were celebrating Labor Day with our small group at an outside BBQ wearing shorts, tank tops, and flip flops.  The next day we had to dig out winter coats, hats, and gloves.  I still can’t quite believe it!  On the plus side, the weather change inspired me to get cozy.  I spent most of Tuesday baking and cooking and we turned on the fireplace that evening.  We moved our thermostat from A/C directly to Heat – not sure we’ve ever done that without some days in between needing neither.  

We’ve been in school two weeks now and so far so good!  We continue to pray for health for our school community so we can remain open.  We’re slowly getting used to our new school routine – getting up early, homework, packing lunches, and fitting in drums and ballet.  We’ve all been tired but we’ll be in our rhythm soon.  With Kenny still working from home, we can now have day-time dates!  We had lunch out together last week and enjoy lunch together at home most days.  So fun.  We continue to split the carpool duties – Kenny drives in the morning and I pick up in the afternoon.  It works very well – we both enjoy the time in the car with the kids and listening to them talk about their day.

Goodbye, flowers!

As the snow begins outside, Anna is trying to get used to the new temps while doing homework.

2020 continues to keep us on our toes – and knees – trusting our Heavenly Father who knows and plans all.