Lazy Saturday

Yesterday was a rare lazy day but it didn’t really go as planned.

This week hasn’t been restful so I was grateful for a day at home. I stayed in bed, finishing a Simone St. James page turner, before doing a few chores. Bob the Shark cleaned the floors while Scout periodically reported back that the monster was a menace and needs to go.

It was too windy to be outside. The sunshine beckoned me to the woods but it didn’t feel safe to be under a canopy of tree limbs likely weakened by winter storms. So I turned off the furnace and opened the windows to let the fresh air in. Leftover soup made for a tasty lunch. I had made it Thursday using about-to-expire ingredients and was quite smug when I didn’t have to cook.

And then the wind picked up more and the power went out. So I laid down in bed with a book and promptly went to sleep for the next two hours. Honestly, I think I slept for over two hours and it felt amazing.

The last time I checked the power company was reporting 14,000 customers in the dark with over 300 outage incidents. They’re doing their best but it’s hard to combat Mother Nature’s tirades when they lead to massive tree damage.

And so, I’m writing this at 8:13 p.m. with no hope of seeing electric again for a while. I’m headed back to bed with another book and a flashlight. Here’s hoping all those linemen are safe on the job this weekend while I’m cozy in bed.

Every day can’t be a grand adventure. Sometimes you can make bad circumstances better by leaning into them and accepting them for what they are. For me that means resting up and coping with the circumstances in preparation for better days ahead.

Relax

Turn off the news. Put down your work. Step away from all the worry.

Go outside. Breathe fresh air. Walk through the woods. Feel dirt beneath your feet. Find something beautiful to enjoy.

Relax. The burdens of the world are not yours to carry. It’s Saturday. Give yourself a break and try to be happy.

Autumn Weekend

See it, smell it, taste it, and forget the time of day or year. Autumn needs no clock or calendar. Hal Borland

I took this quote seriously this weekend and gleefully abandoned the clock to enjoy a quiet weekend mostly at home. I have been tired lately and I believe in listening to my body when it asks me to slow down. Not to mention, it has been gloomy, cool and rainy for a few days – ideal conditions to stay inside where it’s cozy.

To quote the frightfully wise six-year-old Wednesday Addams in the original 1964 television classic The Addams Family – “It’s so nice and gloomy.”

So I lit some candles, did a few small chores and slept in two days in a row. Well, I slept in as much as Scout would allow. Mostly, I read. My goal to read 100 books in 2021 seems well beyond reach as I am a daunting seven books behind schedule.

And, of course, Scout was thrilled to have me here and a happy cat makes for a happier life. The paper sack picture was made this weekend. All of the fall pictures came from early last week.

This was just before dusk and the light was lovely in places. Here’s one more for good measure.

So, here we are back at Monday. That means different things to everyone but whatever you do today, I hope you’re kind to yourself.

Sit A Spell

This looks like a great place to sit and read a book or plan an adventure. I’m eight books behind in my 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge so a peaceful place to read sounds incredible.

This lake is my go-to place to walk so I literally have never sat down here for even a minute. In fact, you rarely see anyone sitting on the benches around the lake. Is life really so busy that we don’t have time to sit and relax on a gorgeous fall day?

Seems kind of silly, doesn’t it?

Sometimes

Sometimes the list of things we should stop doing needs to be longer than our to-do list.

At least that’s how I feel today.

Life has been stressful. Work has been busy. These last seven days have been exhausting. Scratch that. These last few months have been exhausting.

I don’t know what I’ll do today but I promise you that it will not involve a single thing on my to do list. Except buy groceries. That’s a must but I enjoy the grocery store so this isn’t a chore.

So, who’s with me? Are you ready to set aside your list for a day?

Deep Breath

It has been a rough week here in America.

A roller coaster has had nothing on our politics for the last few years but never more so than this week. We clearly are witnessing history so I have labored to balance my desire to stay informed with my need for peace of mind.

Today, sanity needs to win. It’s Saturday. Let’s try to have a good weekend.

Turn off the news. Shut down Facebook. Stop listening to the rantings of conspiracy theorists.

We can’t fix the world and if arguing politics with your neighbor for the last five years hasn’t changed them yet, today won’t matter either. You can, however, help yourself. So go do that.

Take a deep breath.

Go outside

DO SOMETHING.

The forecast today is for thirties and maybe some sun. Good enough for me. I’m going to find a place to walk or take a hike in the woods.

Afterward, maybe I’ll clean out a closet or curl up in my new chair with a book and hot chocolate. Maybe I’ll listen to vintage records while making pancakes to freeze for some other morning. Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” is in my LP collection somewhere and reminds me of this image above. It’s from a walk at a local park last month.

I could play with the watercolors I got for Christmas or make some sweet potato chips and have a movie marathon with the cat. The shower needs cleaned and it wouldn’t hurt to clean out the fridge.

I know I won’t be shopping and spending money as this is just day nine of my No Spend Challenge. Luckily, the list of possibilities for a winter Saturday around home is endless!

Take care and enjoy this day. Our problems can wait till tomorrow.