I have noticed a real shift over the past few years in my attitude towards Autumn. Autumn has gone from the dreaded end of summer/back to the drudgery of school to a comforting time to turn inward and celebrate seasonal rituals and a natural inclination to stay close to home.
In San Francisco, the seasonal change was quite subtle. I had to rely on my calendar to remember that soon it would be Halloween, Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving. Here in Nevada City, the seasons get right in your face. In the summer, on our daily walk, the blackberry bushes would actually reach out and grab us, tease us with the juicy bounty that lay just beyond a layer of prickly branches. Now the blackberries are shriveled or permanently, redly unripe, and our eyes are drawn to the ground where the fallen leaves and acorns make a crunchy, shushing noise with each step. The street adjacent to ours is now an entirely different color. It's hard to ignore. I can't wait to see what winter brings.
On an entirely different note, I laughed out loud when I read the serving information on the back of a bag of cat treats today. First, because Pawlene isn't even on the chart, which goes by "Cat Weight". Second, because the French version of "Cat Weight", listed just below the English version, says "Poids du chat" which, literally translated, means "Pounds of Cat". Heh. I thought it was funny anyway.
In other news, Peter is suddenly speaking in complete, detailed sentences. Even his pre-school is surprised. For example, instead of just shrieking "banana" in the morning until one appears, he now repeatedly shrieks "I want a banana!". If a banana is not forthcoming, he may add "please", and sometimes, I even get a "thank you", unprompted. He also switches to "I don't want a banana" instead of "no banana", when he is feeling obstinate.
Peter's favorite toys (we still have not unpacked his toys from San Francisco) right now are: 1) a broken CD that has been tied to one of those cassette tape to iPod converters with a long cord. He drags it all around the house and inserts the business end of the cord into whatever it will fit into, and into some places that it will not fit. 2) the Day of the Dead magnets on the refrigerator, which he moves into all sorts of configurations. 3) his lovey (this one courtesy of dear friends Rebbecca, Matt, and Malcolm who came through with a stunt double when we lost his last lovey on a visit to Portland). 4) the "Retro Rocket" ride-along that he received last Christmas and crashed spectacularly a month ago.
He still loves his pre-school, and they love him. He sometimes asks to go to pre-school on the days that he stays home with me, which makes me question my mothering abilities. We have a good time together, going for walks, reading, playing with trains, and yesterday we even got out the finger paints. There will be a lot more of that when it starts raining.
Pawlene is enjoying the new position of the sun, which has turned our front porch into something of a Solarium.
Martin has come down with a terrible flu, but is valiantly trying to get healthy with plenty of rest and fluids. He has also simultaneously developed a different kind of flu, which causes him to covet and fantasize about purchasing various kinds of vehicles (mostly motorcycles and airplanes). We are working together on a cure for that one.
And I am happily settled into my Autumn routine of running (training for a half marathon on November 20), yoga, writing, and trying to stay one step ahead of a two and a half year old. We are hosting our annual Jack O Lantern carving party this Sunday, and calling it a housewarming party since it looks like we are settling in for the fall, if not the winter. I am hoping to locate our pictures of our relatives that have passed into the next world by then so that I can throw together a Day of the Dead altar. The unpacking has somewhat stalled out as I get busy with other things. A clear dining room by Thanksgiving is my goal. Wish me luck.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
3 More Things We Learned...
about living in the Country. This just in:
1) Always, ALWAYS shake out your shoes before putting them on your feet. You never know who might have decided to use them as a home while they were sitting in the mud room.
2) Don't leave bowls of fruit perched temptingly on the kitchen table next to the picture window unless you want blue jays slamming themselves against the window in an attempt to taste those delectable organic nectarines.
And lastly,
3) If, when you plug a 50-year-old vacuum cleaner in, you see flames, sparks, or smoke, it's not a good idea to plug it in again to see if you will get the same effect.
xoxo
Pawlene
1) Always, ALWAYS shake out your shoes before putting them on your feet. You never know who might have decided to use them as a home while they were sitting in the mud room.
2) Don't leave bowls of fruit perched temptingly on the kitchen table next to the picture window unless you want blue jays slamming themselves against the window in an attempt to taste those delectable organic nectarines.
And lastly,
3) If, when you plug a 50-year-old vacuum cleaner in, you see flames, sparks, or smoke, it's not a good idea to plug it in again to see if you will get the same effect.
xoxo
Pawlene
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