Friday, October 02, 2015

October Comes Crawling

A quiet week doesn't always produce exciting eye-catching photos or exciting news.  But it still can contain moments and occasions of appreciation and thankfulness.  Yes, we saw the lunar eclipse.  No, I didn't take any photos of it.  Yes, I drove past the beach.  No, I didn't stop and snap a picture.  It was just one of those 'I can only focus on today' kinds of weeks.   Here are Friday Fave Fives from Willow's Rather Quiet Week.

1.  We attended a neighborhood meeting one evening this week.  One of the topics discussed was the progress on securing portions of the hillsides which flooded last winter in the two rainstorms we had and produced horrific mudslides and damaged more than a dozen homes in our area.  I'm thankful that the city and the neighborhood are working together to protect our property and our lives particularly in anticipation of a record rainfall this winter.  [We need the rain.  I just hope it falls in small but steady amounts rather than in torrents.]

2.  My decision to cut a day of teaching from my schedule this year was a good one.  I have had time this week to just sit and relax, do some reading, actually finish my Bible study lesson.

3.  My grandson makes me laugh.  His little five year old mind spins waaay faster than his age and size might suggest.  He was talking to me on the phone and I just sat and laughed.

4.  Finished projects make me happy.  I had been procrastinating on doing finishing work on a few around twenty knitting projects.  I'm not a fan of weaving in the ends on hats or anything else, but I sat down on afternoon [see #2] and finished them all.

5.  Among those projects in #4 were some hats which I needed to mail.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, I just did it.  I stuffed those hats into padded envelopes and braved the post office crush.  But now they're truly DONE and gone to bless the heads of two people who will likely have a lot less hair in a few weeks than they do right now.

Of course, you can't leave this page without a photo, can you?  Here are a couple of pictures I took in other years about this time.  This is October in Southern California.  Ripe yellow lemons, crispy brown sycamore leaves, bright pink bougainvillea, and the ubiquitous palm trees.




12 comments:

Susan said...

Thanks for sharing your photos (even of they are not of today's landscape). I NEED to plan another beach trip soon. In fact I will start those plans today. ;)

So glad that you were able to cut back a day on work. Having that work/rest/create balance is such a privilege and so needed.I am trying to figure that out (still).

Hurray on finishing up some projects and getting them out of the house. What are you working on now?

ellen b said...

Steady light rain would be good instead of torrents. So.Cal. does tend to favor torrents when it finally rains. Glad you cut back a day and now you can relax in between teaching. Have a wonderful weekend!

nikkipolani said...

This upcoming season may prove to be a challenging one -- I'm glad your neighborhood is making plans in case of torrents. And congrats on good planning on your part to free your schedule a bit for other activities.

Barbara H. said...

I understand weeks like that where you can only focus on a day, sometimes a moment at a time. I am glad the city and neighborhood are looking ahead of time for ways to guard against torrents.

I don't know why the finishing touches are the hardest to get to in projects, but they are. Glad you were able to get some of those knocked out.

Cutting out a day sounds like a good move.

Sometimes I try to picture what our little grandson will be like at five or so. I'm looking forward to it. It is so neat to see how their minds unfold as they grow.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Oh I love being able to finish projects like that. I'm sure people who receive your hats will be so grateful.

Gracie Saylor said...

Balancing one's pace of activities is ever a challenge...even after "retiring" I am still finding :) I just finished preparing the first Bible study assignment for "The Grave Robber" by Mark Batterson, and I am glad your new schedule is working well so that you are completing your assignment along with finishing up your stitching and other good activities. Happy Weekend! xx

Faith said...

We had a full day of downpours here in eastern NY this week due to the storms brewing in the southern part of the states/atlantic. Hopefully we will see temps climb back up in the 60s again for the rest of autumn..especially for hiking! Today was partly sunny but rather chilly. We needed thick sweaters or jackets for going to work today! I enjoyed your faves list and YAY for those hats going off to bless some people!! Happy Weekend.

Anonymous said...

So glad for your "extra" day. I'm sure it was needed, and there's no feeling like getting stuff off your plate - I mean Really finished! J is in hospice now. I'll write you. Mary

Mereknits said...

Good for you with the extra day in your week. Five years old's are the best.
Hugs,
Meredith

Susanne said...

I've been trying to figure out how to get an extra day for years. So glad you were able to and can now enjoy that time. Yay for finished projects. It must feel so good!

Jerralea said...

I'm hoping that as I get closer to retirement I could cut back my hours or else work at home. An extra day at home would be heavenly.

Love your fall photos!

Hurrah for finished projects!

Tracy said...

A nice mix for your days lately, Willow... and wonderful with the addition of a day off for slow-time during the week! It is such fun to talk to young one. I was on the phone with my youngest niece last night, she'll be 7 soon... she's just sooo smart, and so funny! Happy Days ((HUGS))