Hi, Hey, Hello!
Goodness, I’m so happy to see you! How the heck are you?!
I’m so glad we have the time to settle in for a proper chat! What can I get started for you? I’m brewing up some black tea with milk and honey (obviously) but also have coffee or any herbal tea your heart could desire… hot or iced!
It’s a little chilly today, after last night’s rains, so let’s start our chat at the kitchen table, shall we?
The Threshold Between Summer and Autumn
It isn’t often in our neck of the woods that the turning of a calendar page and a season align just so, but September always seems to fall in step with what’s just around the bend. Autumn is my favorite season with it’s long exhale, brilliant colors, final pushes, and the promise of true rest right on the other side.
It’s true that the first official day of Autumn falls on September 22, but September 1st always seems to stroll in like a boss, ready to usher in the next season with moody skies, significantly cooler evening temperatures (the best!), and a solid amount of moisture.
I’m here for it all 🙂
How’s September unfolding in your neck of the woods? Do you notice a rather sudden shift or is there a slower transition over the threshold of seasons?
Recent Reads and Words
I think I’ve mentioned before how, against my wishes, the summer months make it rather hard for me to get much reading done. Between the sweaty heat, the risk of rattle snakes and red racers (no earbuds allowed outside), and the pure exhaustion of it all (I can maybe get a paragraph in before passing out at night), I’m often unable to get much physical reading or audio listening in during the hottest months.
What does that really mean? It means I finished zero books in July which carried over and added up to only four finished books in August.
I know, that’s truly nothing to sneeze at, but the point is, I feel the void of non-reading in my life and it has become a sore point. And so, the four I finished in August felt like an upward swing, like I was getting my reading groove back!
I’ve just begun The End of the World As We Know It and will say that, with it’s opening short story, it will no doubt pull me into every emotion The Stand did all those decades ago, for better or for worse.
Let’s just say I may not be able to read these stories before bed for fear of the nightmares they may introduce into my dream world.
I’ve also been able to commit more time to writing recently which is wildly fulfilling! With this opening of writing opportunities I’ve decided to create a couple of recurring posts:
Work(s) in Progress which will show my creative endeavors as they unfold.
- Intro Post: On Beginnings, Endings, and Everything In Between
- First process post: Embroidery 101
Noted which will contain gentle reflections of the previous month.
What have you been reading/writing recently? Do you find that there are ebbs and flows to how much and when you can commit to your TBR or your writing?
Milestones
My wife and I celebrated our Tenth Wedding Anniversary on September 5th with a phenomenal dinner at Radish & Rye the night before and a calm day at home the day of. It was exactly as it should be.
My youngest daughter and I began our sixth year of homeschool learning on Tuesday with a trip to the living museum, Las Golondrinas, for an educational talk about the history of the little valley we live in which is part of a Spanish Land Grant dating back to the late 1700s.
Whew! I think that’s it for now! Thanks for sharing a cuppa with me today! I so appreciate the company!
As always, big thanks to Natalie for hosting us and providing a platform for us to find each other over a cuppa.
Also, thanks to Deb at Reader Buzz for hosting the Sunday Salon where we can catch up on all.the.things.
If you have a few extra minutes, please pop over and see what others are up to, too!
Onward,
Melissa
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Happy Anniversary! I read The Stand just a few years back – the unabridged “author’s” version. Yes, the best of Stephen King. I’m sure the short story book will be interesting.
Enjoy the prelude to autumn and have a wonderful week!
Thank you, Trent! I was truly lovely! And yes, I have to agree that The Stand is, indeed, the best of King. I simply could not add this new addition to my shelves! Hope your weekend is shaping up well and you have a great week ahead! Enjoy that pup of yours!
With the book, I can’t see that title without thinking of REM!
Neither can I. I wonder if that was by design…
I love your photos. Happy Tenth Wedding Anniversary!
Thank you thank you, Vicki! Hope you’re enjoying a lovely weekend!
Congratulations on your 10th wedding anniversary. Anight out for a nice meal followed by a calm day at home … perfect
I agree about Sept. IT rolls in with a nip to the air that seems to come fom nowhere.
Perfect indeed! Much needed sustenance and a bit of respite, often taken for granted and yet so deeply fulfilling!
Enjoy your weekend and slow roll through September! It’s been raining here all afternoon and feels so cozy!
Happy 10th wedding anniversary! I’m currently reading We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (author of the Thursday Murder Club books). I haven’t been able to read much this year. Hosting the weekly Weekend Coffee Share keeps me writing at least once a week 🙂 Thank you for your coffee share. Have a wonderful week ahead!
Thank you, Natalie! I’m glad you’re getting some reading in, even if it’s just a smidge! I can only imagine how busy the weekend coffee share keeps you but am so grateful for your commitment to it! Hope you have a great week ahead!
Happy anniversary! Hope you have had a good weekend.
Thank you so much! Hope the week ahead is a great one for you!
Happy 10th wedding anniversary! That is no small feat!
I do see some ebb and flow in my reading habits. I usually do more leisurely reading during the summer, for several reasons. Reason number one being that the natural light, longer days with almost 24 hours of daylight gives me more energy. Number two being that I usually have 4-5 weeks of vacation where I do not work or attend school. During the school year on the other hand I read and write a lot for school and work. (I am working on my second master part time, and work part time as a kindergarten teacher.) This year I am going to make an extra effort to find a balance between work/school/life which includes reading for fun during my free-time. So far so good!
Have a fabulous rest of your weekend and week to come!
It’s amazing to me how those of us who love reading always find a way to find a flow with it. It’s like it’s always there, calling us back when our time and capacity allows for it 🙂 Glad you’ve been able to squeeze some in, you’re a very busy woman!
Happy tenth wedding anniversary! A fantastic meal and a calm day afterward sound like excellent ways to celebrate.
Our heat goes on and on here, but that is good for me—I am not a fan of the cold, and the heat allows me to keep swimming long after many have packed up their suits and towels.
Oh yes, being a swimmer means you must enjoy every warm moment you can get! I hope the season stretches for 🙂 Thank you for the well wishes, I am so grateful for my wife!
Happy Anniversary!
What a fun restaurant name: Radish & Rye. It has a story vibe, an epic story vibe, to me.
I love the fall, too. The cooler morning and evenings, but a cozy temperature through the day. The way the leaves turn colour is beautiful. And, I confess, I am a pumpkin fan. I had my first pumpkin spice latte the other day.
Happy Sunday, Melissa.
Happy Sunday! The restaurant is super cool and was such a wonderful treat! Ah, I’m a big pumpkin fan, too! But more of the pumpkin pie variety than the latte variety 😉 I am *psyched for the season!!! Hope you have a great week ahead!
Happy anniversary!!
I am also super excited about autumn. I can’t wait for the weather to turn here, it’s been way too sunny. I need some gloomy rainy days mixed in here and there. And we desperately need rain in general.
I embroider too! I find it so relaxing at night while we watch television.
Hi Erin! Thanks for popping by and for your kind words! I’m right there with you with the gloomy days and moisture needs! We had a few storms make their way through last week and it was so divine! Hoping you get some soon! Yay for embroidery! I’m just getting started and am finding I need to temper my enthusiasm. I started looking at patterns last night and might need to win the lottery with all the awesome designs out there! One at a time…one at a time 😉 Have a wonderful week ahead!
First of all, a very happy anniversary to you and your wife! A lovely way to celebrate.
If I had to watch out for rattlesnakes, then I wouldn’t be listening to anything either. In Maine, that’s not a problem. 😉
I am an avid reader, but my reading slacks off in the summer. In Maine, summer is short, and winter is long, so I don’t worry about it too much.
Always a great pleasure to read about life in your “neck of the woods.” In Maine, turning the calendar to September is also a change of the season from summer to fall. Rather than January, September always feels like the start of the new year.
Hi Laurie! Thank you thank you! It’s been a wonderful ten (+9) years together <3 I sure am glad you don't have rattlesnakes there and would love to have a smidge of the New England colors you all get up there but I do love my four balanced seasons (for now) and high dessert life :-) Enjoy the seasonal shifts and have a wonderful week ahead!
Will do!
It’s getting a bit autumnal here too, and I love it. I can’t wait to explore the new area (since I moved in July) a bit more with the weather being a bit cooler and nicer for cycling.
Congrats on the wedding anniversary!
Ooohhh… a new place to explore in the upcoming seasons sounds wonderful! I’m sure you’ll have your senses up and open to so many wonderful surprises, especially while cycling! I do hope you’ll write about it!
My reading time ebbs and flows (when my kids were little and we were homeschooling I had way less time to read). Since starting a new job in June, I have had a bit less time to read, but my commute and audiobooks help to get a decent amount of reading in. Have a great week!
Oh yes, audio books during a commute are such a nice way to get some reading in. It’s a solid hour from our house to the city so I often do the same. I find it makes time move differently in a good way 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend!
Happy Anniversary! I love that sunflowers correspond with your celebration.
Thank you, thank you!
Happy Anniversary!! Loved all your pics, especially the clouds! Autumn seemed to come in abruptly, one week we had 90s and the next, 40s at night. I’m super excited to usher in the Halloween season once again. I loved The Stand as well, although it’s been so long ago could reread it. I also enjoyed Addie Larue! Also trying to carve out more time to read.
Hi Kathleen! Apologies for the delayed response, it’s been a *week! Thank you for your kind words ! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy the shift into spooky season, too! Such a lovely time of year!
Happy Anniversary. There is slight chill in the mornings and a gray day here and there but the sun is still bringing the heat in the afternoons. Your embroidery is coming along beautifully.
Thank you, Hena! I hope you had a lovely week and enjoy each moment of your weekend!
Happy anniversary to you and your wife! Your photo looks lovely! The first week of September seems to be the hottest in Southern California. I’m all here for cooler weather.
Hi Julie! Thanks for popping over! I hope you get some cooler weather soon, it is such a refreshing shift when it settles in for a bit 🙂 Happy weekending!