My View

I don't often feel spoiled (though perhaps I ought to - I have a pretty wonderful life). I have my moments of peeking in on others' lives, often through social media or blogs, and a streak of jealousy runs through me, often accompanied with the thought, "If only we had a little more [fill in the blank]." That is usually followed by a dose of guilt, realizing that it's really not cute to covet what others have and to realize that the grass is always greener and that I really ought to appreciate what things I do have, which are many and good.

But goodness, sometimes it's nice to feel like you have something very special, something that not everyone can have. And this, this is what I have:

A stumbled upon lake while out on a going-to-nowhere drive.

A misty morning just outside of my parents' house.

Oh, the hills! An everyday delight.

Of course, anyone who travels to or lives in  Maine can see these beautiful places and claim them as their own. But there is something about these places that make my heart ring. I feel special for knowing them, some intimately and others just in passing. I do not own many things that are of great value or beauty, but I have these places which spoil my need for nature and beauty so. I have the view.

Tricks and Treats

We've been busy here the last couple of days. The week of Halloween festivities has finally hit and kicked off with two things: a story and an early bout of trick-or-treating.

I'm awful about remembering my camera (and when I have it in hand, my photographs aren't necessarily worth hanging on to - one might think my children are simply colorful blurs rather than actual skin and bone children), but I really do wish I had it Friday. Our town and it's down town businesses do an annual Halloween walk in the afternoon a week or so before the holiday. This was our first year participating, but having done the town Easter egg hunt in the spring, which was similarly organized, I felt it would be well done, safe, and fun (which it was).

E., after much deliberation, decided she wanted to be a farmer, and a friend luckily spotted a pea pod costume for M. in a local consignment shop (we couldn't quite decide what he was going to be, so it was lucky we found the costume!). They both looked absolutely adorable and a lot of folks got a real kick out of their get up. I think for Halloween I'll even add a nice little blue ribbon for E.'s prize winning, and pretty huge, pea pod.

And now, for a story. I really enjoyed coming up with our Michaelmas tale early last month. I don't normally consider myself a good off the cuff story teller, but lately that skill is becoming fine tuned. It's especially helpful to have little M. to test things on. So, when I wanted to come up with a bit of a Halloween-y story that also corresponded with our changing scenery this is what I told M., and then later, E.

Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a little goblin who lived under a stump. All little goblins love to play tricks, and this goblin was no exception. 

One crisp, autumn morning the little goblin came out of his hidey-hole and looked up at the green, green leaves of the trees. 

"I'm tired of these green leaves," he said to himself. "I should play a fun trick to change just that!" 

So each night, for many nights, the little goblin went out and painted the trees leaves. Some were golden yellow, others firey orange, and still more were golden red. Very soon, all the leaves were different colors and the little goblin was very happy and so where the people who would walk in the woods and gaze up and the beautiful fall leaves. 

After some weeks, as the autumn air grew cooler, the goblin began to grow restless and tired of the colorful leaves. He was ready for another trick. 

He thought to himself - "Wouldn't it be fun if all those leaves feel to the ground. The would go swoosh, swoosh crunch under people's feet, and mothers and fathers would rake them up into piles and children would jump in them or hide in them and pop up and say, 'BOO!'"

So each night, for many nights, the little goblin went out and shook the trees, making their leaves flutter down to the ground. The wind helped, too, and soon all the trees leaves fell to the ground, going swoosh, swoosh, crunch under people's feet and being raked into piles from children to jump and hide in. 

The little goblin was very happy with his tricks that autumn and thought perhaps it would be fun to do them every year. And from then until now, everyone has seen his handiwork in the autumn's colorful and falling leaves.

E. really loved this story and has since requested others (including one featuring a swim in "our" lake). I've told her she has to give me a couple of days to think of something, but I think I can fulfill the order.

A quick little note: This little story is my intellectual property. If for some reason you feel like you'd like to share the story online, please link back to my blog. Thanks! :-)

The Last of the Bounty

The last week has been a bit of an up and down, weather wise. Monday, when I brought E. to school, I had M. in a fleece hat and and snuggled in the carrier. Today? Baby and I sweat it out in the dance studio - and we weren't the ones dancing!

Rhythmically, this week has been a lot like the weather. We've had our pretty incredible share of car issues, I started my new job, E. started ballet and tap lessons, the mister was home an extra day, we're getting ready to go away for the weekend, and E. is still adjusting to going to school. I'm exhausted just thinking about all if it and whatever footing we gained last week completely went out the window.

But today we tried to bring back some of that soothing quiet back into our lives. Between nasty rain and thunder storms, M. and I got outside and picked what little was left of our blackberries.

At this point in the year, they're really not that tasty. The berries are a bit shrivelled and more bitter than sweet. Gone are those addictive bursts of juicy-sweet tartness. But now it's not so much about the berries themselves, but the act of harvesting - the soothing rocking back and forth with the occasional pause to kiss a baby's head.

The blackberries are just about gone (though I have loads waiting in the freezer for a Michaelmas feast), the leaves are just starting to let the color start at their tips, and I can imagine that after this week is done, the humid days of 90 degree weather are, for the most part (I hope!!) behind us. The last of the summer bounty, for my home at least, has come in, and I can feel that desperate need to slow down so our bones can settle in for the winter