So much for plans to write daily….
So this morning is what I consider my first morning of fall. It’s around 60 degrees or so, the sky is cornflower blue with no clouds to be seen, and the air has that fall-type light quality–crisp, clear, clean with brilliant sunshine reflecting off the leaves and grass. Unlike many I’ve heard lately, I’m not ready for summer to be over. But I can’t deny that days like this are my favorite. I just wish my coffee wouldn’t cool down so darn fast as I sit on the front porch!
Yep, that’s what I’m doing. My favorite weekend morning past-time when the temperature is right. This morning I’ve switched from bare feet and my silk robe over my pajamas to my suede-and-furry Clarks and my plush blue robe (still over summer PJs).
We’re enjoying the last few days of our hummingbirds. Didn’t see them all summer, not even when the coneflowers were in bloom. Then boom, they started showing up about a week ago. Mom, Dad, and teenager. Jeff says we should take the feeders down by September 15th to encourage them on their migration while food sources on their southern trip are still plentiful enough.
So Jeff and kids are going to head out to his dad’s later this morning to help repair the fence in his backyard. I wish they would stay home so we could ride bikes and clean out the garage and my son could get the front yard cut. I’m staying here to work on cleanup on the home front–inside. We’ve been lazy since returning from the beach. When the mom of one of Airria’s friends popped her head in to say hi the other night I was truly embarrassed. While the weather has me wanting to be outside cleaning out the garage today I must stick to priorities (right? I must, musn’t I?). Maybe I’ll listen to some records while I work. Yes–records. Jeff just bought a digital turntable so we can download our records. We got out one box, which has been in the garage for 10 years, and so far everything is playing beautifully!
Whatever I do, I need to keep myself away from my Nook. I’ve been on a spree lately of downloading samples of a real cornucopia of literature and could happily stay here on the porch and browse through them all afternoon. Here’s a sampling of the eclectic samples I currently have: “The Confessions of St. Augustine,” “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” by James Martin, “Lies, Damned Lies, and Science” by Seethaler, “Last Child in the Woods” by Louv, “How to Teach Physics to Your Dog” by Orzel, “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, “The Quest” by Wilbur Smith, “Spook” by Mary Roach, “Affinity” by Sarah Waters, “Other Worlds” by Barbara Michaels, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom, “Odd Thomas” by Dean Koontz, “Angelology” by Trussoni, “The Jeeves Collection” by Wodehouse.
Somewhere in the boxes of books we have in our garage is a compilation of essays on nature by a scientist whose name escapes me. I read his works for a class in college and was captivated — think “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” only better. I spent an hour browsing through titles online last night trying to find his stuff, to no avail. It drives me nuts that I can’t recall his name or the titles of any of his books. They are exactly the kind of contemplative and engaging narrative to accompany this wonderful weather, my front porch, and a cup of coffee. Maybe I will spend a little bit of time digging through the garage today…
