Blue Yonder

White Magic

I think this might be the end of the world as we know it.... at the same time that folks in Maine and Vermont were enjoying balmy temperatures and sunshine, we Texans were getting our first snow in years. 

 Last Friday James and I were at the grocery store gathering up last minute party supplies for Ryder's birthday sleepover. We walked out with our cart and found ourselves right smack in the midst of a snowfall. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone, EVERYONE, around us was in silent, gob-smacked awe. 

Now you must understand, we haven't seen so much as single flake in six years. SIX! So you must know that this was a show stopper. 

Real. 

Live. 

SNOW!

We raced home and ran outside to soak it in with the brothers. 

It was like a quiet miracle. White magic. Not a flake stuck. It was gone as quickly as it came. 

Still, Ryder says that his very first snow sighting (and Jasper's too!) was "the best birthday present ever." 

I have to agree. There's something so right about seeing the melty wonder of Texas snowflakes and the fleeting days of childhood all swirled together. In that one brief and shining moment you know, you just KNOW, that this is the good stuff. 

************

Don't forget to get all your entries in on the Julie and Julia contest! I will be drawing our winner tonight!

Autumn On the Inside

Happy new week everyone!

We have well and fully reached the most gorgeous golden fall in these parts. Highs are expected to be between 76 and 78 all week long. Sunny, crisp and sweet... perfect. This, of course means that we are spending as much time as we can soaking it all up. The doors and windows are open and we flow in and out with the breeze. 

Our nature tables (there are THREE!) are full to overflowing with acorns and seed pods, but my boys were finding it mightily disappointing each time their lovely leaves, carried home with such care, would shrivel and brown on their tables. 

So.... out came the contact paper and card stock.  

...and all was made better. 

Eren has a great post on nature tables at the Magnifying Glass. Check it out!

There's also a lovely grouping of nature displays here. 

Before I go, I wanted to let you know that I have added a few of those promised slow cooker recipes to our Recipe Box. I will be adding to that list as we find new favorites, so check back!

Also, I'm very pleased today to be included in the Mama View Series at Progressive Pioneer. It is really such an honor to be spending some time alongside so many amazing mamas. I hope you'll check out all of the Mama View interviews! 

Have a lovely day, friends!

To See What We Could See

My guys have been wanting to hike this one particular trail for some time. We wandered the lower trails  in the summertime, but just couldn't work up the nerve to make the big climb in the heat. 

So yesterday, when the clouds parted, the rain stopped and the perfect golden autumn day emerged, it was time to call an end to the school work and see if we could make it to the top. 

Little did I know what an adventure it would be! We have been reading aloud D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, so of course, they decided that it was not just any old mountain that we climbed. It was none less than the great Mt. Olympus!

We found evidence that Persephone has not yet been carried off to Hades this year. 

We saw Bellerophone, great tamer of Pegasus. 

We witnessed poor Arachne, doomed to forever spin her web. (And in this case, spinning her silken ties around her latest catch!)

We glimpsed the golden Elysian fields, final resting place of heros. 

Then my weary little Titans, and Cerberus (three headed dog of Hades - aka our Jasper) headed home for ambrosia and nectar (milk and graham crackers). 

What a lucky mama I am, to get to see the world through the eyes of little boys. 

Look What the Alligator Dragged In!

We had such a great time at the lake. We had one nice grey rainy cold day in which to snuggle in and cozy up, and then one sunny warm day in which to romp and play. You can't ask for better than that!

Unfortunately, we didn't see any alligators. Lots of herons and cormorants and cranes, some great big catfish and bass, even some camo-clad duck hunters on the misty morning lake, but no alligators. 

But... 

but....!

Just look what we DID find. 

... or rather what found us. 

This little dog had taken up temporary residence at our lodge and was in need of a more permanent home. We were not exactly in the market for a dog, but this little guy just won our hearts. He's smart as a whip, funny, great with kids and well,  dang cute, if we do say so. 

So meet Jasper, the latest addition to the Blue Yonder pack. 

He slept all the long way home in the car, and then was treated to a bath, new dishes of his own, a leash, collar and a tag that declares him to be a member in good standing of this household. 

Funny thing about Jasper, he acts like he's always belonged. Whenever anyone leaves he takes up his spot at this window and keeps watch for their return. 

He is ours, yes, but we are also his. 

*****************************************************************

A quick note for the locals - if you're of the hunting/fishing persuasion or love some folks who are, you should definitely check out Choke Canyon Lodge. You know what, even if you don't like fishing, you should go stay there anyway... just go to relax, sit in a rocker by the outdoor fireplace and watch the world go by. It's such a little gem of a spot, made even more so by the sweet lady, Miss Happy, who  runs the place. By the end of our stay we were all ready to move right in with Miss Happy! If you get down there, be sure to tell her that we said hello, and that Jasper's doing just fine :-)

emerging

It has been such a rough few months. 

The heat does things to me. 

It drains me. Makes me tired and cranky and uninspired. Listless. Unmotivated. Five months is a long time to be in a heat induced funk, people. A very very long time.

Now though... the mercury is dropping (and when I say "dropping" I mean "moving into the low 90s and  80s"). So all that weight and oppression is slowly peeling away. 

The best part? 

...becoming reacquainted with the woods. 

It feels like heaven to walk outside and not feel the furnace blast. We are reveling in our newly rediscovered ability to be outside for more than five minutes.  We are drinking DEEPLY after a long, numbing thirst. 

 

A few days ago, we had our first long walk in the woods since I don't even know when, and it was just like coming home. The boys ran around squealing, vibrating, joyous. "Remember this path mama? Remember the old treehouse? Remember that tree with the hole it in?" 

It's like riding a bike ... this love of the wild things... no matter how long they've been away from their favorite woodsy places, they still remember just exactly how to soak them up. They know where to find bark bug trails, and where the moss and mushrooms grow and where all the best crawly things hide. They know how to BE outside, to really be in it. And we are so grateful to have the chance again.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome and hundred times WELCOME, autumn! We have been so looking forward to having you here!

My oldest summed it up best on our walk when he said, "Doesn't it just feel so good to feel good again?"

Oh yes it does.