It all shifted this weekend! I haven't heard rain on the roof in so long, but this weekend we did - and with thunder too. Such a relief to hear that sound, and comforting, really. As it came down, I settled into flannel sheets and down comforter with a book and a big exhale before sleeping better than I have in weeks. Though the wind and cold that followed took the last of the leaves off the trees and reminded us of just how real and soon the approaching season is. Our pace on splitting and stacking the last of the wood increased tenfold over the weekend, as the fire inside is now going all the time- our living concentrated to one incredibly full (and now messy) corner of our house. The negotiating (fighting) over who sits in the very spot closest to the fire has begun. We hosted a handful of the French exchange boys from Calvin's school for the weekend, with great hopes of getting them on the lake for some boating and fishing. They returned faster than I imagined, all shivering and edging their own way into that magical spot right in front of the wood stove. It's hard to keep in mind that soon it will be far colder and far less comfortable out there than it is now. But our bodies just haven't acclimated yet, particularly true for those not from here! And so, corners of our home are being refreshed and tidied, readied for the season ahead. A cozy new studio rearrange, more pillows for the daybed by the fire, a new bookshelf placed by Harper's bed because "I really, really want to have a whole lot of books that I can reach without getting out of bed". True that, my love. Tis the season for such things. Let's get ready.
On Saturday, I had a long day of errands and shuttling children here, there and everywhere. The city felt remarkably quiet - the tourists mostly gone, and so many others staying in from the damp day, I presume. At the cell phone store, all the attendants jumped up from the couch they were sitting on watching football since no shoppers were requiring their assistance. At the feed store, I had to call out back to see if anyone was working and could help me buy the grain. At the restaurant that's often hard to get into without an hour wait or more, I was seated immediately for lunch. And at the food coop, I had a leisurely visit with the cashier about life - hers and mine, and butternut squash ideas too.
And then, last on my list, I went to the yarn shop (Knitwit) to pop in for replacement needles (where are my size 4 circulars?). And there, well there it was an entirely different story! Bristol Ivy was leading a short row class full of happy attendees in the back of the shop, and the front was so full of the friendly faces of SO many shoppers. A line stayed steady at the checkout, and the warmth of all of those people - literal and figurative - took the chill of the day right off. I smiled, cheered a bit, as I waited my turn and paid for my needles (and maybe a few other things that somehow ended up in my hands). Yes, I thought. Yes, this is precisely where we are, in the season of cozy.
