Welcome in, the tea is waiting.
Monday
Henry chewed our beautiful John Hanley pillow.
The bathroom electrical outlet won’t work.
My husband’s car is rattling.
Is this when we start blaming Mercury being in the microwave?
Tuesday
At lunchtime, I decide to take a walk at Macomber Reservation, my favorite local forest. I bring my stack of notecards with me so I can practice some French phrases before my trip.
When I arrive, I am mesmerized by the autumn that has touched this place. Goldenrod is growing thickly in the meadows. The grasses are turning red and are illuminated by the afternoon sun.
It’s gorgeous.
The brook has run dry, but as I sit on the moss-covered bridge, I can see a small trickle moving slowly over the pebbles.
This walk is more like a wander. It is not for exercise or any other purpose but to notice and observe, exactly what I needed.
I hear a bird in the distance. It sounds just like when you flick your tongue to make knocking sounds. I suspect it’s a woodpecker, but I don’t know for sure.
Trees precariously bend and contort their bodies in ways I’m not sure how they are still standing.
I feel like the character in the book I’m reading. Wild and at home in the woods. October was connected deeply to nature.
Unlike her, I was never a nature girl when I was younger. I hated school field trips to the nature center. Dreary brown walls and dead bugs all around.
But now... I get it.
As for those notecards?
Well, they stayed tucked away in my jean jacket the whole time.
Wednesday
Today I realized that life’s too short not to cut your peanut butter and jellies into triangles.
Thursday
This morning, I played hide-and-seek with the squash.
I went on a hunt to see how many I could find. I counted eight, but I have a feeling some are better hiders than I am a seeker.
Friday
Between Taskmasker commercials, I flip through my French notecards.
Une table pour un, s’il vous plaît. A table for one, please.
Puis-je m’enregistrer plus tôt ? Can I check in early?
Pouvez-vous m’aider ? Can you help me?
As I say m’aider, it hits me.
Oh my goodness.
Is this where the distress signal “Mayday” came from?
It makes so much sense.
It’s so satisfying when your brain figures something out all on its own. It’s like finding hidden treasure.
Saturday
We head off to Boxford for the annual Boxford Apple Festival. It’s the first fall event of the season, and it’s filled with apple crisp and vanilla ice cream, local vendors, games for kids, and goats.
James loves goats, and when we found out that these goats needed adopting, I knew what we were in for. From that point on, it was a game of trying to convince us we should take one home.
“How would we get them home?”
“Buckle them up in the backseat.”
I insisted that while they were adorable, we were not getting another animal. Two dogs are simply a handful. I cannot handle another one.
We were still talking about the goats that evening.
Sunday
Early morning in the park with Henry before the afternoon rain.
It’s so quiet and calm. I find a twisted, knotted-up tree with burrows in the bark and a family of squirrels running up and down it. I imagine that they are siblings chasing after each other after their mother told them to go outside and play.
The field is taken up with geese. Every few minutes, you can hear honking in the distance as the next group arrives.
I wonder if it’s a family reunion or simply a convention to discuss very important news.
Tonight’s dinner: homemade pizza. I’ll chop some red onion, peppers, and broccoli and scatter them on top with fire-roasted corn and fresh mozzarella.
A simple yet delicious way to end the week.
Until our next cup of tea,
Abby