Gratitude Friday

parkinglotscene

1. Fall color. I think we are heading into the last few weeks of it, with our first real freeze and the garden officially done. I was so ready for summer to be over, but I’m so not ready for the long, dark season just yet.

2. The last of the garden. The last watermelon, the last strawberries, the last of the tomatoes and the basil. Maybe if I plant some bulbs this weekend I’ll feel better? Every year I mean to and then forget, but this seems to be the weekend to do it.

lastwatermelon

3. Play. Ringo got to meet a new friend last week when she came over for a play date, and after she left, Sam came out and they played some more. After a rough summer, Sam and Ringo now play multiple times a day, and it’s just so good to see it. AND, bonus — we have a play date scheduled this weekend with some of our favorites.

mela postplaydate

4. Hiking season. This is the best time of the year in Colorado to hike, although I don’t always go with, (since the boys go 6-10 miles, and run at least some of it, and I can’t keep up with that, and I’m not gonna lie, I love the long mornings at home alone). I appreciate how happy it makes Eric and the boys, and all the good pictures he takes and lets me steal to use on my blog.

image by Eric

5. Work from home Friday. I am so lucky to have a job where I can do this. I skip yoga and sleep in, wear comfy clothes (sometimes a clean pair of pjs), maybe take a nap with the dogs, get the laundry done, and don’t have to drive anywhere if I don’t want to, don’t even have to leave the house.

Bonus joy: Wild Writing, clean sheets, San Pellegrino Soda, tomato gratin with rice, a good therapist, massage, good books, my Kindle, soaking in the tub, how Sam sneaks in bed with us in the early morning, how much Ringo loves sleeping in his crate, how much both dogs love lounging in the backyard in the sun, when something makes Eric laugh really hard (we are rewatching The IT Crowd, so it’s happening a lot lately), teaching yoga, a new yoga mat, walking the dogs under a full moon, sleeping in, going to bed early, TWO people I adore stopping by my work office just to share a hug, feeling good about a piece I wrote for work even though I’m not sure anyone else even read it.

fallaspen

1. Fall color. I’m feeling grateful especially for the Ash trees, and grieving them at the same time. 1 in 5 trees in Fort Collins are Ash. Other than Aspens, they are the most beautiful of all the trees in fall. Because of a pest on its way, the emerald ash borer, in about 5 years they could ALL be dead.

2. Ringo and Sam. We had another training session with Amy of Trust Your Dog Training, (highly recommended) and they did so good and we’ve got some great ideas to work with next. I’m especially grateful that after a rough summer, they are back to playing in the backyard every day, being rowdy and wearing each other out.

fallplaying

3. Anniversary apple pie. Eric had written “love” across the top in bits of crust, but I’d already eaten the “L” and the “O” when he asked if I’d noticed. It has made for some delicious apply pie oatmeal for breakfast this week.

anniversaryapplepie

4. Good books. I’ve been in love with them for as long as I can remember, first being read to and then learning to do it for myself and then wanting to write my own. Reading is still and will most likely be one of my very favorite things to do, and writing is something I do every day almost no matter what — practicing, practicing, practicing.

5. Eric. For our anniversary, I gave him a jar of slips of paper, on each one I’d written something I loved about him. I’ve been working on it since January so there are a lot, but he’s only letting himself read a few a day, savoring them.

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Bonus joy: anniversary flowers in the bathroom, roasted vegetables, sleeping in, physical therapy, a good resolution to a dumb situation and support from my boss about it, Wild Writing, poetry, meditation, my favorite long sleeved shirt that I forgot about but found yesterday and wore again, good TV, lunch at Whole Foods, Fax4Life Chocolate Brownie Mini Muffins (seriously so so so good, I don’t even care that they are supposed to be “healthy”), grapefruit soda (can’t remember the brand, but so refreshing), clean sheets, a warm shower, my new bathroom which is actually almost a year old now, walking with the dogs early in the morning.