dry

 we had a little rain last week, but the corn didn't seem to notice.

windy

i like windy days.

FORCE

today's post is in honor of my friend, Raychel, a breast cancer pre-vivor, and all of her hard work on behalf of FORCE:  http://www.facingourrisk.org/

direction

whenever i wish there were arrows pointing the way all the time, i remember how much i hate being told what to do.

blue

 "crazy hair" day.

fall

i've watched this house slowly fall apart during the past several years.

taste

today, i accidently grabbed someone else's coat when i went to lunch. when i exchanged it at the closet, i noticed that there were 4 very similar coats. i'm not sure if we all subscribe to the same chicago uniform? or if we all have very very good taste.

cello

friday means the cello goes to school with him. it's his first day.

cheers

me: we need to schedule our next lunch.

her: forget lunch, let's go get a drink.

routine

clearing the dishes. doing the homework. all in an evening's work.

run

sometimes living in oak park is like living in a movie. this afternoon, there was a definite juno vibe.

ties

we all 20 (or more) of us wrapped our wrists in soft orange wool for the last month of her pregnancy.  Baby Dashel was born yesterday into a magical circle of love.

pink

i was feeling overwhelmed today. not wanting to put much effort into anything this evening, and frankly, feeling resentful, i decided to walk onto my front porch and snap one picture. i was surprised by the pink streak across the sky and humbled by how lovely it was. i went immediately from resentful to appreciative.

mundane

we had tacos for dinner. and then i folded and put away the last of the laundry.

compose

sometimes the best dinners sort of sneak up on you.

leaves

after a summer of not reading very many books, i think i can once again call my reading habits voracious.

fire

my neighbor has been learning how to fire dance.  he puts on a pretty good show!

color

you know winter is just around the corner when you start having 20 minute conversations about what kinds of boots are best suited for chicago winters.

sporty

 

there is nothing like a couple of hours of soccer practice on a beautiful almost fall day to put a spring in your step.

socks

i've wanted a pair of lucky brand jeans for a while, but could never justify the price. yesterday, i found a pair in my size at the consignment shop for less than $20. boo-yah!

clear

my guy enjoying a new view of the world (& looking mighty cute, too).

rank

the us news and world report college rankings came out today. and this is what malcolm gladwell has to say about that.

http://www.ctcl.org/files/pdfs/RankingsNewYorkerGladwell-1.pdf

bike

someone got a new bike for her birthday. logged about 20 miles today just riding around town.

gratitude

Listening to NPR's report on poverty in America this evening while making dinner made me deeply grateful for our simple meal.

full

full moon at the end of a full day.

line

She was afraid that she wouldn't remember anything. But she did, and I got 2 thumbs up after class.

grill

100 degrees on a Friday night in September means we're cooking outside.

up

a 20 minute uplifting conversation in the middle of the afternoon is sometimes all it takes to find the energy for the last 90 minutes of the day.

Walk

In constant motion today.

color

"So look see the days; the endless colored ways; and go play the game; that you learned from the morning." :: Nick Drake

endings

It has been nearly three weeks since she announced her intention to stop playing viola, but I haven't been able to bring myself to return her instrument to the music store. Maybe tomorrow.

grocery

We love pears.

tattoo

It was Holly's birthday yesterday! (Someone celebrated with a dragon tattoo).

aftermath

cake (+ pie!) + cards + flowers = happy birthday. it's so nice to feel well celebrated.

toast

burnt toast resigned to the fate of the front walkway after being tossed from the kitchen door.

clear

a new opportunity presented itself this week; and now things aren't so clear.