There is a clarity about September. On clear days , the sun seems brighter, the sky more blue, the white clouds take on marvelous shapes; the moon is a wonderful apparition, rising gold, cooling to silver; and the stars are so big…
There’s a promise that what September starts, October will carry on, catching the torch flung into her hand.
Faith Baldwin
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Hello Friend,
Here we are, well into September, and once again I find myself wondering where summer went. How about you? Are you ready for the routine and rhythms of September?
I’m ready to begin new routines and rhythms in this new life in this new home. It’s time for fresh beginnings, with some tried and true old habits thrown in for good measure.
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That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air … Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.
Wallace Stegner
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Another turned page …
Welcome to my September Daybook, where I follow a few prompts to share little glimpses into my day. Please help yourself to some plain old-fashioned tea. Sugar and cream available there, on the little table, if you like. Honey too. And here’s something new for me – maple syrup, as I just found out it’s a happy indulgence for one of my good friends.
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Tea time is a chance to slow down, pull back and appreciate our surroundings.
Letitia Baldrige
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For Today
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Looking out my window …
The air is hazy, making it seem like I’m looking at a retro photograph from the 1970’s, framed by my window. At any rate, it’s the smoke that has wafted over from the Chetamon Wildfire in Jasper National Park, I would guess. The report is that the fire was started when lightning struck “on a steep and inaccessible mountain slope…” We’ve had a lot of thunder and lightning storms around here this summer.
I am thankful …
For The Cowboy, who, having grown up on a farm, knows how to fix what goes wrong on an acreage. And if he doesn’t know immediately, he manages to come up with something that works. He’s really quite amazing.
One of my favourite things …
Grandma did the needlework many many years ago, and when it came into Mom’s possession she made it into a cushion. I love having it in my library on the couch across from my desk where I see it all the time. A little connection to the generations before me.
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I have been creating …
Spaces in which to create. Putting together the library, arranging the books on the shelves, placing my desk just so with dictionaries and reference books to hand, and then organizing a sewing space in the room has all taken quite a LOT of time to accomplish. But it has been so worth the work, and now when I look around the library I’m filled with a feeling of okay now, let’s go! Let the creating begin.
I am wearing …
Black leggings, lacy top, long burnt-orange cardigan rolled at the sleeves, lip colour called Saffron.
I am reading …
I’m amazed that with the crazy busy summer we had, I still managed to read all of these:
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I am listening to …
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I am hoping …
To go for a bike ride with The Cowboy later today.
In my kitchen …
We are loving the two dishwashers we decided to put in. With all of the guests we get to have, it’s a time- and clutter-saver. We named them Bonnie and Clyde so nobody gets confused as to which one is clean and which one we’re still loading.
In my garden …
Not much of a garden yet since our attention has gone to moving in and landscaping, although I did plant zinnias in the rock garden at the corner. A neighbour who was moving away offered us her homemade raised garden boxes, and brought them over one by one with her skid steer loader. Seven of them. Some were already planted with a few things. We will have potatoes …
A moment from my day earlier this week, before the smoke arrived …
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Post Script …
Shared Quote …
Prepare a place, then step back and let the place itself be the welcome, the embrace, the conversation.
Christie Purifoy [Place Maker]
That is our wish for our home – The Cleft – built for us, with others in mind.
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Closing Notes …
Thank you for your visit today, I hope you will come again. Stay safe out there, and see you next time.
Joy
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I love, love, love your post! It speaks to me of joyful hope and anticipation. Oh, and did I mention there’s joy in every word? What a dear pillow on your study couch, a precious reminder of a dear one now gone. Love that zing of pink of your zinnias – what a feast for the eyes. And, that quote of Christie’s makes a perfect benediction for your new home.
Does your friend put the maple syrup in her tea? That would make it quite yummy, I’d say.
Thanks, Joy!
Thank you so much for your encouraging words, Brenda. Yes, she puts the maple syrup in her tea. I’ve never tried it but definitely sounds yummy.
Your post just feels like autumn, Joy! I can feel, too, that you are settling in to your new home, and your new creative space. Wonderful! Thank you for sharing. Loved the reference to maple syrup! 😉 Oh, and the music was lovely. <3
Yes I am settling in … Finally! Thanks for stopping in, Kathy.
Delightful as always.
Thanks for the tea and chat.
Thanks, Connie.
The needlework pillow is so pretty! It’s a blessing to have treasures from past generations.
Yes, I love that both Grandma and Mom worked on it. Truly a treasure.
I first read your post the other day, Joy, on a day crammed with unhappy duties to go to. Hence, the post was read with a sigh and in a rush. I’m back here again today, a surprise rain coming down in sheets, curtaining me from the ugly edges of work. La Vie is playing in my ears as I go through each morsel you’ve put out here and how different it seems now. Through your words, heaven’s gentleness has put a hand out to slow my step, bidding me pause to savour and give full thanks for all that is now and yet, to keep on hoping for better days.
What a lovely comment! Thank you for visiting, Caitlynne Grace. Wishing you those better days you are hoping for.
I really love reading your blog. Your words capture beautifully the pictures you include. They also allow for interpretation of the areas you’ve set up.
I love your zinnias! I’ve always loved them, yet never remember to plant them. Reminds me of early married life before kids. I had time! LOL
The music you added today has captured my interest enough to add it to my Spotify list. I am listening to an album right now. We grow more each day, which is so exciting to me. I love to add authors and musicians as well as facts and learning new things. Thanks for letting me visit. Going to get a cup of raspberry tea.
Thank you for the visit, Sue. I love finding new music and Spotify is a good place to find it. So glad my selection today captured you. Hope that raspberry tea hit the spot.