Dreaming Of Fall

There was a crisp chill in the air when I woke up today.  It is so quiet and still.  It feels like a lazy fall day in Upstate New York.  Those are a dream... The fall days of my childhood. Driving to Wemple & Edicks with my parents to look at crafts and partake in their sinfully delicious cider donuts and half moon cookies.  The clear blue skies here remind me of early morning Saturday field hockey games, the smell of my hockey gear-- sweat, mud, old uniforms-- mixed with the breakfast my dad is making in the kitchen... I love fall. 

And yet here I am in Mazama, with August just a few days away.  I'm confused.  :)

I'm currently sitting on the porch in my lavender 'throw sweater,' listening to the hummingbirds and drinking coffee in my 'More Love Club' mug.  With time to kill, a rarity-- I even curled my hair for the occasion and put on my favorite Tiger Iron ring.  PICTURED HERE!!!

I feel incredibly grounded today.  I feel myself for the first time in a while! 

The past six weeks have been a whirlwind with my cousins here.  It's been a celebration to get to know them and my aunt & uncle better.  It's been a way of life outside of my comfort zone.  Having people around at all times, being told when I come and go, being challenged with physical activity when I've grown accustomed to finding peace and stillness from a seat.  :)

This bittersweet, haunting nostalgia mixed with the almost near future of living on my own sets a girl's mind to wander...

What will it be like here in fall?  How beautiful will it be?   What will it be like when my goofball cousins leave and I'm without their entertainment and endless energy?  What will it be like in Mazama when the college kids are gone and the summer of tourism ends?  Just how quiet will it get?  What will it be like to live on my own?  Will I be lonely?  Will I enjoy it?  How many recipes will I get to try out of all my new cookbooks I got right before I left Chicago?  How many recipes will I create?  If I stay through the winter, will I be a cross country skiing girl? Or will I be more of a 'snow-shoer?'  Could I find someone willing to take a picture of me in a sweater and curl my hair to recreate the cover of Amy Grant's first Christmas Album?  Do you think Amy & Vince could get caught in a storm like in her 1980's Christmas special and hold a concert with Art Garfunkel in Mazama!!???  How much snow is it really? But seriously-- how much snow is it really?  :)  :)  :)

Claire just came out (one of my cousins) and exclaimed, "Well, don't you just look like a fall catalogue!"

HA!!!!  Enough said.  I'm gonna miss those girls. 

And I guess we'll just have to see.  Time flies. Christmas is tomorrow, you know! 

Pumpkins and festive fall foliage,
MandiCrocker