Autumn From Our Front Porch

     The advent of autumn is without a doubt my favorite of all seasons. It is a time of great anticipation, renewed vigor for all the tasks that need done before winter sets in and the numbing cold that accompanies it.  And yet the baring of the trees after a glorious turn of color simultaneously ushers in a longing for rest and reprieve of the soul.  Or might that be the basketball around my waist at eight months pregnant??  

    My days lately are divided between a desire to accomplish the many daily tasks that I am fortunate to call my own as a wife, mom in the making, and woman of my own queendom, quickly pursued by a need to slow my pace and be still,  acknowledging the gratification and goodness in the present, imperfect, moment.  And then nap time calls typically around 3pm!  The overcast skies and golden browns that grace the landscape around us are a welcome backdrop for days which grow slower, somehow fuller, and heaped with anticipation of all the goodness to come with our little man's winter arrival.         

My Uncle Jon lent his skill with a chainsaw and trimmed up the white mulberry tree on the North side of the cottage...a much needed, hugely appreciated labor of love! The tree has been one of my favorites since childhood as my window in the attic bedroom as a kid looked out directly into it, and in the late fall the mulberry leaves turned a rich gold. That room will now be the nursery, and I am hoping we can keep the tree healthy enough to be around for years to come, despite a split in the trunk.  Thank you Jon!!