Mary McCloskey

A pause

I haven't taken many photos the last few weeks--just too much going on with the holiday and getting ready for the small wedding reception we had for the newlyweds just after Thanksgiving.

The last few days have felt like a pause, a moment to fold up the Thanksgiving tablecloth, put away the good silver and let it all sink in. A good feeling. A breathe in between things.

I'll be working in the next few weeks to try to get an Etsy site up--that's my main goal right now. I've promised myself that I won't adopt a new dog until the Etsy site is ready. I am aching for a new dog. I really miss the daily walks and the wonderful companionship. I'm not crazy about technology so I need to push myself and I'm hoping setting up this goal will help.

The days are just packed

There's a great Calvin and Hobbes book called, "The Days are Just Packed." Packed full of neat stuff like sliding down a snow mountain (there are always mountains in Calvin's imagination) or dropping water balloons from a tree fort to the unsuspecting little girl walking by below.  My days these days are packed as well-- getting ready for the holiday, having my son and his wife home, sitting in the evening talking, bringing my son up to date on some of the blank spaces in his history--how his grandparents met, what they were like, telling him about the grandmother who handed out cold cokes to my husband whenever he asked and the grandfather who had a wealth of balmy sisters who he took care of.  All the family who are gone now and who we miss. But they are with us still in all the things we remember about them. One day he can pass these stories on to his own kids.

Tonight's pot roast is in the oven. Expecting more conversation tonight.Hope this Thanksgiving you have times like these too--time for long talks and remembering.

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Taking time to appreciate each moment

The next few days are sure to be hectic--getting ready for the holiday and then, for us, a  party to celebrate our son's wedding with the family on Saturday. I'm trying to treasure the moments in the next few days, savoring the chance to have the family home, talking around the dinner table, taking walks in the cold, crisp air--instead of racing through it all. Taking time.

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Cold, red, crisp

First brush of snow last night. We have all the windows washed and the storm windows up. Potato soup last night for dinner. The season begins.

Seeing through the trees

Each day brings more downed leaves. Suddenly, I can see through the trees.  The last two days, beginning with the end of daylight saving, seemed luxuriously long.  This photo is from a little corner of Austin Park that's usually completely covered by trees and foliage, a private corner in summer--now more public and open.

Evening descends: 6 p.m., November 1st

The blue haze of evening envelopes the sky on the first of November.