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Can you see it?
“Autumn is a second spring, where every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
This is why I love having ten oak trees in my yard. This brief half-a-month where the leaves are bright and illuminated. You just can’t bottle a yellow this full of energy. This must have been what Van Gogh strived for in the vibrant gold of his wheat fields. Red, white and black oaks in their finery, before the winter clouds. For now, crisp air and the bluest of skies are the canvas for the Creator’s palette. And we are witness to it. How good is He that He does this each year, just for our eyes? How can you not love a God that makes a beauty like this – this intangible, soulful necessity. My camera didn’t do it justice, but enjoy it nonetheless:
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I am using it to do all my Christmas shopping, and pad the wallet for the new year. Happy shopping!
Last week my Mom came to visit. It was really cold and windy outside that day, so my plans to take Rhys and Mom to the orchard were out of the question. Instead, we went to lunch at Panera. I grabbed a cup of milk for Rhys on the way out the door, but apparently forgot to put the spill-proof washer in the lid. Oops. Threw the cup and Curious George into my purse and out the door we went. We got to Panera, ordered, and sat down. I reached into my purse for the sippy cup and came out with a milky hand and an empty sippy cup. Horrified, I looked into my purse to find C.G. floating face-down in an inch of milk. The cell phone was in there too, drowned at the bottom. My suede wallet was also half-submerged. By this point, there was a small puddle of milk on the floor.
Back up to the week before last. I found this awesome leather purse at the Gap, which a huge butterfly embroidered on the front. I never find a leather purse I like, and this one was so buttery soft and rich and brown and on clearance, so Michael bought it for me. I love it. Oh, that real-leather smell! I can fit a diaper and wipes and my wallet and a small refrigerator in there if I need to. The diaper bag has been hanging in the closet ever since.
OK, back to the scene at Panera. I almost came unglued. When bad things happen to me, my first response is denial. So I threw two handfuls of napkins in the purse, wiped off my phone and called it good until I got home. Well, when I got back home I had to clean everything in my purse, clean the lining, clean my wallet, go get a new cell phone (much to Michael’s chagrin), and clean the leather. The leather on the bottom is still dark and crusty. Man.
Moral of the story? Don’t love your purse too much. Take that ugly, waterproof diaper bag with you. And for crying out loud, have a good dry cleaner.
I learned something new about Rhys this week: she is a voracious reader! She loves to read and be read to – especially repeatedly. She’s content to sit in the middle of the floor with a book, pretending to read out loud. Other times she wants to sit on the couch next to me and have me read to her. I’m pretty sure I read “Hop on Pop” four times in a row this morning alone. I think she likes the rhythm of Dr. Seuss. Mom says that I was a crazy reader too – which I sorta remember. The first book I learned to read was “Are You My Mother”? [or, as Mom says I called it "Are You My Mudder?"] Like mother like daughter, I guess. And so I shall leave you with this verse:
HOP POP
We like to hop!
We like to hop
On top of Pop!
STOP
You must NOT
Hop on Pop!
You say that four times in a row and try to get it out of your head the rest of the day.
We found out this afternoon that the Cornhusker Marching Band would be playing just up the street from us tonight at Drake Stadium – at the halftime of a high school homecoming game. [In Iowa! Three blocks from us, no less!] They’re here because tomorrow Nebraska is playing Iowa State. So we had to go. I mean, can you call yourself a Nebraska fan if you don’t? Paid $12 to see them. Worth the sheer delight on Rhys’ face and to see her clap along to “Hail Varsity”. There was a small contingent of Husker fans that came just to see the band play, and we screamed “Go Big Red” with all our might. Here’s the proof:
