Fall Sunday

I love Fall!

This is my favorite season. Chill in the mornings. Crisp in the evenings. Leaves changing colors. Roasted vegetables. Fireplaces. Pumpkins. Apples. Darker earlier. Need I say more?

My cats are loving Fall, too. I have the glass doors open (screen door closed!) to the balcony. Fiona's on the top shelf of the cat "condo," huge smile on her face, sniffing, sniffing, sniffing the air. Molly hasn't sat still long enough yet today to appreciate the gorgeous day.

I really wish I had a yard for these girls.

I was watching The Horse Whisperer yesterday (first time I've seen it!) and fantasizing about living in Montana or Wyoming or Idaho on my own spread. Clean, fresh air. No traffic jams. No all night long sirens. No smog. Well water. Trees!

I've been thinking about this a LOT for the last couple of years, ever since a class exercise asked us to envision our future -- 10 years, five years, one year. I went into it expecting to see myself as a Medical School dean, and then the intermediate steps to get there. Instead, when I went deep within myself, I saw myself living on a farm with my husband and kids, cats and dogs, chickens and rabbits and a cow etc., writing for a living, growing my own food, maybe consulting via email/internet on the side. Wow. That really is what I want in my heart of hearts. Of course, I don't have a husband and kids. The rest I can pull together when I start focusing on it.

I've always written. Wrote my first stories as a little kid, and still have stories from jr. high and high school. I haven't written fiction in a long time, which is what I'd like to do. Every now and then, I start something, it sucks, and I stop. It's been hard to tap into my muse, let alone no time to do so, with school, which I've been completely consumed by for the last four years. But I'll have my degree in December, and want to get something written before school starts again in February.

I'm also driven by my increasing concern about my parents, both of whom are now >65, approaching 70 (how did that happen??!!??). Dad's a work horse, I tell you, always going, never stops, but what if something happens to him? What will Mom do? Mom, however, isn't in good health, is increasingly confused, and it breaks my heart to talk with her on the phone these days. She seems to think that Lost is a reality show, and I can't seen to correct that impression. Conversations now last two hours with her, because she's repeating things so many times, each time starting with, "Oh, I haven't told you this yet!"

My folks will never live in the city. I don't particularly want to live in their little tiny town, but perhaps they would move with me to the mountains. Hard to say, though. Worse comes to worse, I could buy the place across from theirs. They have five acres. This place has five or 10 acres. Dad could continue to farm the walnuts from this place (which he does now, since the owner's away most of the year). I could do major gardening (this place even has a greenhouse attached to the house), writing, and some consulting. My cats would be in HEAVEN.

I'm also sick of living in an area that's unaffordable to live in. $750,000 for a two bedroom house with no yard? That's ridiculous. When I can afford to buy at all, it will be a one bedroom condo on the wrong side of town. No thanks.

There are my musings for the week. I'm getting ready for a conference that I'm going to on Saturday-Tuesday. Thursday's MY LAST CLASS for my in person class. Yea! My online class ends first or second week of December, then I will be a college graduate! Yea! My car's back from the shop (replaced brakes), no more rental Kia, yea! I did my grocery shopping and library trip yesterday, so really don't have to go anywhere today, yea! I'm going to roast potatoes, yams and pumpking today, to eat all week (yea!). I think I'll also make one of my favorite salads: corn, black eyed peas, onions, peppers, quinoa, tossed with a hot sauce/honey dressing. Yea!

Fall is here -- yea!!!