A "Net for Catching Days" in the middle November

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor...a mock-up of reason and order...it is a peace and haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living." ~Annie Dillard

Our rhythms these days include cheering on our good friend Evan as he storms the basketball court and takes cello lessons each week.

Katherine and several other orchestra students performed with the AYSO for a fabulous concert.

I discovered this classic, "Abide in Christ" by Andrew Murray, and listened while running errands. Highly recommend this book!

 

In February I played the cello for a wedding, and now the couple is expecting a sweet little girl. So fun to be a part of their community and attend a baby shower for Becca and Luke.

The beautiful sunrise bike rides transformed into foggy, dismal bike rides. But they hold their own kind of beauty.

First Half of November

For a very long time, Katherine has wanted to be a vet technician. Only one school in Arkansas offers that degree, so we made our first (and maybe last) college visit to ASU-Beebe for her to get a glimpse at the school.

The time changed, and the sun seems to set so early now! Our walks during Katherine's rehearsal seem to be rushed so we can finish by dark, and we are always looking for nearby trails to hike. We tried an easy walk around Pickthorne Lake and decided we probably wouldn't be returning.

Pumpkin pie smoothies are my current post-workout treat, and they are perfect for running errands. A scoop of vanilla protein powder, 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground ginger, and a container of toasted marshmallow yogurt from the sale rack go into the blender until smooth. Throw in a handful of ice and give it all a whirl. Delicious!

The students who were in 9th grade orchestra the year I taught full time are all seniors in college now, and a couple of them are music education majors. Ruthie had her senior violin recital across the street at CBC. Our paths have crossed a few times since then (like when I had the opportunity to work with the CBC string quartet for a year). Ruthie thoughtfully thanked her many musical influences, and it was really sweet to hear her gratitude as well as her proficiency on the violin.

The autumn bike ride sunrises have been extra beautiful. I do love the beginning of the day when everything is just waking up.

Sugar Cane

During the farmers' market this summer, I struck up a conversation with my favorite berry farmer. He just happened to mention that he had planted sugar cane as an experiment and would be harvesting it this fall.

I asked if he would let me know when he planned to cut the sugar cane because we would love to come help with the harvest and then buy some of the stalks. The week before our typical first freeze, we started texting and working out the details.

On a bright and beautiful Saturday morning, my tropical girl enjoyed the gift of cutting and eating sugar cane! And because we helped with the harvest, our farmer friend gave us all we wanted for free. We even had enough to share with some friends at church who grew up near the equator, with some still left over for my young adults to eat at Thanksgiving. What a treat :)

 

Beginning to look like Thanksgiving

The puzzle of Autumn foliage is growing and the book baskets are beginning to fill up. In addition to some of our old favorites, we've added some new to us books this year:

Thanksgiving Rules by Laurie Friedman

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey

Alligator Arrived With Apples: A Potluck Alphabet Feast by Crescent Dragonwagon

Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules

Gracias the Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley

 

Feathers are added daily to our thankful turkey. My cello students have even helped us record our thankfulness!

This year, I am extra grateful for hair and for medical expertise.

I've picked up my local turkey from my favorite farmer at Shaky K Farms. Mr. Turkey is sitting in my mom's freezer now, awaiting her expert culinary skills on Thanksgiving Day.

Sweet Sabbath

"Such faithful practice of work stoppage is an act of resistance. It declares in bodily ways that we will not participate in the anxiety system that pervades our social environment. We will not be defined by busyness and by acquisitiveness and by pursuit of more, in either our economics or our personal relations or anywhere in our lives. Because our life does not consist in commodity." 

~Walter Brueggman, "Sabbath Resistance: Saying No to a Culture of Now"

 The mornings are getting cooler and cozier. Now I need my father-in-law's Memphis Tigers hoodie and a soft blanket when I go sit on the porch with my coffee.

Finishing up October 2024

"Spiritual maturity comes when we carry what is ours to carry and learn to trust God with what isn't ours to carry. It's learning to stay in lockstep with Him. If we rush ahead, we'll end up carrying more than we're meant to carry. If we pull to the side or lag behind (out of fear of what's ahead), we'll also end up carrying too much of the burden.

But when we walk at Jesus' pace and take no more than what has been placed on our sholders, it keeps the weight of life light. The challenging thing is, this isn't a one-time decision. It takes constant evaluation. What we should be carrying at any given time is a constantly moving target based on the season of life we're in. There's a burden and a blessing for each season of life. Maturity is learning to embrace the blessina and shoulder only the burden God is asking you to carry in each season."

~Joel Malm, "Keep it Light: The Freedom of Priorities in Life, Work, and Love"

Sarah came back from her vision trip to the Solomon Islands. We had been car sitting for her since Olivia's wedding. Time with Sarah is always sweet, and she made sure to reach out to each of her grandparents near by. Watching her learn to walk at Jesus' pace is a joy.

We exercised our early voting option in our hometown's beautiful art deco courthouse.

One of our family's favorite operas, Rossini's "La Cenerentola", was playing in Houston. We pondered ways to all attend together, but we just couldn't make it work. In addition, one of our favorite baritones, Alessandro Corbelli, was performing on stage. He is nearing the end of his carreer, and opportunities to watch him live will be drawing to a close. Katherine requested that her Christmas present from the whole family be a quick trip to stay with Benjamin and Hannah and to attend this special performance. So we made it happen :)

For Halloween, I wore my Wonder Woman shirt and headband. What a difference from dressing up as Mr. Clean last year!

Some of the orch dorks came by to trick-or-treat. They sure do make me smile!

The day after Halloween you could have found me at Walmart at 6:30 in the morning buying halfprice candy for the orchestra program. I'm daily listening and learning to embrace the small things that God is asking me to steward and trusting Him to guide the yoke as we travel together.

Buffalo River Trail with friends

I'm practicing and preparing to be a grandmother. Not because we're expecting grandbabies anytime soon, but because I miss little ones!

Whenever we get the chance, we borrow small children. And their parents. Some of my favorite people belong to my wonder twin, Lauren. We've been looking for a kid friendly trail so we could hike together. First stop, Rock-N-Java for some early Saturday morning coffee.

Our destination for this autumn day was a gentle portion of the Buffalo River Trail near Tyler Bend. Lauren's kiddos did a fabulous job, and watching the adults parent so sweetly brought me great joy.

The weather was beautiful, the snacks were plentiful, the sleeping preschoolers were adorable, and the friendships were encouraging.

October: Joy in the Process

"We must never put our dream of success as God's purpose for us. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end. His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God." ~Oswald Chambers

So many good things happened in the second half of October...opportunities to "depend on Him and on His power now".

All-Region Orchestra auditions...it's so fun to be on the giving end. We were the ones trying out almost forty years ago, but now we get to serve the kids.

Our coffee and calendar dates continue to fuel our marriage and our goals.

The evenings are cool enough now for a fire pit and s'mores.

I love volunteering for the orchestra program. Stamping music for the directors frees them up to do other things.

My gym buddy keeps me accountable, and sometimes we match, too :)

Fall is in the air

We cleaned up our little garden in anticipation of the coming frost. 

The long beans produced bountifully this year, which made Katherine especially happy since they taste like home to her.

The afternoons were beautiful for walks with Grandma, and sometimes my dad joined us.

The cool mornings are my favorite time to be outside, and our bike rides along Tucker Creek give me a delightful sunrise view.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

We didn't get an anniversary trip this year, so we combined a weekend away with Aaron's birthday celebrations. 

First stop, Serenity Farm Bread in Leslie. The combination of their handy location, delicious sourdough, and a bathroom make it one of our favorite places to stop.

Then we checked in...The Wee Nook was exactly what we needed.

Cute Highland cows.

My morning "Jesus and Coffee" canine buddy.

A beautiful and quiet place to work through "The Art of Marriage" series together.

This is an excerpt from one of the videos :)

We explored some new trails each day. First, we tried Big Creek Cave Falls. Not much water was flowing this time of year, but it's still fun to tromp around.

We stocked up on local apples, sweet potatoes, and winter squash at Friend Orchard just outside of Harrison. We almost didn't stop, but I'm so glad Aaron made the U-turn. We came home with three different kinds of apples, and because they were "number 2" not "number 1" apples, the price was cheaper. Next time we are up this direction, I will check to see what else they are harvesting!

We also enjoyed a brunch splurge at Sweet Honey Cafe and Bakery in Harrison.

We followed brunch by exploring Hideout Hollow Trail.

The leaves were just beginning to turn vibrant, and it looked like this trail would be an amazing place to visit when more water is flowing.

More and more, we're once again considering trail through the lens of "kid friendly", and this trail certainly qualifies! Not too long and not too steep.

 

Quick Trip to NW Arkansas

We made a super quick weekend trip at the end of September to visit the newlyweds.

We stayed with some former missionaries in their cute little studio apartment they named "The Nest". It is indeed a place to rest and refresh, and we're so grateful for this family that has adopted Olivia.

I had my walking route already planned to go by beautiful City Lake before church.

After church, we heated up the big pot of chili we brought with us and enjoyed hanging out with some of our favorite students!