THE "UPSIDE-DOWN" FOR ADULTS

OK, this isn't STRANGER THINGS when I talk about the "upside-down," but I think in a way we can all relate. God knows I could.

The alarm clock rings at 6:20AM. We open our eyes and stagger out of bed. We take a shower, pour our coffee cups full, wear our most appropriate work attire and head out the door.

We go to a job we are not thrilled about and pretend to love it so we can have paychecks. We then take those paycheck
s, spend 7/8 of that paycheck just so we can live to work, while the 1/8 we spend in hopes we can actually have a some sort of life. The day ends with us plopping on the couch, sipping iced tea or wine, and harshly re-examine our lives. Then, we go to bed and do it all again the very next day,

Then and suddenly, somewhere in the quietness of it all, we hear a still small voice crying out to us.
We ignore it at first but then listen, and the more we listen the voice gets louder, and louder...and louder...until we can't shut it off and we heed its beaconed call. We surrender to its siren song, get off the couch and walk toward something unfamiliar.

We begin to fill our front yards full of carved pumpkins, sip hot cocoa, and bake pumpkin pie while not giving a damn how much sugar or butter we use. And then in the midst of it all, our work life becomes what our present used to be: pushed to the side while we finally live. And the best part about this is we don't have to wait until it beacons us. It's there and always have been. We just have to listen and do, 

True story. :) 

My Cup Runneth Spooktacularly Over

Fall officially arrived in Tennessee a few days ago. The air is a crisp 60°, signs of fall are everywhere, and I pour a steaming cup of coffee with pumpkin spice creamer.

As most of you know I'm a huge Halloween fanatic. I literally count down the days and weeks until that Spooktacular time of the year comes in to play and everything comes out in full fallish fashion, especially the beautiful leaves.

And as always, I dragged out my favorite coffee cup and sit out on the front porch and watch all the beauty of autumn take place. It's good to know in a world full of things we can't change and hate and malice, there's always a nice cup of coffee and a front porch filled with two kittens who play with one another waiting for us.

Hopefully if they will cooperate I'll get to show you pictures of the two kittens who have now grown into a beautiful young cats. But like I said, if they cooperate. :-)

Stay tuned

PUMPKINS, PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE! (EDGAR)

Yes, Halloween t'is near and many pumpkins are entering my humble abode and sitting up residence.

This one sits in my kitchen. I call him Edgar, because of the raven sitting atop his head. And also as a tribute to Edgar Allen Poe. Being the daydreamer I am, I like to pretend the raven is perched above Edgar's head and is squawking, "Nevermore."

Then again, who says he isn't? :) 

AT THE GARDEN'S END

We've been rather lax on decorating this year, as I used to designate the first Saturday after Autumn to begin decorating. Although I would cheat and decorate the mantle the weekend of Labor Day, decorating for seasons is a tradition in my home.

This year I wanted to do something different. In the next couple weeks, I am going to turn our back garden into a pumpkin patch...or...Jack O' Patch, for use of a better term. These beautiful orange and white pumpkins will be carved and bring a magical, creature-like flair to our little home.

Hopefully, the squirrels and other critters will cooperate and not make a meal out of the pumpkins. Then again, maybe they're just helping me carve the pumpkins. Who knows? Stay tuned and tell me how you decorate for this-most "spook"tacular time of the year.  

THE WELCOME MAT

As promised, I'm sticking to my beloved blog. And honestly, I'm very grateful to feel the excitement of blogging again. Tennessee has finally reached autumn temps: lower 70's and cool, so what better reason do I need? 

For the past few days, I've been calling this month "HOTober" and for good reason. But seeing the leaves finally fall and a brisk chill in the air truly gets my senses tingling. With the leaves falling, I also noticed leaves beginning to cover my welcome mat. Usually, I grab a broom and sweep them away, but this time felt different. I wasn't in too big of a hurry to sweep, as I have missed autumn like an old familiar friend. It's the same friend you look forward to his or her arrival once a year. 

So yes, I could have swept the fallish debris away, but I didn't. To me, the dried, dead leaves give birth and character to the welcome mat. And not in the form of appearance, but rather what's truly on the inside. What a cool concept! And that's a lot how life is. Just when we think there's nothing but death all around us, if we take another outlook on things there's always life waiting to welcome us back to the land of the living.

NOW, BACK TO OUR REGULARLY-SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING...

August 3, 2018: It was the last entry I made to this blog. It was about Halloween candy showing up around the first of the August month in stores.

Sometimes, we prodigal bloggers mean well. We truly do, but life sometimes gets in the way of our wanting to blog. Believe me when I say I think about this blog every single day of my life, especially when September of next year will mark its tenth anniversary. It's my baby,and the more I endure the hardships of life the more I also realize it's my saving grace.

And believe me when I say so much has changed. First of all, let's start with something simple, yet highly-favored. I wanted to show you awesome folks one of the first of many ornaments going up throughout this month. PBE had this for years and we hang it up as part of tradition. More decorations to come.

Where have I been? Well, let me tell you a few things: First of all, I got married last year. That within itself was awesome. We got married in a cave. Yes, my blogger friends, an actual cave but it was gorgeous!

Second of all, we are the proud parents of not only four dogs, but also a mother cat named Tom-Tom and her two babies from a litter of six: a black kitten named Onyx and a gray chubby kitten named Oopsie. I will show you pics of them later.

Third, and most unimportant, I died my beard. I'm 42 and fully gray. I look I rode in a haunted car. BUT...that's neither here nor there. Moving on...

I think the thing that happened recently that forever changed me was something tragic. Windy, one of my best friends, was found dead due to an apparent suicide. What's worse is a few years before she died we had a huge argument, and I told her I never wanted to speak to her again. When I learned of her death it forever changed me.

As of three weeks ago, I learned to forgive more and hate less. I went on a personal crusade to ask anyone I may have wronged, no matter how big or little, to forgive me. A couple were like, "mehhhhh..." and the rest welcomed me back with opened arms. I even got a couple apologies, which I didn't expect. To be honest, I felt entirely liberated and free.

I decided to focus on all-things that are favored by me, and to revived this blog. I have to. It's my home and the place I've resided for such a while now. Keep in mind: my posts may not be but one sentence long with a picture, but I will be more devoted to this blog even if that's the case. It's been my happy place for such a long time now, and I love reading your all's blogs as well. So, I hope you can stand more of me and welcome me back, like this pumpkin pic, for example. :)

But yes, dear friends. Love one another. Encourage one another. And most of all, never say anything you will eventually have to take back. I've finally learned that lesson, and it only took me 42 years.