In the Colorado Snow

Walking home under the northern lights

You could see clear across the world to the other side

And the snow fell so still like music to the ground

And I'd take refuge in that holy sound.

(from Jennifer Berezan's "Refuge")

We got about ten inches of snow over the past 24-hours, so school was canceled for the day. That meant that my appointments were all rescheduled, and Brian stayed in to work from home. This also meant that Bosco got to spend some time watching us wrestle with the layer covering the driveway and sidewalk, which entertained him much more than us.

After a couple of weeks wishing we could move past the bitter cold and into spring, this shock of winter has reminded me of the joy that we find in snuggling in for a day to watch the peaceful world blanketed in white outside.

Let It Go

This is a big week for the Gustin family. My management consulting days are dwindling into single digits, we celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary as well as the fall equinox, and a new moon graced the sky. What a great time to reset intentions and set goals for the next few months!

One thing I've been struggling with this summer is the ability to cross something off my list and be done with it. I have gotten really good at procrastinating - I can fabricate a valid reason to justify putting off doing anything I am not 100% inspired by. Lately it's been hitting the send button, figuratively and literally. I'm not sure if it's my internal pursuit of "perfection" that is holding me back, but there are a lot of things I have been transferring from one list onto another each week. I work on it, but it's not quite ready, or I just don't feel like it's the exact message I want to send, or I get nervous about how others are going to perceive something - so I just put it on the back burner and expect that I will have an epiphany and find the right words. I know this is slowing me down, so I am making a concerted effort to dial back my expectations and be content with "good enough."

There are only so many times I can read a press release and find ways to improve it before the editing becomes a marginal use of my time. First impressions are critically important, but if it's just an email I should find a way to keep it simple and send a clear but concise introductory message. Letting an idea marinate for another 24 hours will not provide enough additional creative content to justify putting off the phone call another day.

Any time I waver about getting something accomplished enough that I could cross it off my list, I am going to give myself another 15 minutes to agonize over it and then let it go and move on to other things. We'll see how this goes...

Let it Snow!

I've held out so far...even though holiday music has been playing in stores and on the radio for weeks. Listening to rehearsal recordings to get memorized for our upcoming Solstice concert has helped too, as well as the fact that it's been sunny and in the 60's! However, we woke up to beautiful, fluffy snow this morning, and I am acknowledging my decision to jump the gun and get into the Holiday Spirit before Thanksgiving this year.

It wasn't a conscious decision in the moment, but flipping through my stations on the way to work I stumbled across Bing Crosby's voice encouraging an audience to sing along with him "as loud or as pretty as you know how." Something inside me burst, my heart skipped a beat, and I couldn't help but crank the volume. Maybe it's the snow, maybe it's the fact that I just realized we miss a whole weekend of the season with Thanksgiving falling so late this year, or maybe it's the fact that I've been designing holiday greetings at work all week. Either way, the warm flood of joy that surged through me in the car this morning is the reason I spend so many months anticipating this season. (And, admittedly, the reason we have a separate storage box for all of my Holiday music.)

I'm not ready for Nat's Christmas Song or Barbara's Ave Maria, but the frosty view out my window all day has confirmed that I am in the mood for some jingly tunes to put me in a jolly mood.

Autumn Leaves of Red & Gold

This week I have been reveling in the magic that October brings - and we actually have leaves of our own to enjoy this year! The grove of aspens in the back yard has turned a brilliant gold, and there is an ash peering over the neighbor's fence that is blowing bold red leaves over into our yard. Give me a few weeks and I will probably be resentful for having to rake them all up, but for today the sky is a perfect shade of blue, the grass is still green, the leaves are scattering jewel tones around the yard, and I am in awe of this jarringly beautiful shift nature is sharing with us.

A Time to Plant and a Time to Harvest

It came earlier this year than it has in a while. Today is one of my favorite days of the year, and simultaneously one of my least favorite. The First Snow! I like seasons, and I love changing seasons. The past few weeks have been lovely here in Colorado, but I am not lamenting the coming winter cold as much as I could. I love snow, and the magic that comes with the shimmering crystals and cold air. And it is the season for Halloween decorations, which have a much spookier impact on a dark, cold, stormy night. However, it means consciously pulling the plug on my vegetables and flowers. Acknowledging the end of the colorful fruit and leaves, and laying to rest the plants I have been sustaining every day for the past several months. When my alarm went off this morning, there was barely light in the sky. Looking out onto the patio, there was a dusting of white on the grill and the fence. I did not need the snooze button! I bundled up and went out to brush off the plants, trying to decide how quickly they needed to be moved into the garage. Today should be in the 40's, but tonight and through the weekend are forecast to be icky and freezing. I decided not to waste any time fretting about it(for once), and bite the bullet. I moved most of my potted plants from the patio around into the garage, except for the flower planters which I snuggled up next to the front door. Hopefully the dose of sunshine every morning will keep them happy for a little while longer. We still have beautiful ripening cherry tomatoes - the plant is still producing flowers! The peppers are in an odd state of green to red transition, and I have been coaxing the tomatillos so gently all summer that I am not convinced any of the husks really have anything substantial in them. The basil will be laid out to dry this weekend, and the herbs will hunker down for the winter. We will harvest the beets and use the greens in a comforting concoction this weekend, but the okra and chard might have to be sacrificed. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.