At the end of the school day today one of my students, a 5th grade girl, handed me this
She told me she drew me and then went on to tell me ” You always look so pretty” Needless to say I was very touched and smiled for the rest of what had started out as a less than perfect day. Proving to me once again, a good word can go a long way.
I love to shop. I love wandering through a department store, touching the fabrics as I go, taking in the array of colors, the different styles, the shelves piled high with sweaters in every color of the rainbow. I enjoy finding a skirt I like and going in search of a top to match it. I usually stick to the same stores, knowing which departments I will do best in. I take things as I wander, my arm heavy with the things slung across it, so I only have to make one trip to the dressing room. In truth there will be more than one trip, but that first trip will narrow down what will work and what won’t, which then will send me on a second round of the floor to find what goes with what fits.
I figured now that I am working full time my leisure activity of shopping would be curtailed. I forgot about online shopping. There are certain websites I can go to where I know what will fit me without trying something on, and in the worst case there are local stores to which I can return something in the event it really doesn’t fit. Old Navy is one of the websites I frequent. I like their work out clothes for the gym, their casual sweaters and vests. But I have found it is like entering the Bermuda Triangle. Once you are in you can never get out. They have a perk called “super cash” -If you spend a certain amount on a purchase during some designated time they give you $20 to spend on your next purchase, which has to be made during an allotted time in the near future. I don’t really pay much attention to it until I start getting emails telling me it’s time to use my Super Cash, and my time is running out. I find it impossible not to click the link “just to see” what I might be able to find to use my Super Cash on. Inevitably I always manage to find something as I also can never pass up something on Clearance that has been reduced a gazillion times. Today’s find was an infinity scarf for $6, ear warmers for $4, and a sweater for $15. I received a confirmation for placing my order, with another message “You have just earned $20 Super Cash!” Here we go again!
Marilyn over at Serendipity shared some of her beautiful end of Autumn photos-the subject of her prompt a reference to the nearly bare trees. It is always wonderful to watch the changing colors of the leaves, but I am always sad to see them fall to the ground leaving the trees bare and stark. To put a positive spin on that, I am able to see more birds in the trees to capture with my camera!
It also allowed me to see this nest that had been hidden way up within the leaves, now exposed
And maybe this squirrel thought he was still concealed within what was left of the leaves on the tree as he seemed unaware I was standing so close behind. Or maybe he was just really intent on eating.
And soon enough nearly naked will turn to bare
Lois over at On Pets and Prisoners, a blog I highly recommend you check out if you haven’t already, has invited me to participate in the Three Day Quote Challenge. Here is my choice for day 3. My nephew the budding photographer serving as background for the quote.
It is the 3rd day of November, but the temps in my neck of the woods reached a high of 75, about 15 degrees above the normal average. I was reminded of the term “Indian Summer” when Autumn days feel like summer, and then wondered where the expression originated. According to Wikipedia:
“Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Although the exact origins of the term are uncertain, it was perhaps so-called because it was first noted in regions inhabited by Native Americans (incorrectly labelled “Indians”) or it had been based on the warm and hazy conditions in autumn when native Americans hunted.”
I took to the trails in a local nature preserve this afternoon, fortunate to have had a half day of school on such a beautiful day.
Some of my favorite things in PINK– which happens to be my favorite color!
Join Nancy Merrill in her challenge HERE
Lois over at On Pets and Prisoners, a blog I highly recommend you check out if you haven’t already, has invited me to participate in the Three Day Quote Challenge. Here is my pick for day two. (photo credits to me!)
Lois over at On Pets and Prisoners, a blog I highly recommend you check out if you haven’t already, has invited me to participate in the Three Day Quote Challenge. For this challenge I need to:
Thank the blogger who nominated me. Thank you, Lois
Publish 3 quotes on 3 consecutive days on my blog. It can be my own, or from a book, movie or from anyone who inspires me.
If you want to join in please feel free, I know many of my fellow bloggers don’t enjoy being nominated to participate, so I will just leave it up to you if you have a great quote you want to share- do so!
I went to a funeral yesterday for a friend, and in the eulogy her daughter in law made, she quoted from Maya Angelou, using one of her quotes to describe the feeling she had for how her mother in law had conducted herself throughout her life. I want to share it as my first first quote as it think it sends an important message.
The sun setting last night turned the clouds overhead pinkish orange, a beautiful backdrop for a tree in full fall color
A friend of mine died last night, a woman I have known since I was a teenager. She died at the age of 87, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for close to 30 years, but up until about a year and a half ago still strong in spirit and even in physical strength more than one would expect. Her death has left me sad in a way that I cannot wholly define, bringing up so many reminders of how important her presence in my life was at one time, the impact it left on me.
I met her when I was 16. She was the mother of the guy I was dating, and was not so happy about the fact that we were dating and didn’t hesitate to hide it.
Eventually she warmed to me, and we got along pretty well. I dated her son for many years and became like part of the family. I remember having to attend a business party when I was 20 years old and couldn’t find something to wear. She told me to go look in her closet and pick something out. I had always loved her sense of style and fashion and couldn’t believe she was being so generous. Lucky for me we wore the same size. I borrowed a beautiful suit and blouse, which I can still picture today. A few years later my relationship with her son ended, and I didn’t see her again for about 10 years, at which point she told me she wished her son had married me. I laughed to myself thinking you just never know how some things will turn out, here is the woman who could barely look at me years ago and now she was saying she wished her son had married me.
We reconnected five years ago when her son came back to her home to live with her, right in my neighborhood. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer and I was helping him out every day. It was during this time we got to know each other again. We would sit in the afternoon on her deck and talk about the days when I dated her son, she spoke openly about how she treated me then, and how it pleased her that now we could sit together as friends. She shared some of her own struggles throughout her life, the difficulties in her marriage, with her son who was now sick. I was there with her when her son died in her home. A moment that will be forever ingrained in my memory. I was so afraid to to have to tell her, but when I did she said right away she wanted to see him. She looked at him and asked if I was sure he was gone. We had had many close calls during his time on hospice. I said I was sure, so she took his hand, said a prayer, and quietly left the room. Stoic and strong as always, not one to shed tears in public. Her strength palpable. Giving us all strength at that time.
This loss will not affect me on a daily basis, as she was not a part of it for many years now. But it has affected me on a much deeper level, bringing up and bringing back to me the memories of the impact she had on my life, that remain with me to this day as part of me and the person I became as an adult. I mourn the loss for the days I did spend with her every day of the week, helping her caregiver in her home. It points out the passage of time, another loss, though I remember the girl age 16 so vividly, the truth is 40 years have passed since then. Her death a stark reminder.
May she rest in peace.
I took a walk yesterday after work, among the changing leaves, the many already bare trees and the birds that flew around me in the trees above me. Here are some of the ones who sat still look enough for me to catch them through my lens 
Slowly but surely the colors are coming out
Making choices about the people I want to surround myself with has become much easier as I have gotten older. I am no longer preoccupied with having to be part of “the crowd” or feel the need to keep the company of people who are negative or have nothing nice to say about others. It is actually quite liberating not to really care what others may think of you, to feel confident enough in who you are and to be honest about who you are and embrace it. Over the years I have learned not to stand idly by if someone has “pushed my buttons”- sometimes making the choice just to walk away, other times not remaining silent but speaking my mind.
After listening to a fellow teacher’s constant complaints over the last month, and her never ending concern about what others were doing that she deemed “unfair”, I finally reached my limit this past week. I would have remained silent had she not questioned me about one of my appointed duties at work and whether or not I was doing it. I then had the opportunity to tell her what I tell my first graders: Be your best self, stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and just concentrate on yourself. I also mentioned that her behavior struck me as very “high school” and I would no longer subject myself to it, bowing out from our shared lunch time, happier to eat alone than continue to subject myself to this behavior. Talking behind people’s backs, smiling to their face and then the minute they walk away having something to say about them is not an environment I choose to place myself in at this stage of my life. I spent too many years growing up following the crowd because I wanted to “belong” even if the choice of friends was not always the best choice. I am glad to have reached a stage of life where I can make the choice to surround myself with people who are positive and true friends, and walk far away from those who only want to bring negativity into their daily existence.
Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack has asked us to show her “below” It is really a matter of perspective I suppose, so here’s my take…..
Below the Empire State Building
44th Street Below
Below the New York City Streets
I spotted this wonderful bench made from wood at The Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton NJ
Growing up we never bought costumes, they were always home made, using fabric or whatever was in the house that could take form as a costume, with maybe buying an accessory that was needed to complete it. As an adult it was the same- my BFF and I dressed up as mimes, the only thing we bought were the white suspenders.
One year we were crayons, using our pastel colored sweat pants and sweat shirts as the foundation for the costumes, and using construction paper for the rest.
A few years ago I was Queen Esther the Jewish Queen of Persia. 
I bought the dress on ebay, the crown in the dollar store, and bought sparkly fabric for the veil that I stapled to the crown. I bought a scepter in the dollar store and broke off the stem, attaching the top to my crown. I then embellished the crown with stick on plastic gems. Voila! Queen for a day!
This week Marilyn at Serendipity has shared her beautiful photos of what little there was and is of Autumn this year in her neck of the woods, and has asked us to do the same.
The trees have been slow to change due to the weather conditions, yellows and oranges and reds in small amount among the still green trees.
The geese took full advantage of the apples falling from a tree- I had no idea they ate apples, but this guy pecked and pecked away.
I awoke to temperatures in the 20’s a few days ago, but today we’re heading back up to 75 degrees!! No wonder the trees are confused- as am I about how to dress appropriately for this changing weather everyday. Yesterday parts of the school I work in had air conditioning on while others had heat.
The birds must be confused too about whether or not they should stay or go. I hope they don’t get lulled into a false sense of security because these fall days feel like summer
Join the Prompt Here
Hard Hats come in a variety of colors….
There is still a lot of green in the trees, but the reds are beginning to show here and there
A Day In The Life 
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