HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We live too far out in the country to have trick or treaters.  We miss seeing the kids in their costumes.

AT THE END OF THE DAY...It's just us and the heads in their masks 

TRICK

OR

 

TREAT

  and fresh baked apple pie.

Balance

My life may look organized on the outside but, in spite of all the calendars and lists for keeping track of everything I plan to do, one unexpected or unplanned-for event and my whole day can come unraveled like a shabby sweater. 

So I signed up for online bill paying this week.  It was so easy I don't know why I didn't do it sooner.  I try not to be too rigid with my schedule but there are some things that have to be done on a regular basis and with the new challenges coming in the next year I need to make some adjustments if I want to leave room for the unexpected in this new season of my life.

 AT THE END OF THE DAY... The have to do's will get done if I'm organized... and all the rest?    Balance and flexibility...after all...isn't that what retirement is all about...pulling that loose string to see what happens?

Frosty Mornings

This morning we had our first frost of the season.  Fall is my favorite time of year.   I love the colors of the turning leaves and the crunchy sound they make when I walk on them after they have fallen in a thick blanket under the trees.  I love the bright orange of fields of pumpkins and the scarecrows, skeletons and scary masks of Halloween that pop up everywhere.  And best of all...AT THE END OF THE DAY...I love the cuddly soft warmth of new flannel sheets when I finally call it a night and crawl into bed.

SIGNS

autumn leaves turn gold and red

then falling down they make a bed

between the trees upon the ground

while under foot a crunching sound

signals winter close at hand

when snow lies gently on the land

~FK~

One Step Closer

AT THE END OF THE DAY... after spending three days digging through paperwork and making way too many phone calls to get answers to two simple questions the house is clean again and the heads are all dressed up for Halloween.  Now I can take a short break till my muse comes back (she went off in a tiff because she hates paperwork and chores).  After all, it's only two months till Christmas and then only 6 more months till retirement.  And she and I have a lot of planning to do.

Beginnings and Endings

I am an artist but I am also a wife a mother a grandmother and soon to be great grandmother...

My life is already full with my family and my pets and now with my husband DK retiring July 1 it is overflowing with new challenges. 

I once had a journal with starter questions on each page, the same questions each day:  the weather today is...in the news today...news & events with my family & friends...I am excited about...I am concerned about...etc.  These are some of the questions I will be asking myself as I follow this new passage into aging using photography, art, poetry, and stories to answer them.  And I will be asking myself, AT THE END OF THE DAY what does it all mean? 

I'm writing this Blog to share the journey into this new and final chapter of my life.