Cool Down!

It is September and we should't be surprised when the weather cools and the air smells like Fall. But, it was a rather dramatic drop from the constant heat of the past summer to the chill-in-the-air that envelops us today. Don't get me wrong. I am definitely not complaining. This is my favorite time of the year when I can walk the river walk with a light jacket, do the chores with no perspiring, water the plants, the bees and the birds less frequently, close the windows at night and cover up with a blanket. I always whine over the extemes of the heat slowing up my activities and the cold numbing me while I pull on a pile of blankets or sweaters.

Each season has its special beauty, but this is truly the easiest time of living. Bob is working away each day putting in new windows, a job that was almost impossible at times during the peak of the hot days. I am using the oven again, and preparing meals that will warm up the house. After three months of absence from our household menu, the stews, baked chicken and chili dinners are a welcome change.

Also, to add to the fresh energy, my health has recovered after a year of battling fatigue after my three surgeries of last summer. Don't let the doctors fool you. It takes more than six weeks to get back on board. Well, there are still occasional lapses, but that could be due to my years creeping up on me. They are beginning to take a toll. I must remember this....slow down, take more rests and expect a little less of this body after 80 years. I should keep reminding myself not to work until I fade to exhaustion. I am grateful to be able to keep up as much as I do, so I say welcome to my new world of a slower pace, and I will remember to take time to relish the seasons in their turn.

Happy cool down and slow down from the Black Hills of South Dakota.