So make sure to stop by and give it a read! I was aiming to have it done this afternoon, but my sweet Old Man Gatsby is sick today.
We’re trying to take good care of him, so I’m a little behind. But, life happens, and tomorrow’s only a day away. And hopefully Gatsby will feel better by then, too.
I love life’s little, unexpected moments. Especially when they involve music. Here’s what happened:
On Saturday night, we went out to a birthday dinner with a couple of very dear friends at one of our favorite local spots. The musical act was setting up for their show that night – a singer and a guitarist – and I happened to strike up a conversation with the guitarist. We talked for a bit about the kinds of things we like to sing and play, and, well, long story short, he invited me up to sing a number. This doesn’t happen often, and as a rule, I never ask. Not my show, you know? But hey, I love to sing, and he was really good, and the singer he was playing with was also really good and very nice, and sometimes, you just let the magic happen.
So, with apologies for the poor quality of this cell phone video, I wanted to share that little bit of magic with all of you, too.
I remain just so, so grateful to live in a community full of wonderful, kind, and enormously talented musicians who graciously give me the opportunity to share the music and make good noise. Nothing better in the entire world.
September is the month of gold –
the leaves,
the light,
the hours.
And there’s nothing quite like
a September night,
when the magic of
the harvest moon makes
lovers and poets of both
the young and the old.
I always feel a little melancholy seeing September come to an end. And yes, I know we’re not quite there yet. I’m thoroughly enjoying the slant of the light, the slightly cooler temperatures, the way the leaves have just started to turn… I love it all. And I just had to share this moment.
This is the sunset today, on the (small) mountain behind my house. I can’t get enough of it. And I know that soon enough, it will be dark at this time of day. But with the winter comes the stars, so I’m not complaining. I always have loved winter best. But for now, I’m soaking up this special September magic.
It’s been a rainy, windy, cloudy, dark, and on the whole pretty gloomy day around here. So, you know, perfect reading weather. 😊 I’m curled up in my chair, and Annie’s hanging out with me in the living room. She’s really just totally mastered the art of rainy day relaxing.
Good dog. Stay.
Where does the time go?
Hither and fro.
Over and yonder
and far and away,
time is a child,
and the child loves to play.
September closes
while October waits,
and don’t we all have
plans to make?
So what comes next?
No one can say.
It belongs to us to
only bide the hours
and count the days.
It’s been raining on and off today, and it’s nice and cool outside, and the sky is pink and purple, and the trees are starting to turn gold, and I just really think September in Virginia might be one of my very favorite things in the entire world.
*A little mid-week positivity, because I know I need it, and I’m sure someone else does, too.*
I’ve learned
to love
the person
I’m becoming.
“In progress”
doesn’t mean
“imperfect.”
Y’all, Graham and I have forgotten our wedding anniversary no less than four times in as many weeks. We keep reminding each other. It’s tomorrow, by the way, and we’ll have been married for eight years.
So why do we keep forgetting? Life. That’s all I got. Life’s just been busy, and we’ve had a lot going on, and it’s been really hard to focus on making plans with just each other. And I don’t think this is an uncommon thing for couples. I think it’s easy to get caught up in the outside world.
But at the end of the day, we only have eyes for each other.
So, this week, I’m planning to make some time (forcibly, if I have to) for just Graham and me. Maybe we’ll even go on a date! (I can’t remember the last time we actually went on an actual date…) But no matter what we do, if it’s the two of us together, it’ll be special and lovely and fun, and we’ll probably laugh a lot.
So, to my Graham, my guiding star and my favorite human: I love you. I choose you. I’d marry you all over again. Thanks for choosing me, too.
…for a whirlwind couple of days, to attend the wedding of a dear friend. A couple of thoughts here:
Thought the first: Every time I’ve come to New Jersey (which, granted, is only twice), I’ve been so pleasantly surprised at how nice and pretty it actually is. New Jersey, like Florida, or for that matter, the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia where I grew up, is often the butt of mean jokes about bad hair and rude, unintelligent people. I’m sure those things exist – they exist everywhere – but my experience here in the Garden State has been nothing but lovely. And, having dealt with them as a mountain girl from down the holler, I’m pretty much totally and completely over ugly, unfair stereotypes.
Thought the second: I’m so happy for my friend and his bride to be. It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate with them, and to share their special weekend. I feel very fortunate, and I know that not everyone has the opportunity to see their loved ones and be together right now. This last year and change has been such a trying, awful, scary time, and COVID doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. I don’t really know what else to say. I just feel lucky, and grateful. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m doing my best to treasure these happy moments, knowing that everything could change in an instant, and has, for many people all over the world.
So, that’s what I’ve got for today. I try not to ramble in my posts, but my mind is just feeling too many feelings this morning. And I’ve only had one cup of coffee, which is apparently not quite enough. I’ll leave you here, then, with a wish for you that your weekend is fabulous, that your coffee is hot and made just the way you like it, and that you are happy and well.
This is where I found Gatsby earlier today. It is one of his most favorite places for an afternoon nap. Yes, it is a basket of dirty laundry. House cats are such strange (marvelous, but strange) creatures.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 