November Begins

November might just be my favorite month of the year. It comes in so quietly but soon is filled with the hum of change. It gets darker, but also shifts lighter as the leaves glow luminous and bright on softly raining days and dance to pull your attention through windows on blustery ones. More candles are lit and twinkle lights are slowly added. While it's always a little sad to put away the summer activities I love and say goodnight to my garden friends that bring me such peace, November brings it's own version of things I need. It's time to rest November says. It's time to slow down. 

I was sitting down with my calendar the other day working on putting some, “Look Forward To’s” in place for the coming months and little bits of things started popping into my peripheral thoughts. After the first few I decided to make a list for November so I would remember to do them. 

- Mail hand written letters or cards weekly 

(This kind of feels imperative to me after reading Denmark is no longer delivering letters due to decreased demand due to the digital age. Use it or lose it? That seems so sad to me and even though I'm just one person mailing post, I hope to always be able to do this. Hand written letters found in the piles of advertisements and bills are such a treat.)

- Donate to the local food bank

(Will be doing this in both my community and one with greater need)

- Take a holiday card photo

- Shop our local garden center's holiday shop for a new icicle for my Christmas tree 

- Make a date with a girlfriend

 

I also have another more ambitions big picture Fall bucket list that includes things like:

- Take a cooking class

- Make caramel sauce (complete!)

- Try out a new prospective desert for holiday dinners (Tried two! Complete!)

- Restock the pantry and fridge with base ingredients and make the first soup of the season (complete!)

- Visit a museum 

- Buy a red umbrella (complete!)

- Make a holiday wreath

- Start writing again (Complete!) 

So, between keeping our home running, getting homemade meals on the table, figuring out quality time with a traveling spouse, connecting with family, doctors appointments, local Women's Club meetings, self-care doing, and last minute little trip planning to use up our allotted vacation time before the end of the year, this is pretty much what's on my plate in the next few weeks. 

Navigating Dark Season

Are we ready?

The short days of the darker winter months lay ahead and I find myself reaching for my mental tools. The ones honed after a lifetime of navigating these literal seasons. How can I brace my body and mind for a stretch of months I know are important for rest and yet can often be so trying. Thankfully I have learned a few things over the years. 

My loose and flexible plan consists of:

1). I try to get 15+ minutes of fresh air every day. I have found, for me, this is just as effective if not more so than using a light therapy box. Put on a coat, put on some warm shoes, grab an umbrella (yes, my coats have hoods, but nobody likes a wet face, I go ahead and use the umbrella and maybe even have one in a fun color or pattern if it suits me), set a timer and get outside. I get outside for as long as I can, every day if I can. Of course there will be days one wants to pass on this, on those days, I bundle up in a warm coat or blanket and stand just outside the doorway. I try to leave screens out of it if possible and let my mind wander. But often, especially if I'm going for a longer walk, it helps to listen to music or an audiobook/program. Fifteen minutes passes in a blink. Taking some deep breaths you feel your body start to relax. I set 15 minutes as my minimum and on my busier or more tired days this is enough. But generally I find I crave even more time outside. 

2). I try to read twenty minutes a day. So many of us are out of the habit of reading with so many readily available screens to capture our attention. Capture and dilute. Capture and diminish. Reading lights up parts of the brain that screens cannot. Reading helps us focus and think creatively, effectively, and efficiently in other parts of our lives. Reading helps us de-stress, de-tox, reset and recover. Reading is a great way to break up the longer evenings and darker nights of the late fall and winter months. I've found it to be very settling. 

3). I try to learn something new or fine tune/step up something I've been learning. This can be anything. A language. Cooking or making something new. Learning to use a computer program or internet application. Crafting, building, garden research, photography, or fitness. If I try something new, don’t enjoy it, I try something else. Giving my mind and body something to do is a positive way to direct my energy. 

4). I get my calendar out and plan some, “Look Forward To’s”. These don’t have to be trips or expensive events. I plan a walk with a friend, an outing with a family member or a small gathering in or outside of our home. I pllan a movie night or plan to cook a meal or when to plant things. Having concrete things to look forward to really helps me move through the darker months. 

5). I look for positive things to focus on. I reset my thoughts a bit. I try to replace negative words like, “gloomy” with more poetic words like "moody”, or dare I suggest a stretch to, "cozy". Not feeling that enthusiastic? I replace negative thoughts and words with neutral words. It’s not gloomy, it’s simply dark. It’s not a gross day, it’s simply raining. I try to remember, what you tell yourself becomes true. If I tell myself it’s miserable every day, I will become miserable. If I tell myself I hate the winter months every day, that negativity will seep into other parts of my thinking and definitely affect my mood. Depending on where you live, the darker months will be anywhere from ¼ or ½ of your year. This translates to  ¼ or ½ of your life.  I definitely don't want to be miserable for half my life.  I can choose something different. So, I look for and notice the things I DO like during this season. I like warm drinks, and the glow of street lamps on dark afternoons. I like the way frozen puddles crunch when you step on the edges of them. I like soup, pajama sets, socks, and the way warm air puffs white on cold days. If I look for things I like on unlikable days, both obvious and not, I start noticing of them and it changes the day. 

6). I light a lot of candles and turn on lamps. A warm cast of light just makes a huge difference in how the house feels. Welcoming and warm - in an emotional way. 

These are all pretty basic, but somehow they have all helped me immensely. 

Shall We Just Be Chatty Then?

 

"You should write again", he said. "You should write again", she said. 

Should I? Should we just be chatty then? Shall we make this me, just writing letters to you?

Life ten+ years on from my last post here has seen many changes. 

Parenting through the teenage years. 

Another two moves (away, then back where we started). 

An empty nest. 

The Covid years. 

Multiple surgeries. 

One child's wedding and another's career building far, far away. 

Some amazing travel. 

I've often often thought about writing it all down but just couldn't get a grasp on sitting down and doing it. Most of it ended up in Instagram posts in clips and snippets.  

It feels like the right time to give it a go again though. In a different world I might sit down and write you a lengthly letter each week and send it through the post. I'm more of a card sender these days, but would still love to invite you into my world. So let's just be chatty then. 

Take care til next time,

J

Autumn Means..(Pumpkin Butter)

Pumpkin Butter

Combine in a medium saucepan:

1 29 oz. can of pumpkin puree 

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup pure maple syrup 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves  

Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Lower temperature to medium and cook uncovered, stirring, for 30 minutes to reduce. Here's the thing - It is going to spit (covering your kitchen with delicious spots of goodness, ask me how I know) if you stop stirring it. If you need to walk away, cover it with a screen or an offset lid. Normally I wouldn't bother with a recipe that instructs me to stir something for a solid 30 minutes but in this case it's worth it. Hey, extra love makes things taste better. For real. Just turn on some tunes and daydream, the time will pass in a flash. 

Divide into jars and rest on counter until steaming stops. Screw on air tight lids and pop in the fridge. Keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks or in the freezer for 1 year. 

Makes about two pint jars full.

This is a really flexible recipe. If you want to make your own pumpkin puree and use that, feel free. If you don't have any maple syrup, use all brown sugar. Like more maple flavor, use all maple syrup. If you want to use Grandma's special spice blend, or like it really spicy, go right ahead! Pretty sure you can't go wrong. ❈

Great on waffles, toast, crackers, ice cream, yogurt. Even (ahem) on a spoon. 

(*Please note, the USDA recommends that you not use home canning methods for pumpkin butter. So if you are into canning and putting up supplies, do not "can" this recipe.) 

Snoqualmie Tunnel

In an effort to reclaim part of our identity after three moves in two years we decided to tackle our first family hike in so many months. We actually intended to hike the lovely alpine trail leading to the west entrance to the Snoqualmie Tunnel but (ahem) couldn't remember where the trail head started. We could find the 15 mile hike trail head, but not the much shorter one we had used when the kids were toddlers. A quick google later and we settled for the east entrance.  

Upon arrival at the opening to the tunnel, my husband and I locked eyes and with some carefully concealed hand gestures, silently agreed not to let the kids know what they were in for. 

There may or may not have been some suppressed smirks or fake innocent expressions involved. 

The Snoqualmie Tunnel is part of the Iron Horse State Park's 110 mile trail that makes use of an old rail line. The tunnel was built in 1914 (has been shored up and reopened in 2009) and is 2.3 miles long, very much inside and under a mountain. It is dark. And cold. And a little damp in places. It's also really cool. 

We headed in, telling our kids, "Don't worry, it's not too far.". Which was a total lie, but whatever. 

They both had flashlights and honestly had a pretty good time turning them off and trying to spook each other. We weren't alone. About every five minutes a group of people on bikes would overtake us which took down the creepy factor quite a bit. Almost immediately we could see, "the light at the end of the tunnel". We all watched it grow incrementally from a pinprick until finally it started getting bigger quite quickly. 

If you are the sentimental type, which I totally happen to be, coming out of a 2.3 mile long black dark tunnel might take your breath away. Especially if your daughter happens to be walking in front of you. It's really quite stunning. And not just because it's so bright that you can't see. ❈ 

It all changes so quickly at the end.  I almost wanted to walk slower...  

And just like that, we were outside again. The kids were so excited. And then they realized... there was only one way to get back. Ha!

We played around for a bit. Had a snack. Let our eyes adjust. 

Climbed down to check out the little waterfall...

Climbed up to the top...

Let the kids be kids. 

Eventually it was time to head back. Off we marched...

There was a lot more light coming in from this end and we could see without flashlights for a very long time. 

Soon enough we were in the pitch dark again, headed toward the light at the end of the tunnel. 

And again, coming out into the light was just so striking...  totally worth it. 

Once outside we owned up to the distance. The kids admitted that it was a totally cool experience. They didn't want to do it again anytime soon, but felt pretty accomplished to have done it. 

We've hiked up to the tunnel a few times, and even ventured in a short way. So excited that I can put a big check mark next to this one on the bucket list now that we have walked all the way through it and back. ❈

If you go -

Dress warm, it's cold

Bring a flashlight with fresh batteries

If you choose to turn your flashlight off, listen for approaching bikes, they'll be traveling fast and won't see you. 

Bring a snack

Bring a good sense of humor

Note - Closed November 1st through early May due to ice and snow. 

Fast Forward One Year...

The new, new (old) house. 

Well, here I am. It's been almost a full year since I've blogged and so much has happened. I'm not sure how I will ever catch up the lost time. In fact, I'm certain that I can't.  With that said, let's just default to bullet points. Sometimes that's just what it ends up boiling down to anyway.

So to catch up, when we last left off we had sold our house while trying to buy a little lake house. That deal fell through and we ended up in a rental house for a year. We were not cut out for renting and were determined to get into a house. When we couldn't find anything to buy locally we eventually purchased and moved into a new construction home about an hour North of our town. The last post before my year long hiatus was in October of 2013. After that, the following went down:

Back yard. 

• In November we finally started to feel settled.

• By December I knew it wasn't working. 

• By January I knew it wasn't something that time, or energy, or will power could fix. 

• By February I started getting really twitchy. 

• By March I was casually looking at houses online. 

• By April I knew for sure we would move back to our original town.

   I just wasn't sure when we could pull it off. I mean really, who does that? 

•  By the end of April my husband arrived at the same place and told me to "find a house". 

• A week later we found and made an offer on a house back home, it was accepted. 

• A week later we listed our house for sale. 

• Two weeks later we accepted an offer on our house. 

• Two weeks later we moved into our new house in our old town. 

• Two weeks later we closed on the house we sold. 

• Our kids were able to attend the last four weeks of school with their friends.

• In June I took the kids on a road trip to Oregon. 

• In July two great husbands sent two grateful wives to Hawaii for a long weekend of R & R.

• In August we took our annual sailing trip through the San Juan's. 

• In September we launched two growing kids into middle school (6th and 7th).

Upper lawn and shed. 

And now here we are. It's autumn again and we've come full circle. Looking forward I'm  hoping to break out my camera for fun photos, experiment with new recipes, and hopefully find some adventure I can post about. I've no idea how the blog will evolve from this point, we'll just have to take it one step at a time and see. 

Until next time,

Jen

This is October...

In a day before Halloween crunch to visit a pumpkin patch before the big day we waved our finger at a map and plunked it down on the most promising local patch within 20 minutes and ended up here. 

It was a wonderful surprise to find it tucked into some rolling hills and surrounded by little white farm houses. I love a good happy accident! 

Somehow the goal is always to find the biggest pumpkin that can still be carried. You have to try out a few...

They had these great dual washing stations with old hand pumps, something we've never encountered before. Who can say no to an old school hand pump? They were able to spend a good amount of time here as there was no one waiting for a turn. 

After getting the pumpkins we strolled up to the farm store to check things out...

There were some fun little things...

And we took full advantage. 

Super cute place…

Meet Ham One and Ham Two.  "Ok! Now pretend to run me over!"

So glad we were able to squeeze this in. So glad I got my annual pumpkin photo! 

(Yes, those are hot pink socks. Breast cancer awareness socks. I love a man in pink!)