Work Route

This morning, at about the same time i USED to leave the house to drive to work, i filled my coffee mug and took my binoculars and camera, told my cat, "I'll be right back," and off i went! i followed the same road i took for many years going back and forth to the hospital where i worked--and from where i retired 11 months ago to the day!

my intent was to see the farm field that this time of year was always SOLID WHITE with THOUSANDS of snow geese--no exaggeration! i used to pull over and roll down the windows, brave the cold air, just so i could listen to the cacophony of that many "voices" all trying to outdo each other. one morning in fact, one of the young docs was actually concerned when he saw me sitting on the side of the road, window down; he thought i was stuck and needed assistance. i thanked him for his thoughtfulness and explained that i was just enjoying the snow geese, even if it meant i'd be late for work that morning. he later thanked ME, cause he said he drove right by it every morning and never even SAW them!

well, my timing this morning was not good, as i saw not one snow goose, turned around and drove back home. but as my daughter pointed out, it felt good to go that same route with the exception of the liberty of turning around and going back home! yes! that DID feel real good!

i experienced a lot of different feelings though, on that round trip. so much had changed, yet so much was the same. two different sections of new homes have not only been built but also inhabited in 11 short months. a new traffic light had been put up; the pot holes on the roads, which i knew perfectly how to avoid, were gone and the roads all repaved smooth. the huge pumpkin patch was now a cornfield, but the field of "baby trees" as i called them, were still there. and the speeders were still there! (too bad they repaved the road--just makes it easier to use it as a racetrack. the guy behind me velcro-ed himself to my rear bumper for a while this morning, pushing me to 5 then 10 miles over the speed limit, until i realized it and then slowed back to the legal 50, but then, on a SOLID line, with traffic coming, he zipped around me...only to have to stop at the same traffic light ahead as each of us anyway.)

driving the speed limit on the way to work was always a challenge, i have to admit; especially on that back road through the farmland areas that i always traveled to work. i purposely avoided the main highway because there were COMPLETE maniacs on THAT road! at least the traffic was lighter and the maniacs fewer on the road i took. but i'm thankful that i no longer have to be part of that misnomer: rush-hour. oh, truth be told: i am SO THANKFUL for MANY things, as i look back over the past 11 months. God is SO good! His blessings are MANY!

oh! and, although i missed taking my photographs this morning of snow geese, i came home, poured a hot cup of pumpkin spice coffee, put a slice of cinnamon bread in the toaster, looked in the morning paper for my daily crossword puzzle--and there it was! a photo of the field FILLED WITH SNOW GEESE on the same farm! JOY!

En-JOY

It dawned on me last week that one of the things that bring me great JOY is that i once again feel--really feel--the Christmas Spirit, now that i am no longer employed. way-back-when...i was a stay at home mom (called housewife in those days), i used to LOVE the preparations leading up to Christmas day! there was trips up and down the attic stairs getting all the boxes and bags, the decorating, the shopping, the baking, the wrapping, the church programs, writing out cards, the mailbox filled with envelopes that didn't contain bills---ALL of it---kit 'n'kaboodle (whatever that means)!

then i started working part time outside our home. at first i noticed no difference, since i worked for (the same) elementary school that my children attended. it continued to be a festive and meaningful season of celebration. (schools in those days could still celebrate Christmas and not be forced into secular snowmen and rudolphs only. we actually had Christmas trees and NOT "holiday trees," and no one was offended by the greeting: Merry Christmas.)

when my children were grown and i started working full time in an office, i usually only had Christmas day off; not the day before, on Christmas Eve, and mostly not the day after, either. it really made my festive mood take a plunge. i still reflected on the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the significance of His life, death and RESURRECTION, to bring us to God. but it only became a DAY, no longer a SEASON. it was shortened, and my JOY shortened as well. the preparations were no longer fun because it was a chore to get all the decorations up, shopping after a long tiring day at work; wrapping lost all creativity--and all baking was given up. what i DID bake, burnt and went to the dog (instead of buying those charcoal bones in the pet store.) i'd rush home, plug in the lights on the tree, but after dinner and dishes, there was little time leftover to sit and gaze and relax and enjoy. everything was rush, rush, rush; get-it-done-now and quickly move on to the next chore.

this Christmas is my FIRST as a retiree! or---i should say: re-LIFE-ee. and i felt all the JOY of the SEASON gush back in last week! it's a marvelous feeling! i plug in the tree lights now, before it is even dusk, and can thoroughly enjoy the beauty! i go outdoors and look at our home all lit up and feel all Christmas-sy. i enjoy planning my shopping trips and it's not crowded when i go. and today? today--i did something enjoyable that i have not had time to do in many years: i actually wrote out notes in Christmas cards and have them all ready to mail! JOY to the world! the Christmas music has been playing all day every day, and i sing loudly, if not wonderfully, and flit around like a child.

It's CHRISTMAS!! i wish you and your's JOY throughout.

Seasons

Is it me, or does it seem like ages ago that we celebrated Thanksgiving? i had a busy morning today, with another transition of seasons. i cleaned out my flower garden, even tho some of the heartier chrysanthemums are still showing color. i rubbed off all the dried marigold seeds right into the soil for their winter's rest. i collected more zinnia seeds from the dried flower pods, and am amazed to see that my dianthus is still very green and putting forth buds! we should rename our dianthus; diehard! after taking out all the dried marigold stems, i added them to my compost pile. i plan on doubling the size of my veggie garden for next year. so, that was one transition, as i officially closed out the growing season.

i then opened the next season, and strung outdoor Christmas lights on our 3 arborvitae out front. And, back indoors now, our home is filled with the welcoming aroma of homemade turkey soup simmering on my stove. it's hard to beat the smell of simmering soup! so now i will think about decorating the inside of our home for Christmas. and so...season to season...holiday to holiday...the times between spent JOY-fully transitioning.

oh! and last night's new recipe was yummy: meatball stroganoff. i used lowfat milk and light sour cream, so it was healthier than the richness of typical stroganoffs. tonight, to go with the soup, i will make homemade drop biscuits--mainly because i hated the thoughts of paying almost $4 for a loaf of fresh bread! someday i will try my hand at baking my own bread. but--- not today.