Searching For Blue

There is some blue there!

The older I get, the more sunshine I need! Or light. Or fresh air.  Here in Oregon, the weather is pretty moderate. Where I live, there is no real extreme temperature; if we happen to get weather down to the teens, it's not often, if we have highs above 90, that doesn't happen real often either. Yes, we do get rain. I was surprised to find that there are a lot of places that actually get more rain than us, because that's the comment people often make about Oregon.
Oregonians don't use umbrellas either. Well, some do, but not most. Our fall scenery is gorgeous. I see pictures of the eastern part of our country, and they remind me of what we get; lots of reds and oranges. Oregon is all about trees, you know.
Well, I've decided that I need to start taking more Vitamin D. I need to get outside more this winter, even if it means to the greenhouse. I need to appreciate every break from the rain that we get. I confess, although I'm a native to Oregon, (even native to my neighborhood), I haven't in the last few years appreciated the rain. I go through the day reminding myself that the rain is what makes our state so beautiful. It gets tough, but I'm determined.
As I was driving in my car the other day, we had one of those really cloudy, dark skies, and wayyyyyyy in the distance I could see a piece of blue sky. It was a brilliant blue, with sunshine in it. I decided that even when it's cloudy, whether it's the day, or if it's life, I need to look for that little piece of blue. If I can't see it, I need to keep watching, because it always does show up again. And when it does, I need to be ready for it! Expecting it!
I have a friend who has some serious health issues. She has had brain cancer; had that removed, and they put a shunt in her head. I don't understand it all. She had some kind of cancer in her thyroid, had that treated. She had all this while taking care of her inlaws! A year ago, she found out she has a new tumor in her brain, although it's not cancerous "yet", they said it was too dangerous to operate on. But it will grow. She'd been really sick, tried some new type of drug, thought she was doing better, losing weight, which her doctor told her the medicine would cause. THEN shel started having symptoms that she assumed were pre-menopause. She had a check up and the Dr.'s office called to tell her that she has uterine cancer! Then, with all those tests, the new doctor saw the brain tumor, and said, "It has to come out!". So, she is facing the unknown. My heart just hurts for her. But you know what? She is trusting God to heal her. She is fighting. She is LIVING! She's been painting her kitchen! She's NOT sitting and crying, although she's had her moments. In other words, she is "searching for the blue", looking past the clouds. My little stuff is just that...small.
I want to enjoy every single day. I want to accomplish something every single day. I want to build stronger and stronger relationships with my kids and husband every single day. I want to be the friend that I should be to my friend(s). I want to thank God for how rich I am. Nope, not rich in dollars, but rich in life.  Our experiences, our relationships, the things we see, belong to us. A rich land owner might actually be paying for the land around me, because he owns it, but the view is MINE! When we look out at that ocean sunset, and later our minds recall it, that ocean sunset is OURS! For free! Because it is something God gave us!

Sunset from my home.

View from my mom's yard.

Watch for the blue.  ~Karen

Harvesting Thankfulness

Friends visit under the gazebo

Kids love the hammock!

My boys learned to run a backhoe!

Randy lifted the kids into the tree to pick cherries.

People everywhere! We love it!

This is the time of year when, if you are a gardener or a home-canner, you're finishing up madly to get a harvest in before the season is gone. If you aren't gathering your own veggies and fruits, then someone else, like a grocery store supplier, will do it for you, then you'll pay them to do the work for you. However it goes, the harvest comes at this time of year.

My daughter Kristin was smart, she brought beans to snap & got help!

It seems to me, that fall is extra-dramatic in it's season. The colors, the smells, the way it all of a sudden gets dark quicker (I've been trying not to notice that one so much). It just seems that, of all the seasons, fall seems like a fast-moving vehicle taking us to winter.
It is so fitting that, along with a harvest, comes a giving of thanks. Why not, we have the bounty of everything that's grown all year. It feels a little like pay day, and it is so natural to just give thanks. To be thankful.  God has provided.
This year has been a very "different" one. My husband, who is a general contractor and builds custom homes, has been around a lot! In our area, there isn't a lot of new building going on. We've used the time he's had off to get some things done around home. Now he seems to be getting busier, and thankfully, the work is just about done. I have to say, I'm amazed at how much we DID get done around here, from finishing the gazebo he started last year, to putting on a new roof, installing new flooring in the kitchen and living room, even remodeling my daughter's bedroom. Oh yeah, we were even able to get my grandkids' "fort" started. Fort? My husband got a little carried away, they actually are getting a building the size of a small cottage, that Grandma (me) would love to have! I don't know what I'd do with tower they added to it, but I'd think of something. I always said it would be nice to have my husband retire, but I have to say, it's pretty hard to keep on a routine. I was pretty glad for him to be back to work so that I could get a schedule back in time to start homeschool this fall.
Hope your fall is bursting with thankfulness!

PS Photos are from the old fashioned ice cream social we had with friends (except we didn't make it homemade) this summer. See, we found plenty of time to play!