apples

The essence of fall is...
...red sumac against gold cornfields
...trees ablaze with turning leaves
...and, always, apple picking

Elanor and Kaya Laurë joined me to go pick apples at friend-of-a-friend's countryside place. What a gorgeous Southern Minnesota autumn day. Picking delicious, crisp, apples for free is among the best things in life. Juicy, non-mealy, mostly sweet and just slightly tart apples. Here are a few tips to enjoying this delightful fall activity:

Bring along someone to hand apples to - preferable someone adorable.

Be sure to eat a few to keep your energy up.
The nice thing about apple picking is that shade is built-in.
Just watch out for falling fruit.

Feed the bruised ones to the neighboring cows.

Take time to study the jet trails that streak the sky.

Most importantly of all, smile. Life is so good sometimes. Yes, sometimes it is very, very hard and devastating and broken. Sometimes the apples are wormy or have bird poop on them. Sometimes there are no apples. Or maybe sometimes there is just one apple, and it is all the more precious. But if you look diligently enough, or wait long enough, or hope hard enough, you will find apples. Because they are real.

And whatever you do, when you pick your apples, remember to bake them into a crisp for your Love.

directly speaking

Many people cherish their privacy, and I deeply respect that. I, however, don't mind sharing my most intimate ideas and experiences with people. I like being transparent. I'm not afraid to be, unless it's a small fear of offending, and of course I try never to share what might hurt or damage. This may have to do with my confrontational and externally processing nature. I need to talk about things with other people to understand. I need exhaustive feedback. I need to question, to test, to verify.

Okay, I don't need those things. I believe the grace of God is sufficient. Cross out "need" and insert "prefer."

In any case, it's part of why I blog, and why blogging itself shapes and changes me.

for coherency's sake

I know I've been posting heaps of photos and videos lately, but I just really feel like posting a few pictures today. I still love the English language as much as ever, it's just that I have too many words swirling around in my brain to put any coherent thought down on paper (or screen).

We went to a wedding last Saturday.

My father-in-law and mother-in-law, with their granddaughter.

Norah. Her grown-up-ness makes me cringe.

My MIL takes a picture of me taking a picture of her. You'll just have to imagine what I look like, as will I, because I never once looked at myself in a mirror that whole day - except for brushing my hair before I put my dress on.

My stylin' nephew Ryott at the Sunday birthday party. He's my favorite nephew ever. And I covet his shoes.

welcome to my lap

Three warm spots on my lap.

One hums. One purrs. One chases things in dreams.

The morning peace is broken with a wrestling match, followed by stampeding around the house and waking up the three-year-old. Well, it was sweet while it lasted. *sigh*

Thank goodness for coffee.

play

For our third campout of the year, we went to Sakatah Lake State Park. We learned that "Sakatah" actually means "the sight and sounds of children playing on a hill."

...hiking trails with my favorite people...

...sitting on the dock with the pup...

...if you had it this good, you'd be smiling too!
I hope you do, and are. :)

seven minutes

Here is a snippet of last Sunday.
Puppy meets kitty meets 3-year-old.
Running time 7 minutes.

black gold

Meet Kaya Laurë.

She was born on my birthday. She's half golden retriever and half standard poodle and is seven weeks old today. We landed on ki-ya-lu-rae for her name because Brett's favorite childhood dog was named Kaya, and Laurë is the Elvish word for Gold. Runners up were Aurum and Zephyr.

Some of the litter of 11 puppies in South Dakota.

Today is also the sixth month anniversary of home ownership for us. Sorry, I haven't quite finished the kitchen, but hopefully I'll post remodeling pictures this month! With a 3yo, a kitten, and a puppy, The Portage feels a little fuller. I like that.