Ouch

I like this more than anything else I've taken in months. The worst part about that is that I took it with my left hand on the shutter so my camera was upside down. I never realized how hard it was for me to get a picture of my right hand, or do dishes (which how I cut my finger) apparently.

While I was gone...

Lots seems to have happened since I decided to take my break. I caught the flu-cold thing that's been going around. Shawn came to visit, as did my family. I also made some chicken noodle soup that turned out fairly well. I've finally managed to get over being sick and I'm excited to see my family some more during Thanksgiving next week. Taking my break from the world of blogging made me realize some things about what I want this to be in the future. I also managed to catch up, for the most part on the giant and seemingly ever-growing pile of homework in my life. Anyway, I'm loving the cold weather right now and I can't wait to see snow soon.

Enjoy these bits and pieces...

My warm sweaters and cozy scarves are out again and ready to be worn, it must be getting close to winter. There was ice out today, my shoes felt slippery on the frozen water as I walked through the crisp air of late October. November is coming soon and with it first snows and bitter winds. A ring of ruby and gold surrounds the trees, it is soon to be lost and their bare branches will be left to stand starkly alone in the cold landscape. Only their reflections on the frigid ponds and lakes will remain to keep them company, and one day even those reflections will be lost to the ice that allows no thoughtful penetrations into the depths.

Last Days

Well, the time has come, there are only two more days left until I head back up north (that is an over-statement, Portland is north of Bend, but not by much on world distance standards). I've had random people ask me to do things before I leave and when I get up there, but my plans are pretty well set (at least for me they seem to be, I don't really plan). I move on Saturday, spend Sunday with my family, get settled in on Monday, possibly spend Tuesday at the zoo, then on Wednesday... GO TO SEE MODEST MOUSE!

I think I may get overly-excited about these things.

Anyway, I have lots to get done tomorrow (when I say that I mean Thursday) and Friday, but I can't seem to get to sleep tonight, even though I am actually pretty tired. It seems that sleep has been eluding me more and more this summer, I don't know how I am going to survive with that 8am class this fall... lots and lots of coffee and chai, that's for sure.

Here are a few things I have been meaning to share with everyone for the past week or so:

These are the deer that live near Shawn's house. I think it's a little bit funny how excited he and his parents get about them, but that's because when I was younger herds of 10-20 deer roamed my neighborhood and attacked my mother's flower gardens, so I think of them as flower-destroyers, not the cute little things they really are, especially the fawns.

This is the first of my breakfasts a couple of days ago. It was a failure though, we were out of milk, so no cereal for me (wait until you hear about the rest of it).

This was attempt number two at breakfast, looks like some yummy sourdough toast, right? Nope, that is GARLIC sourdough bread, no thanks, not with my orange juice.

This is what I finally ended up trying to actually eat for breakfast that day. However, I forgot: I don't really like peanut butter very much.

This is the peanut butter I eat, I love it, as much as I can love peanut butter (I can't). In fact, I think I am going to switch to almond butter, it's so much more delicious.

So those are some silly, random things that have been going on, this just makes me look like a really boring person.

I apologize to anyone that I just put to sleep, hopefully you don't drool too much and ruin your computers.

Quoting

"This moment contains all moments."

Thank you C.S. Lewis, for giving me such a grand thing to think about, your words have been stuck in my head since the moment I first read them.

Little Pieces

I am anticipating my move back to Portland with excitement and dread. I am not looking forward to packing up my life again, and at the same time, I love moving into new spaces, making them beautiful and mine. And this time it will be even more fun because I know how much space I have to pack all of my random little things into and onto. I have this thing where I don't like to get rid of things... ever. In fact, there are still boxes sitting around my house that are full of all the stuff I am supposedly getting rid of, yet I keep taking things out of them to keep. Ok, I admit it... again... I am a packrat. But some of the little pieces of clutter I have make me so happy and are so beautiful, who wouldn't love them? The rest of the stuff... well that I keep just in case I need it for a project or something, or because I plan to make a project of some kind with them. I am planning on going on another camping trip tomorrow, I can't wait!

Views

After cleaning today, I sat down and realized that between the dark, greyness that has been hanging aroung the skies lately, there have been moments of summer sunshine, fleeting, but there. They get me ready for the time when I feel most at-ease to take pictures outside my room... until then, I'll let you enjoy these small moments from inside my room, inspired by a small bit of sunshine that screamed of summer.