What a glorious evening! Autumn finally rolled into Texas on the late train last night, dropping temperatures twenty degrees and sweeping the humidity and the mosquitoes somewhere else. The window beside me is open; a harmony of the crickets and the little creek, rushing to Lake Travis, is drifting in along with the cool breeze.
I had a firm "to-do" list for this evening, but I penciled in a few minutes on the front porch before sunset, rocking in the fabulous wood and iron chairs my sweet friend Gwen sold us cheap, cheap… sipping a glass of pinot noir… scratching Belle's ears… and laughing at the cardinal family, who are finally building up enough nerve to venture close to the bird feeder. You just can't waste an afternoon like this on "to-do"s that keep you inside! This is my absolute favorite time of year – clear skies, cool mornings, warm afternoons. I guess in some places this is called "summer", but for us here in Texas, this is fall. It makes me want to grab a beer and hit a Renaissance Festival or Oktoberfest somewhere.
Tom took a break from changing oil in the cars and joined me… until the mosquitoes discovered us. Apparently only the dayshift mosquitoes were swept away, not the nightshift crew.
Despite not getting that much sleep, accidentally leaving my to-go coffee on the counter this morning, and the gap in my teeth where I popped out a crown last night, this was another wonderful Monday. Word must be out about this Monday competition: each one seems to be trying harder to top the last one.
The dogs were frisky on our walk; we finished in record time (recent records, anyway) despite my frequent stops to photograph the thumbprint moon and those beautiful iris-like lavender flowers that are still multiplying along the road… I've searched for their name, but so far, no luck.
This was one of those weekends when I wished more than ever I could be two places at once. We had a special event planned with TG, and I can't pass up a chance to be with my kids. And then it was our anniversary – not an extravagant celebration, but a blue dragonfly finally posed for us down by the small pond…
But my nephew's wife and baby girl were only four hours away, on a visit from Montana Wyoming (oops! my sister corrected me! Thanks, Brenda!), and I would have loved to have seen them in person… as well as my brother, the proud grandpa, in action with this little girl that already has him wrapped around her tiny finger, and my parents' faces meeting their new great-granddaughter… the first baby in the family since TG!
I have to make do with photographs I hunted down on Facebook…
What a charmer!
They've promised to come back down for Thanksgiving, joined by my nephew this time. Fingers crossed they get to so I can get charmed in person myself!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend and a glorious Monday – here's to a great week!
Long Hollow 
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