Twenty-five years ago, this wonderful man named Chuck officiated at our ceremony. The words he used really resonated with us, they reflected the way we felt about our commitment to each other. At the end of the ceremony, he gave us two white roses, and asked us to exchange them. They symbolized our love for each other. He asked that we rededicate ourselves to each other and our marriage every year on our anniversary and that we exchange a white rose.

We have done that many times over the years. Not every year, life gets in the way. We decided to do it this year. So we got two long-stemmed roses from our local florist and, on a spectactularly sunny day, we drove up the mountain to a favorite overlook where we can see the Hudson Valley far below. There were already a few people there and we wanted a bit of privacy for our exchange, so we waited in the car for a bit. Three youngish people (2 men and a woman) who had been standing there got back in their car. Another guy was a hanging around, but just him, so we got out of the car and walked to the overlook. I said that we should grab the opportunity because this was a rare break in the stream of people that would appear. We turned to each other and said the words that were in our hearts and exchanged roses and kissed. Suddenly, we heard the sound of clapping. The three people in the car had been watching us and were applauding us! We told them that it was our 25th wedding anniversary. More applause. The beautiful young woman was hanging out of a window and Don asked her if she could take our picture. Yes. She climbed out of the car and took Don’s phone, crouching down to get just the right angle. I had heard her say that all three of them were photographers, but Don hadn’t. So, he started to say “Make sure you get the valley in the background” and she assured him that she knew what she was doing. She took a couple photos, congratulated us, we thanked her profusely, and they pulled out of the parking area.

Synchronicity, timing. We were a little late leaving our house to go get the roses, but actually, we weren’t. We got there right when we were supposed to be there. We were so moved by their spontaneous applause, by their generosity and their kindness. In view of what is happening in the world, this was the reminder we needed; there are good people everywhere. Truly good people.

We drove down to our local college town because it was such a beautiful day and decided to get a veggie burger from a place called Moonburger. It’s just opened up in this town, there’s another one just north of us. I had heard very good things about it. It’s the kind of place where you order to-go and you eat elsewhere. The guy behind the counter was so nice and when he heard it was our anniversary he gave us free tickets for a future burger and milkshake and saw us off with a “Happy Anniversary!” Again, kindness. Goodness.

At Moonburger, waiting for our order.

We headed back to the car and realized we were right outside our favorite chocolate shop. We love their chocolates and one of the draws is their selection of sugar-free chocolates. We haven’t ordered from them for months because they’re expensive. (We also never eat out because…it usually costs too much money.) But we looked at each other and said “It’s our anniversary!” So we walked in the door and were greeted by everyone as long-lost friends. As we stood in front of the counter, I said to Don, “What did I order before?” And the woman behind the counter – who was taking care of someone else –  immediately said, “the marshmallow and the chocolate truffles.” I couldn’t believe she remembered. Then a few minutes later, I said “how many did I buy?” She heard me and answered “a dozen of each.” Again, I couldn’t believe that with all the traffic this place gets she remembered my usual order after several months – maybe even a year. Everyone was so kind and helpful and we knew that the day and everything we’d done was meant to be. Everywhere we turned, we ran into good people.

We needed that. Not just because it was our anniversary, but because it is easy to lose faith in people, to look on everyone else as a potential political enemy or simply as a stranger who you most likely have nothing in common with. It’s easy to lose faith in our fellow man. It really felt as if the universe was guiding us through the day, telling us to let go of any control we might want to impose. Just be. Be open, be happy, and watch what happens. We didn’t erect any social barriers and good people appeared everywhere.

It was an amazing experience.

Look for the goodness in people. Expect it. You will not only find it, but your life will be better for it.

A beautiful day.

We are blessed.

Thank you for your beautiful comments and congratulations on our anniversary. I am blessed by your presence in my life.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

This was taken a few days ago. Now? The grass is covered with leaves – not only the back forty, but the corral, our driveway, and the area right outside our doors. We had two days of rain and then a very windy day yesterday. The amount of leaves on the ground is daunting. Gulp. We don’t have to rake all of them, but we do have to clean up certain areas, especially close to the house.

And it’s so much colder now! The temp dropped 20 degrees on Saturday and for the first time, it really feels like fall around here. I’m currently covered with a shawl that I knitted several years ago, and I’m wearing a long cardigan over my pajamas. We refuse to turn the heat on this early in October.

My little Carolina wren friend just appeared on the porch railing and is chirping/calling out to, I presume, his mate. Now, he’s gone. I hope he heard a response.

I finished The Close  over the weekend. Excellent! I didn’t want it to end and I kept thinking about it throughout the day. If you are interested in this series, I strongly recommend reading them in order. Like all series, the characters and their relationships with others change over time – there’s always a back story. I’ve started Dark Ride, by Lou Berney. Another good mystery that I’m very taken with. I haven’t read any Berney lately, but I read a few of his books when I was reviewing books on this blog and my book review blog. He’s a wonderful writer.

Well. The news in Israel and Gaza is horrific. I don’t know what to say beyond that. I feel like I’ve run out of words to describe the situation in our country, the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the plight of immigrants, climate change…you name it, it seems hopeless. I have always been a fighter and an activist. And I certainly don’t want it make this about me, sitting here in my cozy home writing a blog. I remind myself every day that I can’t give in to ‘news fatigue.’  I have to be aware and awake. I have to pray – whatever way works for me. (You should know by now that I’m not into organized religion, but I do have faith and a spiritual/metaphysical belief system – I’m just not preachy about it. Preachy makes me uncomfortable; it’s the way I was raised.)

I do know I have to hold all those who are impacted in these senseless wars in my heart. But at times, it’s overwhelming. It’s too much. So I read, or paint, or clean, or mow the lawn – all of which helps me to escape temporarily. But only temporarily, because we are all one.

Prayers for peace. Pleas for peace. Is there hope?

I don’t know.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Well, it’s raining. Heavily. Again. And it will rain tomorrow, too,

As I said in the comments the other day: Cue Claudia’s scream.

I managed to grab some time to mow the lilac side of the lawn yesterday afternoon, right after we spent 3 hours dealing with a refrigerator problem. Water has been leaking inside the fridge and we did some research that showed it was a blocked drain line, which seems to be very common. After watching several YouTube videos, we tackled the problem but it involved unscrewing panels and taking things apart and we’re not sure, in the end, whether we fixed it. Fingers crossed. This is an old GE refrigerator that was made in 2000, but it’s been working just fine until recently and we certainly don’t want to have to buy a new one.

It was a crazy sort of day,

But I did get in some reading to help balance the stress and it sure helps. I’m loving Mick Herron’s newest book, The Secret Hours. He is such an excellent writer and I’m riveted to the story. Two more books that I had on hold came in at my local library, so I’m feeling a bit of pressure as, since they’re new, I have them for a limited amount of time. As pressure goes, that’s the best kind to have!

I hear my little Carolina wren chirping away. I’m not sure where he is, but he’s somewhere in the vicinity of the porch.

Comfort doll. There’s something about that face and the sweetness of her expression.

Rest in peace to Michael Gambon, who has was one of my favorite actors. I was able to see him onstage 20 years ago. I was in London and he was in a production of The Caretaker   by Harold Pinter. His performance was extraordinary and it’s seared in my memory. He was blessed with an incredible voice and I could have happily spent several hours listening to him read the phone book. He will be deeply missed.

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. He would have been 100 years old, had he stayed with us a bit longer.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.