October Weekend

 

It's a week into October.  I'd expect the days to be cool and the nights to get cold.  That sort of has been happening, but I'm really surprised at how warm the days over the past weekend have gotten.   I have had to turn on the heat in the mornings. (And I'm worried that I don't have enough fuel to keep this up; need some answers from our local fuel company as I've been kind of confused as to all the different tanks we have!)  Once the house is warm, I turn everything off and by midday I've got the windows open because it's been warmer outside than it has been in!  Not what I expected "up here!" (I’m NOT complaining though!)

As a matter of fact it was so beautiful that I went for a walk on Saturday morning.  Just a stroll down the block was my intention. (We know how that goes.)  It was still cool out and I debated wearing a jacket over my long sleeve shirt and jeans.  I'm so glad I didn’t! (For once I made the right decision!)   By the time I finished my 2.25 mile walk I was really sweating.  (There goes those intentions again.  I told myself I was going to walk a mile or less, but then got going and decided I wanted to go further.  When nature surrounds you, sometimes that happens!)  When I got home I changed into a sleeveless top and spent most of the afternoon on the patio soaking up the sun and reading. (I did take one break and went with my husband to one of the local antique shops and make a purchase of a barrister's bookcase, which he cleaned and set up while I went back out to continue to take advantage of the sun.  I've got a good guy there!  I know exactly how I'm going to fill it...eventually.  We have so many books and are slowly transporting them from one location to the next.  The shelves in our Pocono "library' are far from being full.  This barrister's bookcase is calling out for my old/somewhat collectible Nancy Drew mysteries of my youth, as well as the lesser known Dana Girls and Judy Bolton.)  Not expecting to be able to do that in October!  Nor did I expect to see so many flowers in the yard still in full bloom. 

It is almost like spring in some sections and autumn in others.  (Or as it always been this way and I have not just taken the time to notice?) 

Sunday was also started out a bit chilly, but again, by the afternoon it was really warm. So warm that it was back to the sleeveless shirt and time to give the fish some treats and watch them go into a feeding frenzy!  As enjoyable as that was, I know days like this won't last forever.  (I kind of wish they would.)  I got my butt out of a chair on the patio and put on my hiking shoes.  (Thanks to LE who recommended the Oboz brand that I ended up purchasing.  They are MUCH better on my feet than the hiking boots that I had originally spent a lot of money on and ended up bruising my shins and my lower leg.)  I needed to get out there and really immerse myself in nature.  How can I resist the colors of autumn?

Sunday afternoon was blissfully quiet.  As I made my way to the trail, I really didn’t see anyone. I have to admit that I was feeling my age as I went up the mountain path.  It seemed to me that it didn't used to be so challenging.  (Is it possible that the mountain got steeper or the path got more difficult?  Probably not.  It's me.  I don't want to admit that, but...) However, the view...it always pays off and then some!  Even though it is not yet peak, it was still incredible.  And I was the only one there taking it all in.  (Or so it seemed).  Total bliss.

While I don't like the shorter days or the knowledge that cold weather will soon be upon us, I do LOVE the colors of autumn.  While I like the spring for its promise of warmer weather and flowers poking their heads through the ground, autumn for me, will always be the most beautiful season of the year.  As long as this kind of weather sticks around I’ll be taking advantage of it.  (Or trying to…)