This Perfectly Imperfect Life

Well, except for the header (which I haven't decided what to do with yet), my creative thing for today has been switching my blog over to Halloween. It's been a fun month! Hopefully I'll get a chance soon to post the first days of my 30 Days of Creativity in September. Keep scrolling down & take a look for some Halloween fun!

Quiet. It's quiet! That's the first thing I notice about Fall's arrival, usually before the calendar's announcement. Mother Nature chooses when seasons come & go. Crickets chirping in the daylight. Birds coming back to the feeder. Deer on the move. Less street traffic during. Less coming & going. Children at school, no playing noises. Breezes blowing dried leaves along the side walks. And that's what catches my attention. Then I realize... It's quiet. Quiet! Autumn mornings... Calming. Soothing. Inspiring. Quiet.

Post # 1000 came & went without my even realizing it! (Smacks head). The blogging milestone occurred on Friday, 9/25/09, with my "Losing Focus" and "Bird Watching" photo posts for 30 Days of Creativity in September. DUH Jo. (Shaking head)

Soon the Fall "Spring cleaning" can begin, now that the majority of the decorating is done.

Started on the windows yesterday. Didn't get very far but it's a start.

Let the Fall & Halloween decorating begin! (Click on pic for a better view)

(Losing Focus, pictured above) (Bird Watching, pictured above) Ladies & Gentlemen, Post # 1000!!!

With the arrival of my favorite season has come a wave of wilting humidity which led me to forget to wish you all a Happy first day of Autumn! (The air conditioning has been on since yesterday and most likely won't be off again until Saturday at this rate). I wouldn't call this a bout of Indian Summer because the temp's aren't high, just the humidity is. I finally dragged up 2 boxes of Autumn & Halloween decorations from the basement yesterday and hope to start getting that stuff out today. Vic and I took out time this morning with getting up and breakfast so neither of us really starting moving until nearly noon! Now it's off to do more laundry and bring up the outdoor Halloween decorations. It's just so hard getting into a particular season or holiday spirit when you're breaking a sweat standing still!

I took a creative break yesterday. My morning writing wasn't going well and while I did take some photo's in the garden afterwards, I just wasn't feeling the least bit creative and that's okay!

Sunflower Funk Lakeside Moon rise

Another season in this ever so quickly passing year is coming to an end today. We will go to sleep this evening in Summer and wake in Autumn.

Day 19 While up at our weekend place, I worked on this scarf some more and continued writing my "Vines" story which I started over this Summer. Day 20 Continued working on "Vines."

Frustrated by my recent knitting woes, I started making scarves with other yarn late this afternoon and decided I would keep at it until one went smoothly. This was my 3rd attempt and the only one I liked of the 3 so I kept going. This won't take long to finish and I'll post another photo when it's done. (I had to take a break because my fingers were starting to cramp). Now if only I could read & knit at the same time... Sorry for the crappy photo. I had to take this with my cell since I've exhausted yet another 4 AA batteries in my camera.

This scarf is giving me fits! I started it just fine on Labor Day then I tried to knit & purl the first black rows. Apparently, I've forgotten how to purl. Again. (sigh) So I pulled that mess out and tried to just knit the first black rows and messed that up. Pulled them out & tried again. Did alright and put it down. Tonight I discovered I'd dropped a stitch and had to add one back in, so I pulled some rows out to do that. I haven't knit anything since March or April but I've gone for stretches of the same before and haven't had this much trouble starting again! But I'll keep at it off & on until it's done.

While tooling around the internet yesterday, I stumbled upon "Garden Blogger's Bloom Day." While I'm unsure if it was started by Carol at MayDreamsGardens (http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/), the following is from her blog: "...I hope you’ll join us for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day this month and tell us about what's blooming now in your garden. All are welcome! It's easy to participate. Just post on your blog about what's blooming in your garden on the 15th of the month and then leave a link in the "Mr. Linky" widget below along with a comment so we can find you and visit your garden to see what you have blooming." Fun! Pictured above is some of what was blooming in my garden as of yesterday, September 15th.

I have yet to post most of my items for my 30 Days of Creativity in September, but I'm working on it! (Click on the "30 Days of Creativity September 2009" label at the end of this post for Day 11). Here is yesterday's above, my new blog header. (Don't be fooled, this actually took a while to make and after 5 different versions, this is the one I decided I liked best). The Countdown Begins? you may be asking yourself (or not). No, I'm not already counting down to Halloween. Well, actually I am, with the widget in the right column, but that's not it! This post you are reading right now is # 990 . That's right, post # nine hundred and ninety ! I'm only 10 posts away from post # 1,000 ! I think that's incredible and calls for celebration! (Once I get there of course).

(Written throughout the week of and on September 11, 2009) I was supposed to be on the 78th floor of World Trade Center Tower 2 that morning. Instead, I was safe at home in my living room. People I would've been working with, my boss (the wonderful man who hired me), gone. People I didn't have a chance to get to know and wish I did. I called out of my job that morning because I didn't have faith in myself & my abilities and therefore no courage to continue working in Manhattan - no, the job itself wasn't what I wanted to do, but I'd always dreamed of working in NYC, because it was a Beautiful Autumn morning and I just didn't have it in me to go into work. I'd been up for awhile but only turned on the tv just before the 2nd plane hit. They were only reporting Tower 1 was on fire at that point. They didn't know. A few moments later, I watched a plane swoop around the Towers and fly strait into Tower 2. My Tower. My floor. The tv screen went to snow. (I...

If you have a moment, please scroll down until you see the green music widget let it load and listen to the song I've chosen for today, "Where Were You...?" by Alan Jackson. (This will only be on the widget from 9/10 thru 9/14). No matter when I hear this song, my tears flow. So true. A wonderful gift for us to remember we aren't alone in what we experienced and felt 8 years ago today. This morning I put the above together on the mantle, to honor those lost 8 years ago today. For me, this is part of the 30 Days of Creativity in September.

What I do is perhaps small but it's what I can do and I feel I must do something, anything to let those lost know I will Not forget. So I've changed my blog background and tomorrow will light candles on the mantle, watch the Memorial ceremonies, go to see the beams of light in the Towers' footprints. A day filled with tears, memories, guilt and thanks. I was supposed to be on the 78th floor of World Trade Center Tower 2 that morning. Instead, I was at home, safe in my living room. Where were you when the world stopped turning?

Some of this you know, some you don't. (I was tagged by Sarah over at Sarah Says ~ see my CoL BlogRoll on the left). Available or married? Married Best Friend? Kathy, Brenda, Michelle, Chicks! Cake or Pie? Both, prefer cake. Drink of choice? AZ Iced Tea (weening myself off), Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (with ice), Celestial Seasonings Decaf Green Tea Essential item for every day use? Uh... my cell Favorite color? Oranges, pinks, barn red Google? Duh. Hometown? The town I was born in isn't my hometown. I felt M, NJ was my hometown after having lived there for 12 years. Then we moved here. Now I'm unsure. Indulgences? Books, yarn, Artful Blogging and Where Women Create magazines, Halloween & Autumn decorations, candles, flowers for my gardens January or February? Neither Kids and their names? One, daughter, Brianna Life is incomplete without? Creativity and inspiration Marriage date? 8/21/04, 5/16/05, 5/25/05 (last time was legal) Number of siblings? none Oranges or apples...

This is the first view we saw once we got out of the car at the foot of the High Point (State Park) Monument. Gorgeous! This is only about 15 minutes from our place up north here.

Inside of the High Point State Park Monument, looking up from the bottom.

High Point State Park Monument (which honors all Veterans, past and present).

Taken from the Dingman's Ferry Bridge this morning before the fog lifted and Kittatinny Canoe Rentals drove us to River Beach in Milford PA so we could canoe on the Delaware River back to the bridge. (I took some other photo's with my camera, this is from my cell which I left in the truck). Such a gorgeous day! Bascially perfect weather and no recent rain so the river was very calm. I was a little nervous & skeptical at first. I haven't been canoeing since grade school summer camp and that was just in a large pond and when I have to get up at the crack of dawn to do anything, it takes some convincing before I think it's worth it! We canoed a total of 11 miles which took us roughly 4 1/2 hours with 2 breaks. We packed a cooler w/drinks, snacks and sandwhiches for lunch. It was so peaceful and relaxing! Such a nice time together. We were beat when we got back home (not apt. home, up north home) and I ended up taking a 2 1/2 hour nap! Vic read & dozed. I...

Well that didn't work! The picture is missing. But since I can't edit from here, just have to settle for piece meal. Ah technology!

It's peace and quiet. Birds & bugs. No tenants screaming at us & one another because other tenants and just people on our street in general have the nerve to park on the (public) road in front of their apartments so they have to park else where and walk an extra 200 yards to their front doors. (Last night was Fun). I swear some of them are just plain Nut Jobs but they're officially another RM's problem through Labor Day! YAY! Today we're at 'home away from home' just relaxing. Tomorrow it's canoeing on the Deleware. Saturday it's a trip to the Farmer's Market and the yarn shop, then home to refuel the kitties followed by whatever suits our fancy through Monday. I hope you all enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

I received this award from Lit and Life (http://litandlife.blogspot.com/) on 8/29/09. I'm very flattered, to say the least. Thank you L! "This award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals." Rule: Nominate 10 bloggers you feel deserve the Humane Award. (Stay tuned for my announcement of who, in turn, will receive this award from me).