Last week, temperatures were still reaching 80 degrees by late afternoon, but as I write this, my outdoor thermometer registers 23. Winter is just around the counter here in the high desert. Oliver is tucked by my feet as he snuggles under his blanket and my steaming coffee tastes wonderful.
I love weekends, frosty or not. This one was especially great. On Friday, the Mysterious Marine and I went to watch women’s basketball at the university in the middle of the biggest little city to the West. My eldest granddaughter plays for the team that visited. It was amazing to see her play in a professional sports arena complete with a four sided jumbotron. Men’s sports are big in our area. Women’s sports will never catch on. Looking around, it seems there were a lot of family members there to cheer on the team, while most of the seats remained empty.
Regardless of the lack of crowds or empty seats, watching a granddaughter play under the big lights of an event center of that size was pretty exciting. After an illustrious high school career, she earned a four year scholarship to a private college in California. I remember her as a toddler, using a basketball to get her balance. Over the year as she watched her dad’s moves, she developed a few of her own. I’m glad I got to see her play as a young woman. With a front row seat in heaven, VST must’ve been full of pride!
Saturday was full of chores in preparation for the big freeze. In these parts, one must be sure to disconnect all sprinkler systems before freezing nights are here to stay. If not, a homeowner will face broken pipes and costly repairs.
I’ve been unable to complete this task myself, as the valve to turn the water on and off is a beast. Thank goodness the Mysterious Marine helped me out with that problem. The gardens of Winterpast are officially beginning their deep sleep. Let the autumn winds carry my leaves off to parts unknown. If not, my gardener will help tidy things up for the winter.
Playoff games, Pan Seared scallops and home-made Fettuccini Alfredo, visits with family members, home-made chicken soup with Amish noodles, breakfast out and breakfast in. All in all, this weekend was action packed and gone way too soon.
This week fall cleaning here at Winterpast is in full swing. Working full time has it’s draw backs. In retirement, I wonder how I did everything while working. It’s quite obvious. I didn’t. This week, I need to play catch up and get things shining. It’s almost time to start decorating for the holidays and Winterpast needs to shine.
A few weeks have passed since I turned in my letter of resignation and I’ve had lots of time to thing about my decision. The peace that surrounds me tells me I made exactly the right one. Although I don’t know God’s master plans and why I was asked to teach for such a short time, I’m sure it was his intervention that landed me the job.
In talking to others still working there, it seems conditions are improving. My kiddos are doing well. Problems are being resolved. Things are better than when I started there.
Not only did I improve my skills of patience and tolerance, I also practiced making boundaries for myself. Protecting myself, it became clear this wasn’t the environment I’d envisioned for one final year in the classroom. The best ending of all happened. I walked away with no malice or hard feelings. It just wasn’t a fit for me. In that decision, I feel total and complete peace without a single regret. What a blessing!
Whatever you do today, enjoy the crisp autumn days and take a moment to look for signs of the changing season. I plan to visit Virginia City, this the week before Halloween. With a lunch of Gospel Fried Chicken, I plan to go sit awhile at VST’s resting spot while I watch the leaves blow by. This my favorite season of all and I don’t plan to miss a minute.
More tomorrow.