A little adieu...

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I love Autumn. It's my favourite time of year (though Winter is a close second). I can't believe that this season is already over! It seemed like Summer took forever to move along and Autumn has breezed by in a complete blur! It has been a beautiful season here in North Florida. That's not something I ever get to say, but we really have had a colourful Fall full of chilly nights, clear skies and even woodsmoke on the air once in a while!

The Winter Solstice is coming up. The longest night of the year and the first day of Winter. I hope you get a chance to get out in the beautiful last lingering days of Fall. It's hard to believe what with all the holiday preparations, that it technically is still Autumn. Sigh. I encourage you to take some time and feel peace in nature during this transitional time. It's crisp, the colours are fading into the silvers, tawny browns and greys of this new season. It's all so beautiful isn't it? Watching it all transform?

I plan on taking a little time this weekend to get a little fire going in the backyard fire pit. I may even brew up wassail and perhaps play a game of dominoes with the hubs in the very few hours I do not have to be at work. What will you do to note this passing of time? I hope you steal a peaceful moment for yourself.

Here is a previous musing on the seasons, and another. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Thoughts on waste...

Cornucopia

I don't know about y'all, but I seriously had a few moments over the past week where I was a little stunned at the amount of food I had to throw out because of surplus and it going bad. I can't stand the idea of wasting food. It makes me mad, not only because I've been in a "can't afford to waste it" place before and never want to go there again. I feel, quite honestly, that there should be no reason, without planning and vigilance, that one could not save a tremendous amount of money on not wasting food.

I spring for the organic, free-range products. It's important to me and after sacrificing that value out of sheer necessity in years past, I celebrate that privilege whenever I can. Some people place value on quantity, some on brands, some on gourmet items etc. Whatever is right for you and your family is what is right for you and yours. I'm already spending the dough though, so there is no reason why I should throw anything away without consuming it. There is no reason that its happening other than laziness and disorganization! Humbling admission, y'all.

Do you have any tricks to preventing food waste? It just hurt my heart and my conscience knowing that I was not only wasting money and food, but I was wasting it while there are people in my own town that would have loved that food (or the equivalent in money- SERIOUSLY!), you know? Ugh.

Anyway, I found a few resources I wanted to share with you guys. I already do some of the things on this list, like plan meals and have even done the pantry surprise aka "use it up" nights every now and then. I still feel like I could do better. Could you? I feel that with a little diligence a lot could be spared. Check out these links and see for yourself!

*6 habits to prevent food waste.

*How to store leafy greens (so they don't turn into that icky green slimy cess pool by the end of the week *shudder*).

*12 ways to prevent food waste at home.

*How to maximize your freezer's potential and prevent freezer burn/food waste.

*34 ways to waste less food (did you know breaking apart your bananas increases their life exponentially? I sure didn't!)


Have a truly wonderful  (and non-wasteful) day! P.S. I'm a total nerd.

To every season...

All photos by moi, Lulu Carpenter Ortolano

I took a walk yesterday morning, and it was beautiful. I mean, stunning. The sun was creeping above the tree line and illuminating the smudges of color beginning to show on the cypress, oaks and other trees I haven't learned the name of yet, but want to. It made me realize how much the season has changed since I was doing the pretty regular "being present" meditations at the end of summer.

It is astonishing how quickly time goes by. I wanted to put that morning in a bottle so I could visit it every day, but that is the bittersweet beauty of nature and the season, no? It moves along perfectly and we're supposed to be the ones who keep up, no the other way around.

Take a few minutes today (you can find a way to sneak it in). Just sit out in it. Put your hand on a knobby tree trunk and just be out in it. Feel the cool air on your cheeks. Listen to the soothing percussive rustling of leaves. Notice the colors, and the smells. Breathe it in and let it out. I guarantee you'll feel a bit better and more relaxed.

It's so important to remember your place on this blue marble and to take the time to realize how amazing it all really is.

I hope you have a truly wonderful day!

Have a Breezy Saturday!

It's almost pumpkin time y'all! I saw these beauties at Tractor Supply (I love Tractor Supply)!

Lovelies! It is a gorgeous breezy Autumn(isn) day down here in the deep ole dirty South. There is something so enchanting about Fall. I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps its the changing of the season, the final reprieve from the stifling humid heat of Southern Summers. I've always been so affected by those first tendrils of cool on the air. They are becoming more frequent now and it makes me feel more creative, more adventurous, spontaneous and feisty. Maybe its the animal inside, you know? Something inside senses a change is on the wind.

I plan on spending as much time outdoors this weekend as I can. I want to absorb all the tingly, breezy, fantastic energies swirling all around. Take some time with me. Find a place to set up, camp out, so to speak. I'm talking picnic style, if you can arrange it. Or maybe a porch or a shady, spot in nature. Spread a blanket down and lay on your back and look at the clouds (when was the last time you did that?).

Take the time to feel the change moving about nature. If you can only steal ten minutes with your coffee, then do it. It lowers blood pressure and generally makes you a happier person to be around. It is truly a beautiful thing to sit back and look at the world going about its business. It reminds you that you're here for a ride and that everything isn't all about you. There is something bigger going on. That's something I think we all need to take time to remember, and I think it's a lovely thought. As humans we tend to make ourselves believe it all revolves around us and it just doesn't. Take comfort in that thought. We are a part of an ecosystem, not any other way around.

Take some deep breaths and send out some gratitude. For the changing of the season, for the wonderful things in your life and the beautiful nature that surrounds you.

I hope you have a truly wonderful and breezy Autumn day!