The First Day of Fall?

Believe it or not, this is what it looks like in the Colorado Rockies today!

It's official - today's the first day of Fall. Tomorrow is Color Sunday. Many people pile in vehicles to travel through the Colorado Rocky Mountains to view the beautiful colors turning from the green of Summer to the varied offerings of Fall.

At the moment, there is no sun shining. Ominous clouds have settled in for several days. Rain pours from the clouds reminding me of my plans to clear the weeds out of the backyard. Oh shucks! Won't being doing that job today!

My most likely house job today will be clearing off the woodstove. Because it sits in the center of our living room, the woodstove becomes a place for vases and candle decorations throughout the summer. Can't have those on the surface of a hot stove, so I need to get them moved elsewhere. At least the wood pile in the house is dry. I'm quietly thanking my son for filling the wood holder last Spring.

Several of my friends are at retreats this weekend. They will be traveling Interstate 70 through the mountains. Later this evening, I'll be checking with them to see if they are home safely yet. Others will be coming home midday Sunday. That just seems like a safer time to travel.

Hmmm . . . my Cowboy Coffee Cake is hot out of the oven. The butter is waiting to melt on the hot coffee cake. Yum . . . it's going to be a good day!

Thoughts From a Brisk Sunday Morning

We snuggled a little deeper into the down comforter this morning as the temperature dipped to 31 degrees. Brrr! Oh how I love this time of the year! (No, really, I do!)

During these weeks between posts, I've been feverishly trying to learn a job position for which I had no previous experience. Oh, yeah, I can talk to customers on the phone and diffuse a bit of their frustration. Also, I'm not afraid to squirrel around the business computer system; I've been told there is nothing I can do to hurt it. We'll see . . .

Some might call me morbid, but we sat in front of CNN's free Pipeline e-cast of the real time morning newscast of 9/11 this past week. My kids are older teens now. I want them to have those pictures clearly in their heads. They remembered some of it from five years ago, but they have a much better perspective today. Having been grade school aged when John Kennedy was shot, see some of those old black and white films of that time reminds me what an impact it had on my life. Important things should not be forgotten.

Back to the brisk Sunday morning . . . Because I go to church on Saturday night, my family has the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely Sunday. Since studying the idea of "sabbath" for awhile, some of my preconceived ideas are being challenged - within myself mostly. There is a refilling of sorts that occurs when I set aside a day to 1) remember the works of God in my life during the past week, 2) be with family and 3) do refreshing things that aren't done during the rest of the week. (The key here is refreshing, not the backlog of pressing stuff that nags at me.) This all starts in motion each week for me begins as we go to church on Saturday night. It's almost like starting the sabbath on Saturday night and concluding it Sunday night. I might have to write more about that sometime.

Coffee is especially yummy this brisk Sunday morning. Not having to be any place at any specific time makes sipping my coffee especially nice. Tomorrow will be faster paced as work schedules demand leaving the house at 6:30 am. But, today, reflection and renewing is the course of action.

New Job Adventures

This past week was the beginning of a new job for me. While at the beginning I knew nothing about the product or company, it seems I am learning more moment by moment. The people at the office are kind and encouraging.

I work with a lady who puts in long hours and works very hard. She is a good teacher but had little time to train this week because of month end bookwork. Toward the end of the week, we had more time to look at paperwork. She has been very helpful.

This coming week, a trainer will come to our office to give me more training. My desk will have been moved into a different space and I will be working to organize my desk before she comes. I imagine that I already know some about the daily operations of the office, but I'm sure she will "connect the dots" better for me.

To my utter surprise, the other lady in my office informed me that I would be paid for Monday, Labor Day. I reminded her that I am only part time. She assured me that she had been paid as a part time person so she couldn't imagine why I wouldn't as well.

On this Saturday of Labor Day weekend, I will have to work nine hours today at my old place of employment. I offered to do that because some time ago I traded a Saturday with another lady. The employer wanted me to work today. I think I will be really glad when this day is over!

On Monday, I will take my husband to work; he usually works these holidays for the great extra pay. My daughter and I will find something fun to do, I'm sure. I think I could get used to this in no time at all!