Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Autumn Joy

Labor Day marks the true departure of summer in Vermont. The days shorten noticeably as August fades, the heat and humidity abruptly departing for cool, dry days that beg you to get out of the house and just live.

We did. A week of notes and ideas scribbled on paper still stares at me from the corner of the office. My to-do list remains just large enough to cost me sleep if I consider it. There are nearly six hundred blogs that I have not visited in the last week, and I must - the Friday Five depends on it. Will I sleep this week? Very little.

I can live with that. The liberation of pushing the computer aside and taking in all that early autumn has to offer is worth a hefty price. And like so many times before, when I stop the noise; step away and drop out a little, clarity and calm take over. It is from this place of quiet contentment that I observed the events of this weekend. Nothing way out of the ordinary happened. A funny story did not present itself. The dogs were on their best behavior. And it was nothing short of beautiful.

There was one very pleasant surprise. Luna's parents were in town for a wedding and we managed to catch up Sunday for a quick lunch and tour of downtown Burlington. As much as I dig that dog, it makes my heart happy to now know that she shares her life with two very cool humans. Luna and family are leaving for the west coast soon, so this may have been our only chance to catch up. I am very grateful that we had the opportunity, and hope that they enjoyed their visit to our little corner of the world. Thanks so much for taking the time.

Speaking of our little corner, here are a few brief glimpses of what a proper holiday weekend feels like in our neck of the woods. Planning a visit? We'd love to meet you!


 Sola considers a heavy subject.


 
An afternoon glow for my love. 


  
Whimsy 


  
Nigel maintains his middle of the road stance.


  
Early defectors. 


  
And of course, much rejoicing.


Have I missed our blogging friends? Most certainly. Would I take back a thing? Not a chance. Good people, great dogs, and fun memories are not to be taken lightly, or for granted. I am blessed to occupy this space; to know kind people, to love a great woman, and to share my life with dogs. 

As I reflect on the summer I recall the questions most often asked of me, ones that I may answer with zero pause when given the chance. 

Why do I do this? What is it that inspires me? 
To that, I say just look up.
 

And of course, do not discount the power of a new football season.  ;) 

 


44 comments:

  1. Great photos...we all need a break to help us realize what really matters...

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  2. A particularly sweet and nostalgic post!

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  3. Warning: MUSHY STUFF. We are pretty blessed you share your life with us too.

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  4. If you didn't do a bit of that living then you wouldn't be able to blog about it. Your place looks fab (especially that river) - I'm packing my bags!

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  5. Momma always has a long list of stuff to do on days off and then just spends them generally goofing around. I say that's fine.

    ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

    Slobbers,
    Mango

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  6. You're my first groups of Vermont friends. You made my human's heart melt--especially the puppy 'rejoicing'!

    Indeed, look up to an know how blessed this life is...plus the Dallas Cowboy play for REAL on Sunday..almost here!

    Enjoy your day!

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  7. It sounds like yoo hads a pawsome holdiay weekend!!

    We did has a most wonderful weekend! Nuttin like nappin and bein fed. *Stretch* *Yawn*

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  8. My plan for next year's east coast trip includes an RV, we'll see you then!

    And until then, I am grateful that you share your corner of New England, your life and loved ones with us.

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  9. 600 blogs to visit?
    MIND.BOGGLING.
    Good for you to take a walk! Take more!

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  10. Sounds like a great weekend. We certainly enjoyed ours ;)

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  11. Hello! It is lovely to meet you:) Your dogs are gorgeous!:)

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  12. Isn't this time of year awesome? We smell fall in the air!

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  13. New England is the best place in the fall! Enjoy it!

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  14. Walking is good when all else seems to be collasping in on top of you!

    Enjoy!

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  15. Good for you all and good for your heart too! Love seeing this side every now and then....and of course, makes me even more homesick. Enjoy every minute of this gorgeous time!

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  16. hello life with dogs its dennis the vizsla dog hay it luks like awtum is underway their!!! i am not reely familyar with awtum on akkownt of heer in sandy eggo we dont reely hav it eksept for its wen evrything yoozhually ketches on fire but i am told that mama and dada yoozd to like awtum the best wen they livd in the mithical land of noo york!!! ok bye

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  17. Were woo gone?




    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra
    PeeEssWoo: Welkhome Bakhk!

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  18. In all seriousness, I, Sammie, am happy to hear that you got away from the 'puters for a change. It must have made your hearts sing and besides, the pack looks blissed out. Hope you get to have more of those moments away. Besides, Vermont is so beautiful now (mom remembers her high school days spent there and still moons about VT's beauty in fall) Have a not-too stressed-out day! Love these photos.
    xo Sammie

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  19. Thanks for sharing your life with dogs. It has a special place in my heart as well. ;)

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  20. A beautiful post! Did make me a little bit homesick for the Northeast. But I'll just have to keep coming back here to look for shots of happy dogs diving into piles of crackly leaves in the crisp autumn air. :)

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  21. If only there wasn't that dreaded 'to-do-list' lurking in the back of one's mind.
    Looks like you've all had a lovely break. I love autumn. As I do summer, spring and winter too. All for different reasons. And suddenly I'm not jealous of your amount of fans anymore ;-) 600 blogs to catch up with :-0
    Good luck. You'll need a break after that, haha.

    Nice to see you back and to be back too.
    Hugs my friend

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  22. Mom takes mini vacations from the internets too, and we do miss our friends, but its nice to disconnect.

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  23. Oh what a nice post with lovely pictures. Your Autumn looks a lot like ours. We agree that sometimes you need a cyberspace break - enjoy.
    love
    Martha & Bailey xxx

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  24. Love the tone of this post and the pics of the dogs are adorable as usual. It is fun to transfer from summer to fall I think, I agree. Great post :)

    Jaime

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  25. Anonymous1:45 PM

    dogs are tired of being treated like cats...

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  26. You so deserved a break!! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoy reading about it!

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  27. Looks like a beautiful autumn there. I'm glad you had the chance to get out and enjoy.

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  28. What a grrrreat vay K tion you all had.
    If you want my mom person to review books please email ME frankiefurter@wildblue.net or Mom at Lowana87@yahoo.com
    Do you know about the Heisman Trophy thingy??? I was just in the town where he was born. I am going to have a pic on my blog sometime in the next few days. I thought it was cool, butt my mom likes Baseball much better. hehehe

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  29. Anonymous4:44 PM

    The ONLY thing I miss about the east coast (yes I'm transplanted to the west coast) is the fall season. BEST time of year. Maybe someday i'll visit during the fall again...I'd have to get some Bugger's time. ;)

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  30. Anonymous4:44 PM

    and thanks for the memories and the photos

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  31. We love the fall! Have fun! xoxo

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  32. Very nice post - we are glad you are here too.

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  33. My Mommy dreams of visiting that area some day. Beautiful pictures.Nigel looks stately as always. We love fall, it is nice here in Michigan also.

    licks and sniffs, Sasha
    p.s. On Wisconsin!!!

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  34. 600 blogs??? Wow, I could never keep up! You definitely took a well deserved break! Great pictures!!

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  35. Anonymous7:40 PM

    a lovely post..and like so many others, I too get homesick in the fall. We've been gone for 22 years (with trips back several times a year) but the fall time is the best to be in New England. So glad you got to decompress. Here in the south we say, "Happy fall, Y'all"!
    the western SC gang

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  36. I happen to love fall..it feels like the stawt of somethig new..gweat smells in the aiw.and lots of fun to come.
    Evewy season has it's wondewfulness.
    I bet a new england fal is gowgewous!
    I wish i could come visit
    smoochie kisses
    ASTA

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  37. Autumn in New England. What a beautiful time of year. Sometimes I think with let these devices of new technology interrupt our lives instead of enhancing them. I too look forward to tucking the laptop away and enjoying the moments.

    The photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

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  38. Those are some wonderful photos! Your weekend sounds idyllic! You have to get out there to have good stories to blog about!

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  39. Looks like you're enjoying the nice temps we've been having. I'm really looking forward to fall.. it's so funny, now that I have a dog, I notice the changes in temperature and browning of the leaves so much more than I ever did before.

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  40. A break from time to time is not bad!
    We all need it!
    Kisses and hugs
    Lorenza

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  41. Love the change of pace. Nice post :)

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  42. Anonymous11:19 AM

    Fall hasn't made it down to Houston TX. It is a smidge cooler but still very humid. For once Im ready for summer to be over, it was weird and hot and humid. Loved seeing all the pics. Trees turn such beautiful colors up there. Here they go from green to brown and dead sigh.

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  43. I can't wait for fall! If it were nice weather here like it appears to be there, I wouldn't be sitting in front of my computer either.

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  44. I love to chase the leaves....Bark!
    Thanks for sharing the pics loved them!
    Licks and Wags, Ariel <3

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