lately.

How does it come to be that suddenly you look at the digital date stamp at the top right corner of your computer screen and it is not only the month of November, but nearly half-way through? Though it doesn't feel like time is sprinting as it has in the past, I'm not exactly sure how it happens to pass without my noticing. This has been one of my favorite falls. It stayed cool without getting cold through October, Mark's football team is having a good season with a secured spot in the playoffs and a bi-week coming up. The trees here in Winston are outstanding - I have never seen trees look so bright, as if they were actually plugged into subterranean outlets. I've had the gift of time with my siblings, my college roommates, my parents and in-laws. We've painted the living room sage and had the rotten window sill in the bathroom replaced, mulched the backyard and planned a trip for the winter to New York. The fall has surprised me because I was expecting a lot of stress. Somehow we got peace instead.

My father's father passed away Friday, poignant since he served in the second World War. It is sad and difficult because dying is such a foreign concept, and I keep thinking about my dad and how devastated I will be if I ever lose him. We will all fly to Connecticut for his funeral in December, and I look forward to seeing the whole family because in a time like this I think that having your family gathered is the only real comforting thing on this earth. I am so thankful for my family

Today I finished inputting changes to the third draft of my current project, a novel about a thirty - year - old woman who is forced by the devastating infidelity of her husband to begin her life all over again. It's called Roma Roma because she goes back to work for a catering company by that name. This book has been an absolute pleasure to write and edit, and I'll begin the agent search soon. The entire process, I've recently realized, is one of the ways that I meditate. It's worshipful and peaceful for me. I am also reading My Antonia by Willa Cather because my book club chose it, so I have to. I didn't want to but now I love it. That is the current, for better and worse.

Here are some pictures from the last month or two...