Blue Sky

Hello and welcome to a still-no-snow Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is November 9th.

It's a gorgeous day here in Wannaska country. As I type this and think about what I might say today, I think perhaps the best thing is that there's blue sky. The sun is bright, giving the somber browns and greens of the autumn season a pleasant spiff of shine. With hunting season underway, I enjoy thinking about the number of people outside reveling in this beauty.

There's no snow which means a bonus weekend to get outdoor projects done. Another day to clean out the garage to make room for one of our vehicles. Another day to pull out the winter gear before we actually need it. 

It's still warm enough for the cats to be outside. I can still take a walk without slippery roads.

The Seventh Grader on a school trip and we have been a family of three for three days. It's a peculiar feeling, the shrinking of a family. When you've been a bustle - a gaggle - for so long, it's hard to know what to do when the group is no longer your compass. When there's no news except to say the kids are gone.

We are in the autumn of our family.

I feel the absence of fullness and a pensive breeze on brittle leaves.

I feel relief and reprieve from the constant brightness of being busy. But also a new understanding that winding down comes with a certain amount of loss barnacled to the win I thought I'd be getting from this season of life.

I feel relief that I don't have any activities today. I can shelter and sequester in my house; take stock of the mess left over and set to the task of a new world order.

I feel both a little lonely and not. 

Mostly that I can slow down and take that walk.

And enjoy the sky.