"Brown paper packages, tied up with strings."

 Feeling slightly akin to Julie Andrews, aka Marie von Trapp, this morning. My thoughts are leaning toward listing a few of "My Favorite Things":

• Day trips to known and unknown spots around home base. Nothing even stays the same, you know, and even the most familiar of places, never fails to treat me to something new and exciting. 
• Time spent with friends and relatives. A visit, like this can involve a job, sight seeing or just a chat in a familiar living room. All of which I enjoy.
• Eating in a familiar restaurant. Recently we went to one, that I remember from the early days of my childhood. I treasured every greasy bite.
• Car travel that includes listening to the Oldies and singing along with nearly all of the lyrics...."yeah, yeah, yeah". Yes, I do realize that this can be annoying to the folks traveling with me. 
• Talking and meeting new folks. Here is where you get to learn and sometimes teach. 
• And, of course, it is most important, that there should be accompanying you, someone who will share your travels, appreciates your choices in travel and actually chooses to accompany you.

My closest friends and I honor our departed friend Jim, with one of his favorite sayings...."Get out there in it." 

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 Holy Lord. Life is indeed a journey. We praise your leadership and honor your guidance

 along our path.

 

 

".....drift by my window."

 

 After a brief cool spell, a Faux Fall, if you will, we are experiencing our usual warm Autumn weather. Our house is decorated with my extensive collection of ceramic, crocheted and papier mache' pumpkins. The "mums" are flourishing in pots outside and although the trees are not in full color, they are starting to turn a bit.  Almost everyone's "favorite season" is officially here in the Midwest.

However, there are some folks who really do not appreciate (can you even imagine?) the changing weather. Yesterday, I encountered a woman visitor at the Museum (my volunteer job), wearing a lovely fall themed sweatshirt. I complemented her and she replied, thanking me and pointing out that she wished that the weather was a bit more seasonal (cooler). It wasn't exactly sweatshirt weather, and she was too warm!

Later in the afternoon, I encountered the same woman. She was very upset. It seems our Museum was too cold and she had be forced to make two trips to her car to warm up. Honestly, I did not know how to reply to her statement, so I just nodded. And actually, I don't think she really expected me to fix her issue, she was just complaining.

Unfortunately, it's just impossible to please everybody. But as we often say, here in the Heartland, when all other words fail.......there you go.

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Lord, help us to be more helpful, more positive, more thoughtful, more caring. and reasonable.