There's that HOL again...

Yes, it happens every Fall: Lisa and Geoff arrive with Frankie in tow, and we spend blissful moments, being, eating, talking, Hashing Out Life.

This year involved a request for rest; hence, we stayed close to home, and...rested.

Upon a late Friday/early Saturday arrival, we cuddled up in the piano room with hot toddies and immediate catching up.  When we reached incoherence, I tucked my guests into their basement home-away-from-home, where they proceeded to sleep until they were slept up.  They emerged to brunch, of the Fall kind: Pumpkin goodness and plenty of coffee.  We munched it all up, as Lisa lamented my lack of response to her request to follow me on Instagram.  When I explained to her this was a result of my lack of awareness of how to join in pop-culture more than an intentional rejection, she rushed to my side and helped me.

See?

Gradually we retreated from the table, got ourselves spiffed up, and headed outside for a photo shoot in my backyard.  

 I played photographer for awhile 

[stay tuned for L & G's Christmas photo]

 and then got in on the photogenicity.

 Frankie and I had a 'let's try to repair our relationship' moment,

but he's over me. 

[This is what I get for being such a callous heart breaker...]

Overall, the laughter and the sunshine was good for our resting,

and got us ready to head out into the real world,

in order to grab a spot of lunch at one of my favorite spots in town.

 We took the opportunity to browse,

and to reflect on the insistently repetitive and slightly ridiculous music being played for our browsing pleasure. 

[Given the one line played over and over again and the extent to which we discussed it's inanity, one would think I would remember it enough to document it here.....but, I can't.  Apparently my overloaded brain still needed more resting at this point in the day...]

 Eventually, we meandered over to the local cheese shop, so that I could knock over a few things [not fully rested, remember?]

and so L & G could get themselves a relaxing caffeinated beverage.

We then returned home, for Fall HOL tradition:

Margs, of our Margarita Master.

Relaxing in front of the fire, we continued our catching up, our hashing, our resting.

And then?

There were delicious appetizers while Geoff and I created:

the most spectacular meal.

We took a moment to inhale the aromas of the goods being stuffed into our mouths, and to remember: 

We are resting, together, and we are Thankful.

We finished off our night and our weekend with more of the same:  

Good food, good talking, good being.

And we rejoiced: January HOL is never far off!!

Hurricane-ish

Recently a Hurricane ripped through the East Coast, as you may have heard, and its impending threat was so great that even State College felt its effects.

Wind, we were told, would be very high.  Power, we were told, could be down for days.  Prepare, we were told; don't take this threat lightly.

Even Penn State was listening, because as of 1:00 on Monday--when businesses were closing and meetings were cancelling--we all got the word: Go Home.

It meant a miracle for our little household, because Ginger picked Sara and I up at the parking garage that offered to protect our cars for free, and we headed on home for some rare togetherness.

First though, we had to heed those preparation guidelines.  

Thanks to our Florida native,

I spent the duration of the Hurricane in the most preparation I've ever known.  We borrowed bungee cords to tie our grill to our deck.  We moved the furniture inside.  

We collected water in various containers,
and got out alternative light sources.

Then, Sara made us comfort food,

and I:

got comfortable.

The remainder of the evening was spent in cozy togetherness,

as friends came to be with us, 

as wind whipped the windows and rain poured down,

as we poured the wine to warm our bellies, and dwelt in the warmth that comes from being home, safely protected, and together.

Even though it didn't amount to much, we were well aware of our blessing, and of those whose story ended differently.  Our Hurricane was Hurricane-ish; our hearts are with those who are still in the midst of the storm.

A Katy Stu kind of night!

A year ago, I only knew this woman by name.

This year, I had the privilege of spending her birthday with her,

celebrating all that she is, and all that she is becoming.

We gathered together over dinner,

and birthday muffins,

before heading out to meet with others,

also looking to celebrate,

with the music of our good friend 

Scott Mangene wafting over our laughter.

Now, it wouldn't be a Katy Stu kind of night, 

without a little bit of drama...

the kind of drama that is much of why I adore Katy Stu.

You see, Katy is possibly the most encouraging soul I know, in a very matter-of-fact 'of course this is the way it is' kind of way.  And, since she's the president of my fan club and my most vocal piano groupie, I get a lot of 'of course you're going to fulfill the gifts God gave you and play the piano' from her.  

Recently, however, she's moved onto singing, and here is where our birthday night drama enters:

Katy's Birthday Request: That I go up front and sing with Scott.

My Response: Absolutely Not.

She was a little grumpy with me after that.

It took me awhile to soften her up,

but eventually we worked out a compromise.

A) I would sing in her ear,

and B)

at least agree to a picture.

Drama resolved, 

we finished things off with a 'find Lauren's phone' adventure,

made infinitely more fun by the theme of the night: Katy Stu, with all of her enthusiasm for entering buildings late at night that may or may not be alarmed, and her insistence on sharing in every aspect of life with good friends.

Happy Birthday Katy Stu,

you're my favorite gift!

Beautiful Death, Bring me to Life

On our way to Applebutter fun, the front seat members of our party were rather excited about the beauty surrounding us as we drove, exclaiming at regular intervals 'look at the beautiful colors!', 'look at the beautiful sky!', 'look at those beautiful trees!', etc....

After awhile, a voice piped up from behind, and said:

'I hesitate to mention it in such company....',

and proceeded to expostulate how the beauty of the leaves we were vociferating over were really just evidence of death.  

Which is depressing.

[Someone is not an early riser...]

Silenced, we drove on, quietly ruminating on the gloom and doom emanating from the back seat.  As I gazed at the intense reds, oranges, and golds framing the mountainous countryside around us, I found myself re-living a day, long ago, along the canal bank in Princeton. I experienced again the flavor of that solitary walk, smelt the beauty of the fall day, felt the intensity of the sun on the changing leaves as I sat down to think.  

I remembered the power of the thought that came to me then 

[as it had recently come to our now napping back seat, 

if in slightly different form]:  

The leaves that bring such life to my day, warm me with their glorious color, and remind me that my God is creative above all else, can do so because they are dying.  Weird.

Well, wouldn't you know that all of this ruminating got my philosopher blood boiling early in the day, and so I found myself on the look out for all things related to living and dying as the morning moved forward.

So, get ready, because this is what I found:

[Theme 1: Wisdom Whispers]

Settling on foundations that have earned their place in time,

that which is closer to the end than the beginning
reminds you of where you've been,

 it tells you what worked; it tells you what didn't.  It helps you, as you seek to understand what you need in order to go to the next. 

It wants also to tell of nostalgia,

 and remembers the role of whimsy.

{Sit quietly, and listen to its insight.}

[Theme 2: Seek your Landscape]

Take a walk through a field,

 seemingly past its prime.

 Breathe in, imagine what had been here.

 Then imagine--it will be again;

it's what your landscape is made of.  

{Seek what makes your landscape yours.}

[Theme 3: Decay Happens]

As all that spoke of summer recedes into dull and brittle,

what once reigned in authority

now deposits nutrients.

Necessary, 

as investment in the soil.

In such, new growth abides.

{Allow for decay, wait for fertile soil.}

[Theme 4: How it Is in Me.]

The characteristics of the old, 

broken down over intense heat,

with steam spewing everywhere,

provides for delicious.

{Trust the beauty of the Death; 

it will bring you into Life.}