Our Last August in this House Comes to an End

August flew by, which isn't surprising because I went back to work on the 4th. Andrew started school on the 7th, and Val come home from her (incredible) summer internship on the 9th. 

It is not lost on me that this is, likely, the longest stretch of time we will all be together in this house again. If I weren't so busy, I'd be even more sad. Work has a way of occupying your time, and your mind. 

I didn't have a job when we moved here, besides caring for a two-year-old twenty-four, seven. I was so excited to be leaving the sprawl of unincorported San Diego for the quieter and cooler Central Coast. Hubby was going to be getting a nice paycheck, and I figured we'd buy a house within a few years. But that's hard to do when you don't have a down payment and prices keep going up.

So we stayed in our rental and celebrated holidays and milestones, taught the kids to ride bikes on our little street, sent them to elementary school up the hill, then six miles to middle school, twelve miles to high school. Val went to community college (seventeen miles)  and last year moved away to university (one hundred seventy-eight miles).

Now that it's Andrew's senior year, I have to pay extra attention to the school bulletin, and start attending PTO meetings again. There's a lot going on.

And the light is changing in our little neighborhood. The sun sets further west over the mountains, and a bit earlier. These seasonal changes always take me back to our first few years here, when everything still felt new. 

In another ten months, I'll be learning how to take these memories with me. I can't really imagine how that's going to be. To keep the panicky feelings at bay, I make sure to be present when the realization comes over me. 

That's exactly what prompted me to take the photo of our kitty looking out the window. It's my same view each morning while drinking my coffee and having some quiet time to myself before opening my laptop for work. I don't know what my window view will be in a year from now. I really like this one, and I think I'll miss it.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall IIIX

The last installment in the series...

The lick of flame is still waving at me from the hillside when I drive by, only now it is also waving hello to Winter and goodbye to Fall.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall IIX

Driving through this cottonwood corridor is a glorious reminder of Autumn this time of year, but soon the Winter winds will have blown all the leaves and only the crisp bones of the trees will remain.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall XI

Looking out the front window just before the sun goes down behind the mountain, at about 3:30 p.m.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall X

Mixing colors on a palette--frosting for cookies.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall IX

Valerie: (opted for no comment this week)

Sara: The last of this season's roses.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall VIII

Valerie: Making pumpkin pie.

Sara: The strangeness of chestnut tress everywhere you look.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall VII

Sara: The leaves are turning in the vineyards along our valley road.

Guest Photographer Andrew: A view of the ceiling of our "tar" (car).

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall VI

Sara: We carved Valerie's pumpkin at a party last Sunday. Fearing it would be a moldy, soggy mess by Halloween, I put it in the fridge for the week. It worked! We'll let it out today.

A Happy and Safe Halloween to you all!

P.S. Valerie had a busy week--her photos will resume next week.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall V

Valerie: I love fall.

Sara: Leaf impressions left on a metal slide at an old playground.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall IV

Valerie: Happy Halloween!

Sara: The new fall colors have arrived at Farmers Market.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall III

Valerie: Cats love owls for supper.

Sara: Front yard mystery apple tree--they look pretty, smell pretty, but don't taste so...pretty.

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall II

Valerie: Pink tree.

Sara: When the stores start stocking Halloween candy you know it must be Fall
(or at least mid-August).

.:Seasonal Sundries:. Fall I

I love Autumn so much, I decided to shelve the Saturday Sundries for a while and do a new thing on Saturdays, all about fall. I don't have a fancy camera, just a little Sony Cyber-shot. But I'm going to post photos that say Autumn to me on Saturdays from now through Dec. 19th. And I'm inviting Valerie to work on this project with me--it's very exciting.

Valerie: GHOST TREE.

Sara: Leaves on a fence in my neighborhood.