As I begin this post, a train is chugging by and I hear the picture frame rattle against the wall.

Hot shower, hot coffee, cute puppy dog: great morning.

(wasatch mountains, utah - by photo-john taken just last week)

The last two weekends have been too busy to rock climb. So my finger callouses are steadily peeling off. Next time we climb I will be sore and hurting in many ways.

Autumn arrived to Utah while i was in Portland and has stuck. And i'm glad. I love autumn. Unlike CO, we haven't received any snow except for in the high country.

How amazing to spend each day at the foot of the mountains - snow capped, towering over our town. Each time I glance in their direction i can't help but smile. I've returned to them. They were calling me constantly those two years that i chose the flatlands over their beauty and now they are happy to have received me home. That's how i feel about it, anyway. I have loyalties to the mountains, and they are hard to forget.  In a way we are limited because we've realized that our quality of life is seriously effected by our time spent outdoors, and the mountains are where we want to be. There are many places with mountains, but not as many as the places without. But i definitely don't see living near the mountains as a limitation on our family, and i don't think Doons does either, quite the opposite, actually. They set us free!
well anyways....

It's time for sweater days, hot tea evenings, and flannel sheet nights. I have my autumn wall plug-ins filling the house with autumn's yummiest scents, pine cones around the house, trees turning purple in our yard, and candles burning. The Spring tulips are planted, sprinklers turned off and drained, and windows shut up for the winter. I love this time of year!