On Saturday morning Abe woke up early and played pickleball with our neighbor Todd at 5:50am. I slept in much longer but still enjoyed the most beautiful morning walk in the canyon around 9. I walked and jogged with Basil, and I tried to stop as often as possible and admire all of the subtle beauties everywhere. I am reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World, which is all about plumbing everyday experiences for greater spiritual depths. She uses the phrase “seeing the red X under our own feet,” which I find so helpful. The buds above were the red X under my feet.
After my fun walk and run, I ran errands and then came home. I helped the kids with their music practice and then cooked some shepherd’s pie, mushroom gravy, and yeasted pumpkin bread. We had the Vandagriffs over for dinner, and we had the best time chatting with them. They are such wonderful people and friends. Also they saved us with Jessi’s delicious sourdough bread when my pumpkin bread emerged from the bread machine–raw. I got too happy with the vital wheat gluten, and it was Jessi’s bread to the rescue.
After dinner we went out to make s’mores, which always scares me because Ammon and Clarissa are so reckless around the fire–and Abe does things like hand marshmallows to them while reaching over the fire. Everyone always emerges unscathed and unsinged, though, so that makes me suspect the problem is probably just my anxiety!
Vika came over wearing the cutest bow in her hair. That and the glasses remind me so much of Mary at a younger age, and she just melted us with that necklace and smile to boot!
