blessed beyond measure

It hasn't rained in a long time. The drought held off until the last tomato was plucked from the vine, praise be to the Lord. But the yard is at once crunchy and balding gray. It is sad not just because of a green-less lawn and the poor apple crops, but also to know that the dryness is even now draining future fall color from the leaves. Whenever, or maybe if ever the season changes, it will be peas and corn straight to dead brown. I'm working on my health. The whole one-word aspiration of solidifying my steadiness this year has proven as absurd as it sounds. I gained a few dozen more pounds, started having regular anxiety attacks while medicated, succumbed to depression once again, and could just feel the blood pressure, y'all. On the advice of my doctor, I'm using a Fitbit slash MyFitnessPal combo to be more active and strictly monitor what I eat. Maybe the best thing about this is that I can actually have cereal, within reason. And by now, cereal falls w...

 

Summer hasn't gone anywhere, but things are changing for sure. No longer does pale pink peek at me through the shades as I pry my eyelids apart each morning. Instead of birdsong, it is the intoxicating chorus of crickets in the backdrop of my morning routine. It's been a bit dry, and so the giant tree in the front yard has more crunchy leaves than healthy ones, and at the slightest breeze they let go and blanket the yard. I'm thinking about soup. And pumpkin bread. Actually, I only thought about pumpkin bread after Aden brought it up. As he's done every month since Christmas. It's time to buy new clothes, as all of Trey's pants from last year have turned capri on him, hairy ankles poking out the bottom. Excuse me for wincing. This is new territory. But the biggest indicator of fall on the horizon is football. None of us plays it, and at least for the last few years, we haven't paid much attention to watching any. But Brandon being a de-facto mem...