A Place of Simplicity

A friend described life out here in "the county" as a simple life, which it is. It's more peaceful and slow that city life. I'm thankful for that. But even rural life can become busy and hurried if we're not careful. I find my autumn filling up with so many responsibilities and activities that it's hard to remember what a quiet, cool, still autumn day is meant to feel like. I want one of those.

Adam put a vapor barrier, sleepers, joists, and OSB subfloor in the little building.

 I started painting the OSB. It's a rough surface, but paint is what it's getting. Adam will built a short knee-wall around the base of all the walls to enclose the electrical wiring and outlet boxes.

 I have a long way to go on the painting, and I'll have to shift the furniture over to the painted part so I can do the other side.

I'm reading this utterly delightful book by Rosemary Verey, renowned British gardener.

 I want more of her books. She has that easy, sparky, intelligent style that I love. Here's a fun paragraph to give you a taste:

 At last, the days are cool. At last, the leaves are turning.

 My four chicks are doing well. I suspect I have 2 roos and 2 hens.

 Here's my big roo. I call him Boss. He has not attacked me yet, although he views my skirt with the red trim on the bottom with great suspicion. Last time I wore it in there, he tried to stomp at it and peck it. The skirt hem did not respond.

 We had a funeral at our church last week. I thought the casket spray was so beautiful for autumn.

 Adam has been faithfully coming to the farmer's market with me since the summer. I'm so thankful! This past weekend was Oriental's Ol' Front Porch Music Festival. Sales were brisk and these two fellows welcomed customers!

 A cool set of wheels pulled up to Buddy's fish shack across the street.

 I'm painting pumpkin cards.

 Today a friend and I took an outing to New Bern, which is, by all accounts, a wonderfully historical city with an unusually large downtown district of old homes, considering its size. We took a little tour of 1st Presbyterian Church, now 202 years old. What a lovely old sanctuary!

 This is a Fisk organ, very beautiful.

 My days fill up one by one, and I find I have less and less time to wander around the pasture and stare at the dying of the year, watch the sky for trails of geese, gaze out my window while I paint, or breathe in the cool air blowing through our open doors. I feel I am on the run, doing, doing.

Adam made a delicious dinner tonight.

Tomorrow is Prayer Shawl Ministry, followed by another new piano student. If you don't see me here, dear friends, please know I'm still reading your blogs when I can and enjoying them, and looking forward to that simpler rural life -- the rich, empty days and time for languid creative thought. Some day.