This is how my house looked at about seven this morning.
You can see the top of my leg under a book. And you can see the stillness.
Wyatt and Paige have left for school. Michael is in the office to my left getting ready to leave. And I am drinking in the quiet. And my first cup of coffee.
It was overcast and humid. And there was lots I needed to do. Many emails to answer. I have not been that quick on the reply lately. Very unlike me.
Then I lit a candle.
And put a pork tenderloin in my crock pot. No recipe.
I browned the pork and then added a half can of beer, a little Worcestershire sauce, a dash a brown sugar, fresh garlic, some jelly and a dash of salt and pepper. It is still in there cooking away on low. And it smelled so good all day.
So did the candle.
I made homemade banana pudding. I did some laundry. I caught up on my favorite show, CBS News Sunday Morning.
I just enjoyed the quiet of my house knowing summer had ended and another school year had started.
I like to be conscious of endings and beginnings. We had a few this summer.
My son's best friends left for college this past week. I know from watching my son that it is easier to be the one leaving than the one staying.
I will miss those boys. Those young men always so grateful for any love expressed as food. And they are so silly. And full of music.
Even though summers go by so fast, they are really expansive periods of time. I remember what a difference a summer could make in high school. People returned to school changed and self aware.
In the quiet, I admired a self portrait that my daughter painted at four. It is one of my favorite pieces of art. She is 15 now. And starting to paint again.
That was one of the best parts of this summer for me...watching my son and daughter come into themselves more and more. It is a privilege to witness.
I moved slow today. I had too. It just felt like it was the right thing to do standing on the edge of summer and the start of a school year.
My studio makes me happy, but so does my house and everything in it. And quiet mornings.
And this Marc Chagall print I bought at a garage sale. It is a bit crooked here I know but really just right in my bedroom. I painted the frame black.
A perfect before and after. Just like today.
ps. Time to take the pork out of the crock pot and answer some emails. Let people know I am here and acknowledge them. But I really did need the quiet today. Do you have days like that too?