Autumn Leaves

At this very moment, the 'easy listening station' on the TV is playing the old hit, "Autumn Leaves!"  Of course, the summer is over, again.  I must be the only person whose favorite season is summer.  I love the hot, humid, blistery weather!

These Sea Birds just happened to congregate on my kitchen table!

I love beaches, any of them and all of them, especially in summer.  For a long time, I had hoped to move to a beach someday.  Then I noticed how pricey real estate is in all coastal areas, out of my range.  And a friend who lived on a beach for nine months commented that "you think you would like to live on a beach, but you wouldn't.  The wind never stops and the sand gets in everything."  Well, that's something to consider.

A bit of the Beach close to my back door.

On a plane earlier this year I was chatting with a seat-mate who happened to be from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, one of my favorite 'beachy' areas.  I told her I'd love to move there but it was just too expensive.  She said that there were lots of areas that were not so high-priced and I should look around.  Maybe. . .

My favorite Pelican rests atop my refrigerator.

Everywhere around my house from mid-May to mid-September are lighthouses, shells, sea creatures of all kinds, a few boats, lots of sea birds, some anchors, and one small wooden drunken fisherman.  How I hate to pack them up in crates for the long winter!  Sigh!

Sea Life inside my front door.  I keep the small "holiday" tree up all year, changing decorations seasonally.

For most of my life I suffered through winter, piling on the coats, scarves, and gloves, scraping the ice and snow - what little there was of it usually - and drinking lots of hot tea.  I found the dull, brown, lifeless landscape depressing.  The 12-hour shifts I worked as a nurse started out in the dark in the mornings and ended up past dark in the evenings.  That, also, was depressing.

The beautiful beach painting over the couch in the living room stays there all year except during Christmas season.  I find that very cheery!

Last fall I realized how many years I had been dreading winter and hated it, and that it might help me to change my attitude.  I vowed to brain-wash myself and replace thoughts of "how miserably cold it is" to thoughts of "great, no yard work, I need a rest!"  It didn't work for long!  It still was cold and icy.

Over the family room fireplace are lighthouses, boats, lanterns, one fog horn and the lone fisherman (with the white beard).  You really need a fog horn on the beach!

Yes, there are plenty of holidays and holydays to distract me in the winters.  I start looking for signs of spring in February.  That helps.  If you like beachy photos, you may want to check out my travel blog, www.rockingthruworld.blogspot.com, starting with this past February when I visited Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and several places in Florida.  Then in June there was Sanibel Island, Florida. . . then in August there was Massachusetts and Maine. . . awesome!

Oh, my Dear Lord, I have no reason to complain of anything, ever!  You have allowed me to travel to so many wonderful beaches and have so many warm memories with family and friends!  I thank you many times again!!