October Eve

Fall is here! Fall is here!

Before we go any further, I have to show you this. Ada picks out her own shoes and socks every morning. Today, this was her chosen combination. The socks are from a dollar bin at Target - last year. They were big on her then, but perfect now. She picks them to wear every day.



OK, getting back to it.
Fall is my favorite season by far. Growing up in Ohio, this time of year rang in with some clear declarations: the leaves changing, the shadows growing longer, the crispness in the air and the smell of wood smoke indicating a bonfire somewhere. I do miss those seasonal changes. Ohio is often overlooked but really, it is quite beautiful.

I guess autumn officially started in September but last month didn't feel very fall-ish. In San Francisco September and October are two of the best weather months all year. It really is beautiful, clear (I can tell when I can see all the way to Mt. Tam to the north and Mt. Diablo to the east) and perfectly warm. This year, things are shaping up just a little bit differently, but still it's all good.

Last week I thought Ada and I could go to the beach in the morning before it was crowded. The weather was perfect at our place. Even though the beach is only 3 miles away, it was still foggy and cool there. We spread our blanket, took our shoes off but left our jackets on. She was happy, she didn't care.






Yesterday the fog cleared only for about an hour and a half before it was cool and windy again. A perfect day to get our fall on around here. Out came the seasonal kitchen towels and russet-colored mums in the flower vase. We had an autumnal scented candle burning away all day and a maple-pecan bread was begging to be baked. Our Halloween decorations are slowly making their way to windows and shelves. I can't wait to carve pumpkins with her again this year. We might go back to the farm for a little party and do it there.

Lower right corner: We live in a traditional Edwardian house. There is a shaft that lets air in to the kitchen, toilet room and shower room (separate, as is tradition). Puppet loves to go out there. In the fall, the evenings are balmy enough to leave the window wide open so he can come and go as he likes.

There have been assorted projects of the toddler kind too.

Ada made the "B" in pre-preschool a couple weeks ago. It was really a great outlet to watch as a ribbon of glue melted into a glue mountain on the paper. Ultimately it ended up being a hill of beans. I love it that there are no rules.
Like a helicopter stored in a plastic pot in the refrigerator. Duh. Where else would it belong? No rules.

Yesterday, Ada and I stayed in our pajamas until about 3:30. She spent most of the morning chasing the cats around the house with a scream and a weapon. We had a tea party on the floor. We dumped out all of her toys and made a huge mess. We only pulled ourselves together when we went to meet Kathi and Sarah at the playground.

My God. She is so beautiful. I can't believe she's my daughter. 

Ada pointed out Sarah's hair, mouth, eyes, nose, ears. Sarah patiently participated in the anatomy lesson. 

I got home and started to go through the pictures and realized that she has her tongue all a-waggin' out of her mouth in most of them. She comes by it honestly. Her great-grandmother was the same way. 

We stopped at Trader Joe's for strawberries and fig bars on our way home. I notice this adjacent building every time I park on the top of the parking deck but haven't even stopped to get a picture. Today I did. I love the simplicity of the bare brick, crumbling in places against the foggy, gray sky. What was this building used for so long ago? Who was Louie?

Beauty is everywhere. It really is.