Sat morning bloggity in moonlight

Up early and have the fire stoked and coffee made before I go to work. I'll be closing down the school for the next few days in preparation for winter.

I'm on some bizarre sleep cycle these days...waking up too early (but rested), then by mid evening I'm done in. I get this way whenever there are things looming to be done; I sleep, but wake up with lists immediately in my head. And once the hampsters start turning the wheel there's nothing left but to get moving. But for now I have a couple of minutes by the fire to myself.

I have to confess that I really like blogs. It occurs to me they are my morning and evening papers. I find them entertaining, informative and inspiring. And more importantly, connecting. Because of blogs I've been fortunate enough to make some friends that have had a definite positive impact on my life. The days are brighter, richer, and more thought provoking than they would be without them. My blog friends lend color and texture to my life, and I'm grateful for them. Oddly enough, having never met any of these folks face to face I feel closer to them thru their writing and our email exchanges than a lot of people I see on a daily basis. (I wonder what this says about me?)

I was telling someone the other day the appeal of a blog or email from a blogger friend is like having a live time penpal discussion, a frequent snapshot of a world bigger than the one we routinely inhabit, a travelogue, an old fashioned art salon, and the best family dinner you've ever had all rolled into one. Which makes me think of how wonderful it would be to gather all these cool people on our mountaintop one day and have a big dinner on the deck, much like old fashioned country church potlucks, or a scene from a european movie where there are long tables beneath plane trees laden with food and wine and beer and coffee and everyone sits and eats and laughs for hours, until the sun is long down and the lanterns are lit and the music slows to the sweet languid pace the signals the end of a perfect evening.

You'll excuse me vivid imagination early this morning?

The eastern sky is starting to get just a little pink, so that's my cue to get moving. Before I go into the day and the mundane work ahead, I want to give a shout out to my peeps: Sam, Meg, Kate, Dr. O, Lisa, and Rachael. Not a day goes by that I miss checking in with you, and I'm always delighted to see and hear what you're up to. And as the Thanksgiving week approaches and I ponder what I'm thankful for, I have to include all of you on my list. Thanks for being part of my days.

Signing off and heading down the hill. Have a great day!