Early autumn in our backyard

What I'm thankful for this Monday

- The way Finn reaches up to touch my chin when he's on the brink of falling into a deep sleep, to check if it's Mama or Daddy who is ushering him along his nighttime journey.

- Winnie-the-Pooh (the chicken), who spent nearly a year on this earth, enjoying our kitchen scraps, ridding the garden of Japanese beetles, and providing us with milky-green eggs. We lost her this weekend to a predator - we think a fox or a raccoon. But her passing provided a gentle introduction to death and mourning for the boys, an inevitable and hauntingly beautiful part of life, too.

- That Lachlan thinks it's mighty hilarious to yell out, "Ready ... set ... POOP!" Over and over again, of course. Because a joke isn't funny just once when you are 2 and a half.

- The tragic comedy that turned Patrick into a Shakespearian grave digger par excellence when we discovered a dead deer in our backyard. What luck that this happened on a Saturday and not a Monday! He accomplished the deed in good spirits after a glass of wine, but has decided that hole digging is not the most balanced of workouts. Yoga for Recovering Hole Diggers isn't offered at our local YMCA. 

- Cloudy, drizzly days. No better way to get in the proper mood for autumn, cup of tea in hand - when hands aren't busy knitting.

What are you grateful for as you start another week?

P.S. I've updated our booklists in the side bar, if you're interested in Finn and Lachlan's current favorites.