One Glorious Day

It might not have been rain falling for several days soaking the parched land of  My Town, but the dry front yesterday brought a most magnificent day today.

The air cooled overnight into the 50s and this morning we felt the chill of the season's change.  It is finally here.

I awoke early after some eleven hours of sleep.  I must have needed the rest because sleep could not be denied or delayed.  Not the audio of the high school football game nor the emails could keep my eyes open.  I surrendered to slumber and my body was at rest.

The morning found me with my energy returned and before 9:30, I was putting away the groceries from shopping at the local grocery store.  My purchases are fairly routine as I seldom stray from products I know are healthy for me and My Son.  We then headed to the Producers Market and I secured locally raised and processed meats for the week.  I was delighted to find a large tomato there as well.  It did come home with me.  I always thought eating healthy would cost more money but actually, the grocery bill has been reduced.  Some of the items are priced higher but when you eat less fattening foods, you don't find yourselves starved all the time.  The body gets what it needs and isn't constantly craving foods in it's effort to secure the nutrients it needs.

This afternoon, the air was warm but so much cooler than it has been.  I watered the surviving pepper plants and pondered the plight of my tomatoes.  They have simply not grown much and it has been such a struggle to keep them alive during this drought.  It has taken time and money with absolutely no yield.  I have come to the decision that I will thank them for trying and then gently pull them from the soil.  That garden will be put to rest for the winter.  The peppers now have blooms on them and I expect to have a yield before the first bite of winter arrives.  That is certainly all I can ask from plants that have suffered so much during the intense heat of the past few months.

This glorious Fall day found highs in the 80s.  The air feels clean and clear.  Its a most beautiful day to be outside.  It feels like we have finally made the turn and hopefully the cooler days are ahead.  We need that as the sting of this past summer does linger.

It became official this past week.  The Texas drought is expected to last for years, perhaps a decade.  While most people would hang their heads in defeat, we naturally look to a form of adaptability and sustenance.   If the ground will remain dry all winter, then when it does rain, it must be harvested and used.  People  have survived droughts and we will be no different.  It just takes embracing the reality and preparing for it.

As with life itself and the curve balls it tends to throw at us now and then, preparation and adaptability are critical to quality of life.  So we prepare, we adapt and we find quality.  The answer to any question is there, you just have to seek it.  The solution to any problem is obtainable, you just have to be brave enough, resilient enough and determined enough to find it and then put it into action.