It was another beautiful day for us, sunny and yet cool. I hate to push summer out, but it’s really starting to feel like fall. So much so that I spent most of the afternoon taking down summer decor and adding fall touches. I had to sneak in a touch of Halloween to our fireplace. That tombstone I got yesterday was too cute to put away.

I went the day without my prescription anti-inflammatory. I hate taking medicine longer than necessary and this one required that I not take any antacids within 2 hours. Since chemo, I’ve had trouble with my stomach and lately it’s gotten troublesome again, so I opted for antacids today instead. The upside is that while I’ve been sore today, I haven’t felt as swollen. That’s a good sign, I think. I’m on the mend and probably don’t need my prescription anymore. I’m thankful for that.

I’m also thankful for a quick visit with my friend, Ann. Sadly, I didn’t get the yummy cookies I made yesterday into an air tight container and they got too soft from the humidity. They were perfectly crisp last night, but this morning they were soft and crumbly. Ann gets a lot of wildlife at her place, so I thought the squirrels might like a cookie or two. It was a good opportunity to sit on the deck and have a glass of wine (alcohol free for me).

Another rainy(ish) cool day. Patrick has been wanting to upgrade some of his beer-making equipment, so we decided to venture to another town where he could look at the items firsthand. While he didn’t see everything he was hoping for, he did find a couple of things, including a seasonal beer kit for a new brew. Yay! Fall beer!

We found a couple of other stores to check out and I found my own fall items. I loved this cute squirrel and couldn’t resist the wooden tombstone. They will look great on our mantle.

When we got back home, I made sugar cookies sprinkled with orange sugar. Chance may have firsthand knowledge of how yummy they are…And I may have eaten a few as my dinner.

I’m thankful for a day spent exploring outside of the house. I’m also thankful to a friend who alerted me to the fact that I had been posting as August again the last couple of days. As if I need to go back in time…!

It feels like Fall. It was cool and rainy all day. I fully intended to get something done like putting out Fall decor, but all I accomplished was one load of laundry. Instead I chatted with one of my sisters for a bit, then chatted with a friend for a while, hung out in my craft room thinking up future projects, and read a bit. While I usually try to get a lot done, I’m actually thankful for the downtime.

It’s the small stuff today. Sunshine. A stack of new magazines. Stretches that helped my heavy chest. And excellent burgers Patrick made on his flattop grill.

Today I’m thankful that Patrick has been my chauffeur lately. There have been days, like today, that I just need to get out of the house. I wasn’t sure if I took my medicine this morning, and I didn’t want to take more too soon. However, given my soreness level most of the day, I doubt I took it.

So we went to a store to look at Halloween stuff. I didn’t get anything, but it was fun to look and a good diversion for me. I’m grateful Patrick gives in when I need to get out.

I needed to log into my work computer this morning to search for a phone number I needed and ended up working for almost 3 hours. I’m thankful I did because it proved my theory—I was very uncomfortable for quite a while afterwards. I’m sure my chest muscles will eventually simmer down, but I’m really trying to not overdo it so I don’t drag out this healing process any longer.

I spent the bulk of my day hanging out in the sun, doing some reading. I hate to even say it given the devastating weather that the west coast has had recently, but it was beautiful here today. One of those late summer, low humidity days. I’m thankful I was able to spend so much time outside.

Today that my sister Jenny and her husband Jim were able to have dinner and stay with us this evening. Last weekend Jim’s brother- in-law had a heart attack, so they came into town to visit him since he’s still in the hospital. He was very touch and go initially (it took 7 defibrillator attempts), but we are all grateful that he’s finally on the mend. I’m constantly amazed at how resilient the human body can be. In one week, he went from almost dead to walking and cracking jokes. It’s crazy.

While I’m sorry for the circumstances that brought them here, I’m always thankful to see my family. Tonight we did a lot of laughing over childhood memories and family stories. And Patrick was able to share more of the whiskey he introduced them to the last time they were in town.

I’m thankful for friends with trucks, weimaraners named Daisy, pizza with crispy crust, and satin pajamas.