It is unusual for me to have a "normal" weekend. By which I mean a weekend where I do not have to work, at either of my two jobs, and I don't have to get up at an ungodly hour (such as before the sun rises!)
~sunflowers from the farmer's market in my kitchen~
So, yes, I define a "normal" weekend around some pretty conventional notions of what that means. While for the most part I love having a life that is set to my own schedule, at least more so than having a Monday-Friday, 8am to 5pm job would allow, there are moments when I long for some defined time off. And of course, that is the nature of working for one's self. . . but the finer tunings of that, the subtle nuances of being self-employed will have to be for another post.
~a single passionflower from the vine in my side-yard~
Suffice it to say, I spent this weekend doing many of the leisurely things I love to do but oftentimes don't have the time for. I went to the farmer's market with Jeff, listened to lots of Kate Bush, and finally got around to planting a winter veggie garden in the backyard. Kale, chard, beets, and spinach! I started watching 3 Women (the Robert Altman film) which I've been meaning to watch for the longest time, and read the Sunday edition of the New York Times on Sunday. (Yes, the part about reading it on Sunday is the shocking part. Usually I don't read it 'til mid-week.) Mainly, tho, I simply enjoyed not having to rush around from thing to thing and tried my best to not worry about how little in the way of work I was accomplishing.
On Saturday night I made dinner for Jeff, Sean and me. While this is not an unusual occurrence, it was the mood and the general take-my-time mentality that was.
Chanterelle mushroom sauce with fresh mushrooms from the farmer's market.
Chopping up purple kale and purple carrots!
Saute time
Dinner! Dinner was delicious: pork chops with the mushroom sauce, rice, and sauteed veggies. A rather straight-forward and technically easy meal to prepare. And well enjoyed!
I like how my taking the time to slow down this weekend goes hand-in-hand with the changing of the seasons, and with Halloween, All Souls' Day, and The Day of the Dead. I chose to honor this time of the year in my own way. I planted the garden that I mentioned earlier in this post, I created an altar for all of my non-human animal friends who have passed on, and I just generally allowed myself the time to sit and reflect on where I am right now in my life.
~pumpkins carved by Sera, Jeff, and Sean on our front steps~While, I did miss dressing up just a little bit, I'm glad I took the time to make the holiday something that meant something to me. Something beyond the junk food and cheap costumes and commodification of yet another sacred time of the year.
And there's always next year to create a costume! I'm thinking something Kate Bush inspired. . .
And one last photo of Arlo, hanging out with us in the kitchen. Have a lovely evening all!
inspiration: the tiny brown, white, tan, and black sparrows greeting the mornings with their cheerful chirps perched in the spindly white-bark branches of birch trees 
