Over the river and through the woods

Think about your grandparents, Reader.  What are they like?  What do you love about them?

You know how some people make your heart rate and blood pressure relax just by being in their presence, without them saying a word?  That's my grandma.  She is so wise and calming and curious.  She has never stopped learning.  She sends me home with her embroidered dishtowels and homemade raisin bread every time I visit, and she also has a wicked sense of humor that comes out at the best times.  Because Josh and I will spend Thanksgiving with his family in Colorado and will miss seeing her then, we drove to rural Minnesota to spend the afternoon with her today. 

This is the view from her kitchen table. At this time of year, the bird feeder draws mostly sparrows, with the odd blue jay and cardinal thrown into the mix.  In the summer, though, there is a constant party going on around that little house.  I could sit here and stare out the window for hours.

The three of us (and then the four of us, once her sister-in-law dropped in to say hello and stayed for peach pie) sat and ate and talked and talked.  I have a large extended family that is mostly full-grown people now, so holidays at my grandma's house can be crowded, big, loud melees - wonderful in their own way, but not so good for one-on-one conversation.  That's why I love a quiet afternoon at her house. 

When we left, the sun was just setting behind the shed overlooking the rest of the farm.  Ahhh.

So Nov. 13 is in the books, and I hope I'm not jinxing myself by observing that I am (nearly) halfway through my goal to blog every day this month.  The truth is, Reader, November has lobbed some challenging days my way.  Sticking to the goal, though, brought me back to the original purpose of starting Miles and Laurel: to celebrate the kooky sights and small adventures that each day holds, and to remember that every day includes a lot of good.  (Oh - and this seems as good a time as any to welcome the reader who found this blog by googling "California treehouse vacation."  I'm very sorry I couldn't help you more, but I like your idea!)

That's that.  You'll catch me here every day, at least through the end of November.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll even keep the streak going.

One more sunset picture?  Fine, if you insist!

Good night!  I hope your week starts out well tomorrow.