“When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive–
to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love —
then make the day count!”
Steve Maraboli
Is there a shift in the seasons where you are? I can feel autumn beginning to slip away. Fall always feels too short to me, and I’m hoping winter waits until the last flowers have had their moment. I’m still savoring every bit of it.
Before fall is completely gone, I wanted to share a few end-of-season photos from my yard. I often forget what I’ve already shared here and what I haven’t — there’s always more I hope to post, but life gets busy. Anyone else feel the same?
I’m completely taken with the current color of our hydrangeas. They begin the summer as pure white, but by the end of the season they fade into soft pinks, corals, and warm oranges. Their autumn tones feel like a perfect final bow for the season, especially framed by the white picket gate.
You can see these hydrangeas earlier in the year when they were white in my deck reveal post. Over the years, living here has taught me to notice the small, subtle shifts in my garden. The changes in leaves and blooms from week to week — and year to year — become a quiet source of joy.
Watching a garden evolve brings a calm, restorative pleasure. There’s something grounding about witnessing familiar seasonal rhythms in a home — noticing how each plant grows and changes, and appreciating those small details that might otherwise be missed.
Those gradual changes are the kinds of things you miss when you move often or always rush from one project to the next. It’s fun to look forward to new things, but slowing down to be present and enjoy the here and now is what I treasure most.
Have you read my book Dwelling? Go here to order!
“We all want our home to feel like a haven, but between everyday messes and the busyness of life, that can be hard to achieve. In Dwelling, Melissa Michaels offers practical, encouraging guidance to create a haven in your home, body, and spirit. Her steps and reflections are both doable and uplifting — the kind of advice you’ll want to start applying as you read.”
—Becky Rapinchuk, Clean Mama blog