Oh Virginia

I drove home this evening from doing this and that with my brights on. Yes, I'm that person. Although the moon was shining bright and peeking out through the clouds as best it could, it was still so so dark. Also so so beautiful. I guess I blame this bad habit on growing up in Canada where every town and city street is typically lined with industrial grade lamp posts so you can actually see (long, dark winters people). My car is really low to the ground so I figure my brights don't really bug anyone anyways even though Dan is sure they do. Please. It's fine.

When it is really really dark you can see the fireflies better. I get to live somewhere with fireflies (!) - this will never fail to excite me. And the trees here. They aren't the pine and evergreens I am used to, but they are equally beautiful. Their plume is wide and round with lime green leaves in the spring turning richer and deeper as the days get longer, turning into summer. Oh it really is beautiful. And then the fall. What a treat to see this part of the world in the fall. 

Last summer, to put it delicately, sucked. A new mom who had no extended family around with what was probably a colicky baby who just didn't know it at the time. And hot. Oh, so so hot. This summer I'm feeling it though. Patience got her groove back, baby! This summer I feel the outside pulling me to come play and explore with my little sidekick even on the hot days. Usually it starts with an early morning walk to the park to take inventory of the wood chips and planes, and then from there we are off. Well, I guess we actually go back home for a nap after that but you get the idea. Summer you have been well received and if you decide to be an Indian one no complaints here. (Although, for this cdn girl even your fall feels like summer but shhh! don't tell anyone!)

Having Jude in a land far far away from everything familiar to me has helped me to accept this place as my new home. This is Jude's home and now I want to know it inside out and backwards*.

*which will not include Civil War history though, I just can't do it... even though it practically happened in my backyard...