Puttering: Puttering brings me joy. Two weeks ago,I wrote in my journal, I vacuumed, dusted and put the pumpkin pillow on the wicker chair sitting in the kitchen entrance. Very satisfying. It is such an October thing to do. Many days I have puttering on my to-do list.

Running and OutdoorFit: This is a spectacular time of year to be running in the woods. We have had cool crisp mornings with beautiful fall foliage. I have been running twice a week with my friend Dorian. I am proud to say, I am in much better shape than I was last year. I don’t spend the rest of the day feeling so fatigued. It is quite an accomplishment for me. We are doing 6 weeks of HIIT at OutdoorFit! We are on our 5th week. The ladies have increased their weights and the intensity. They are seeing results.

Cold Plunging: The cold plunge training season has started. The water is 60 degrees. I have to start training in October so my body will adjust to the colder temperatures ahead. I must say, I am feeling a bit wimpy about it this year. The plungettes and I are shooting for twice a week.

Tap Class: I am working on my tapping. It is still very humbling. I haven’t found the joy in it yet. There are moments when I feel the rhythm in my body. I just think I should be able to do it. I will carry on…practice, practice, practice.

Happy Anniversary: Dan and I celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary! We actually went away for the night. We had a good friend spend the night with Thomas and Sophie. We went to the Grounds for Sculpture which was amazing. We stayed at the Lamberville Station Hotel and I had shrimp, scallops and lobster risotto for dinner. It was lovely.

Gardening: We took out the Red Bud tree in the front yard. It sadly was slowly dying. I am happy to have opened up the space. The fall is a great time to plant bargains from the local nursery. I bought 3 white cone flower plants for 70% off. I am working on making the garden more self sufficient. It is nice to have hardy perennials that will come back and take care of themselves.

Books: I am reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.

I hope you have had a beautiful October.

Love,

Mary