Mundane Everyday Life

 

I looked beyond the back porch window sill with its collection of dead bugs and thin layer of dust. Clouds tinged in cotton-candy pink billowed above the tall trees to the south. Still, I went to the basement to begin my normal morning routine.

As I sat in my wood-paneled office underground and waited on gmail to cycle up, I couldn't quit thinking about the clouds. Emails and blogs and KFRM radio reports could wait for a few minutes.

So many times, we walk past the beauty in life. I don't even remember now why I went to the porch to begin with. It's not a mandatory stop on my day. Maybe I glimpsed the unusual clouds through the bathroom window and decided to get a closer look.

Our house is surrounded by big old trees, so I grabbed my camera and told Randy I was going to drive down the road to check out the sunrise.

Many times, I'm disappointed by the photos. I can't always get the camera's eye to duplicate the beauty and majesty of the Kansas sunrise or sunset. The evening before, Randy had called me as he was driving a tractor toward home. A storm was blowing through, and the sky was unusual. And, try as I might, I couldn't get the camera to capture the moment the same way as I was experiencing it in person.

But I'm persistent. (Some might say stubborn.) So the "failed" sunset photos didn't keep me from trying to capture the sunrise. See, there are sometimes fringe benefits to being persistent.

Taking photos helps me to "see" the beauty all around me. I have always loved words, but some wise person once said: "A picture is worth a thousand words." (While I'm not totally convinced, I do love photos to go along with words.)

However, it doesn't take a camera in hand to notice the little things. One recent morning, as light streamed through the bathroom windows, the lace edge of the curtains made a pattern on the wall. I watched our now "toddler-sized" kittens roughhouse in the back yard, and it made me smile. The cottonwood at the end of our driveway is dressed in its autumn best, sending me off and welcoming me home with leaves as red as the flag on the mailbox.

As we turn the calendar page from October to November, the sprint toward the holidays begins. We start the lists for Thanksgiving dinner. We look at calendars and circle a date when we can come together for family celebrations. We watch the sale ads for items that might make that perfect gift for Christmas, and we begin hiding the packages in our closets, hoping they'll be safe from curious eyes before the presents are wrapped in red and green and tied up with bows.

If I'm not careful, the everyday blessings all around me can be tossed aside as nonchalantly as a bag of dried up leaves which have lost the luster of just a few weeks before.

Beauty isn't found just in the spectacular. Neither are blessings. They just require me to open my eyes. And then count them, kind of life that old Sunday School song we used to sing in the basement of Byers United Methodist Church:

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. 

**

Pears and apples are favorite fruits for the fall. Throw in some dried cranberries, feta cheese and bacon, and it's even better. The dressing is a blend of purchased poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinegar. Serve it with steak for a meal or without the meat for a Thanksgiving Day side dish. Enjoy!

 Autumn Chopped Salad with Marinated Steak

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats blog

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 slices center-cut bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1 pear, chopped, with skin on
1 apple, chopped, with skin on
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Poppy Seed Salad Dressing (more or less)
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (more or less)
Grilled seasoned steak (about 3 ounces per person)

Cook bacon until crisp (I used the microwave.) Cool and chop. Grill seasoned steak to desired doneness. Set aside to rest. 

Combine romaine lettuce, pear, apple, peanuts, dried cranberries, cooled bacon and feta cheese into a very large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinegar to taste. Toss salad dressing with salad, coating well.

For main dish salad, put dressed, chopped salad onto serving plates. Top with sliced grilled steak. Serve immediately.

This generously serves 2 for a main dish salad. As a side, it serves a big crowd.

Notes:

• Even though I'm a vinegar lover, Randy is not. And we both preferred the dressing with only 1 tablespoon of the balsamic. 
• Next time I make it, I might try this homemade dressing, Orange Vinaigrette, which I've used on other main dish salads.
• I've used peanuts every time, but it would be great with walnuts or pecans, too.