A crisp breath inward punctuates my lungs and today the air is so cool that my heart is on fire. This weather is refreshing and I am reveling in it. The slow and simple decline of summer, the chirps of new birds, the shuffle for longer sleeves, the lighting of candles, the inclination of change arriving on the prairie winds. The leaves of the cottonwoods shimmer silver as they contemplate their release. There is much to digest – many things that accompany the seasonal shift. There is gratitude for the bounty of the summer, and curiosity for the onset of cold. This gradual process is a meditative yearly ritual. To embrace each season is to be on good terms.

I like to think we are masters of small space living. Our space is particularly evident when the cold keeps us inside. Yet somehow our silhouettes shift and slide gracefully into the next space without disturbing the flow of the last. The dog doesn’t have this down yet, but let’s blame it on her big paws. We are outside people. The garden is outside, the mountains are outside, the bodies of water are outside, and our heads our generally in space (again, outside). It’s occasionally difficult to audibly murmur that it’s “too” cold to be outdoors – however the temperatures like to drop rather low here (add windchill and those tears are frozen). If I had one lament (I try not to) about the seasonal transference it would be the multitude of dark hours we must spend indoors at the year’s end. Though this is remedied by boozy holidays and festivities. And if I had to turn the lament upside down and find the positive – I would acknowledge that those hours inside are cherished and quiet ones. Productive in their own right. Intimate and candlelit. Loud when future plans are being drawn in maps and journals on the floor. Reminiscent, excited, hopeful.

Snapshots of what isn’t here quite yet, but what is coming and what I’m ok with.

The cold snap has a strange stirring effect on my mind.

And when you stir (whir, blend) nuts/seeds for an extended period of time you create delicious butter. I am offering pepitas and pistachios in an irresistible combination. To be enjoyed any season, but it seems quite playful with the first flirtations of autumn.

 There is much cosmic excitement about pumpkins. It’s a holy fruit, a cult obsession, and a tasty addition to just about anything. Pepitas are no less exciting, but I harness my focus on them year round instead. This recipe is so simple and the results are of divinity. All it takes is a small stint of roasting, and a bit of patience blending.

What doesn’t come together initially will  eventually come together in grand ways. You are left with a butter that is deliciously enjoyed on crackers, bread, vegetables, and fruit.

Happy holiday weekend friends – here’s to the sun setting down sooner, but the moon rising to new and greater heights. I hope your hearts are open to any of your own seasonal shifts – there is much to engage with.