October is here already

Melanie took this of me last Thursday

 Where did September go? It seems like summer just ended, but today I am feeling the change in the weather and noticing how quickly the days are flying by. There are the same number of hours in every day, but right now it seems like I no sooner start my day than it's over. How much perception matters.

I wasn't looking forward to Thursday's hike. It was the third time I've gone to Mazama Park from the Ridley Creek trailhead, and my memory of the hike was one of steep ravines where I struggled down one side and then had to climb back up, several times. But this was the first time I actually saw the views that you have once you reach this area, and I realized how pretty it is. Not to mention how spectacular the fall colors were and the late summer berries abundant along the trail. I enjoyed myself in spite of my misgivings.

Plus I knew that I would miss next week's hike, because I'll be on Vashon Island with four other blogging friends, getting together for the fifth time. It's hard to believe it's been that long since we met and began this journey together, gathering at Lavender Hill Farm (you'll be hearing more about it next Sunday), five days of a writing retreat that I know will inspire me and expand my horizons. We started out as six, but Sally is the only one who doesn't live close enough to drive and must fly from Colorado. She decided last year that she wouldn't return; however, the rest of us will gather this coming Wednesday and leave the following Monday. We'll miss you, Sally.

Although we spend much of each day with writing prompts and sharing with each other, we also have one day when we explore the island, which has become an "adventure day." Jann offered to arrange this year for us to go on a kayak adventure. I've never been in one (and I'm not alone), but she has found that we can not only rent kayaks but also hire a guide who will help us make the most of our time on the water. I'm looking forward to it but have just a teeny bit of trepidation about it, too. Not that I'm afraid of capsizing or anything, but mostly of loving it so much that I get hooked!

The farmhouse that we rent for this occasion has six bedrooms, one of which is very small, but all the others are really nice, with one suite that has its own bathroom and sitting room. I've stayed in the small basement room twice, and in its larger companion basement room twice more. This year, I will be staying in the suite! I resisted but now that I've agreed (everyone else has taken her turn in the suite), I am looking forward to it. The small basement room will remain unoccupied.

You know how much I love my daily routine, which will be upended during this coming week because of the Vashon retreat. I have already begun to pack, hoping I don't forget anything too important. I haven't gone anywhere overnight since last November when I visited my sister in Florida. I'll be going there again in either December or sometime early next year. Suddenly I am beginning to realize how important it is for me to stir things up a bit so I don't get fixated into feeling like I cannot take a break from my routine.

I've been obsessing on the upcoming election during the past month or so. As a lifelong Democrat, there has never been any doubt as to which candidate I would vote for, but it has been hard for me to come to terms with the two candidates who won the nominations of their respective parties, both disliked more than any other candidates I can remember. I was a Bernie supporter but in reality have known very little about Hillary until lately. However, I had never even heard of Trump before this election cycle, since I never watched "The Apprentice."

Watch Frontline to learn more

I am breaking my own rules by discussing the election at all, but I watched this very informative Frontline video on my local PBS station the other day and learned so much about them both that I didn't know. It is important enough that I hope that at least one of my readers will give it a chance and watch it. Frontline did the same thing four years ago with Obama and Romney, and I was impressed then with their ability to simply present the facts and not make judgments. This program is no different.

Next Sunday evening, I will be gathered with my blogging friends as we watch the second Presidential debate. Since this election feels so different from previous elections, I wouldn't miss it for anything. But in any event, whatever you do, please remember to exercise your right to vote in November. It will be here before you know it. Here in Washington state, we mail in our ballots and will have plenty of time to discuss the issues before voting. At first I missed going to the polls like we did in Colorado, but now I prefer this method. SG and I sit down with our ballots and discuss each choice before marking our ballots. With the Voter's Guide and our political website in front of us, it's actually a fun way to vote.

Well, with that, I have made it through another post. The only thing I knew before I began is that I wanted to share that video with you and give you a chance to know about it. Now I will begin the rest of my day by getting up and following my Sunday routine: dressing for yoga, doing my morning exercises, having a light breakfast and heading to the coffee shop to join my friends there. I'll leave in time for my yoga class, which I know I will enjoy. I'm going to the movies with my friend Judy in the afternoon to see "Sully." It's gotten great reviews, so I'm looking forward to it.

Until we meet again next week, with me blogging from the Vashon Island retreat, I hope you will have a wonderful and productive week. As usual, I wish you all good things and remember to give your loved ones a hug or two. I am sending you, my dear reader, a virtual one.