Save it for a rainy day….

“Sometimes the  most urgent thing

you can possibly do is take a complete rest.”

–Ashleigh Brilliant–

Chillin’ with my crew…

It’s been a rainy day here today in the Granite State .  There’s a chill in the air and the leaves are trumpeting their last hurray in red and gold before winter sets in.  It’s the kind of day where, as my dear friend Mimi wisely observed, you toss on a pair of sweats, throw dinner in the crockpot (“Set it and forget it!” ;-)), and then kick back and let the luscious scent of autumn fill your home (I’m already catching a whiff of beef stew…)

Bug and Beau and I took the hint and snuggled in for a day of relaxation–reading and snoozing as the rain tapped softly on the windowpanes and the snores of the dogs sketched a lovely contrappunto. It was, in a word, a perfect afternoon.

As we drift into Friday evening, I leave you with the dulcet tones of singer-songwriter Melody Gardot (a personal favorite) singing “The Rain.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQA4EoE2cOM

Happy Friday all….

Nothing beats an afternoon nap

“I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.”  

–Yogi Berra

As I kindergartner, I LOVED naptime.  I’d polish off my miniature carton of chocolate milk, chat up a few of my classmates, then settle down for a little R&R on my brightly colored nap mat.  Life was good.

Many years later, afternoon naps remain a guilty pleasure that I indulge now and then.  For Beau and Miss Thing, conversely, EVERY day is nap day!

When Beau was a tiny lad, his favorite napping spot was under my office chair, in positions that in NO WAY suggested comfort. Yet there he’d be, happily ensconced and snoring like a field hand.

Bug, ever the lady, is a bit more picky about her resting place.  She generally prefers the office couch–leather is cooler and those cushions are oh so fluffy…. As Beau has gotten older (and bigger) he’s followed her lead and is

now content to join her.

The two of them are such company for me as I work, a gentle reminder that no matter how hectic the day may be, a few minutes of relaxation of can be enormously restorative.  My dearly departed grandmother spoke often of ‘the pause that refreshes.’  Lola & Beau know just what she was talking about….