The Arrival of Fall, The List, and a Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Kind of Morning
Albeit late in arriving, Fall is most undeniably here. Gone is another Summer, and again, the months have flown by to leave me pining for yet more of an extension of the warmer weather. Then again, there’s just something about it being Fall.
Enjoy my first blog post from Lac du Nibiinaabe!
It's Fall...
I knew it was right around the corner, but this morning, I felt it arrive first thing, even before opening my eyes to the daylight as the presence of full-on Autumn crept in through my window.
The feeling is hard to explain. Somehow, today's beginning is different than those in recent months. It hit me again as I slid out of bed, and the coolness of the floor on my feet sent a shiver from my toes to my fingertips. In my heart, I knew it was true.
I knew that Fall had come. The evidence was everywhere I looked. Jack Frost had indeed made his inaugural visit, proclaiming Autumn as his own, creeping about during the night to leave his chilly whisper of a kiss to sprinkle the garden, lawn, and rooftop with a generous coat of his powdery ice and chill. "Ugh, it's Fall." While saying it didn't change a thing, it verbally confirmed that it was finally time to quit procrastinating and get on to my "Fall List."
"Well, thank heaven, I saved a good bunch of lettuces, eggplant, peppers, and my final three zucchinis of the season before the sun set yesterday," I whispered under my breath. "And, yes, dear, you also drained the hoses, pulled the potted plants to overwinter up close to the house, and have made a good start on cleanup in the flower gardens." The tiny voice inside my head reminded me.
My subconscious is always good at propping me up with a self-satisfying pat on the back of positive reinforcement. "Hmmm," I sighed. Slipping into my wool slippers, a fluffy robe, and my glasses… I must get downstairs, turn on the heat, and start my day.
What to fix for breakfast...
Pulling myself to the kitchen, I knew it was a country-baked oatmeal sort of morning. A steaming cup of Blueberry Flavored Coffee (one of my favorite flavorful coffees!) to sip on while I make breakfast. And why not make today's oatmeal extra special? I mumble under my breath - as the idea of splurging by serving it with fresh frozen blueberries and a sprinkle of brown sugar overcomes me. When I finish, I'll add half-n-half to complete this first day of Fall breakfast to give me extra energy to tackle my day.
Favorite Country Baked Oatmeal
Warm, filling, and wholesome, country-baked oatmeal for breakfast is especially perfect for cold, crisp mornings during Fall and Winter.
Favorite Gluten-Free Country Baked Oatmeal
It’s A Favorite Country Baked Oatmeal Kind of Morning. If you’re unfamiliar with baked oatmeal, the best way to describe it is to consider it a comforting breakfast casserole.
Speaking of Breakfast - It couldn't get much better. Yum!
Sitting down for breakfast - I couldn't help but gaze in awe and admiration at the sunrise outside. The light now dancing in tiny shimmers, almost skipping across Lac du Nibiinaabe's surface. Thoughts about the perfect morning to keep me company? "This is what country life is supposed to be," I sighed. Great breakfast. Beautiful sunrise. Slight fog rising from the water as if to tickle the leaves (painted in beautiful hues from gold to red) playing against the woody tree backdrop… Ahem, Hello! I am suddenly jolting to reality. Today is the day I do it. It's time to tackle the "Fall List."
The definition of a checklist...
Wikipedia defines a checklist as an informational job aid, a tool used to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness when carrying out a task. I find comfort in that definition, especially in part about being “An aid used to reduce failure.”
But what constitutes failure?
What happens when we don’t complete our lists? Are we then failures? As a creative person with varied interests, I’ve struggled over the years with what constitutes failure and how it defines us. With that in mind, I’ll be the first to confess that over the years and through the seasons, I’ve put together many lists and never come close to completing all that I set out to do before it was too late to get it done at all. Case in point: I recently discovered that last year’s Fall list included several unchecked items. Uncompleted. Undone. My memory tells me that although Dear Hubby and I were disappointed in not completing everything, everything seemed to work out okay at the end of the year. Our life continued with new ideas, more lists, and even a few new items for the future.
Lessons learned...
We learned from our list from the year before. We re-wrote it, refined some points, and redacted a few others that no longer seemed important. However, while the list has changed, it has also proven a great tool. The list has helped us compensate for our potential loss of human memory and attention. It’s changed each year, helping us through many fall seasons and ensuring our consistency and completeness in carrying out the regular tasks to ensure we are ready for winter. While the Wikipedia definition provides comfort in defining our use of lists, I believe it is most comforting to tell ourselves that we are not failures just because we neglected to get something done. Our takeaway and trick to put it all into perspective is to know that our only real failures come when we stop trying.
Jeremiah, say this to the people of Judah: This is what the Lord says: You know if a man falls down, he gets up again. And if a man goes the wrong way, he turns around and comes back. - Jeremiah 8:4
Back to reality...
Throat-clearing sounds filled my head like a scratched record. It interrupted my musings and yanked me into the present moment's reality. Fall... living in the country... and tasks of preparing for the impending winter. In that instant, my beautiful, idyllic morning became punctuated. There it was, "The List," on the table just off my elbow, where I left it sitting last night, staring me down like a gunslinger in an old western -- challenging me to jump into action. While there are a lot of jokes about forgetfulness and needing to create a list, I think having one is a good thing. Having a list puts tasks and their importance into perspective. Yes. It is a good thing. It offers a place to start and a roadmap to an end. Completion - that delivers a sense of accomplishment.
Hello, come in. Welcome to my kitchen table…
Enjoy my blog, these random thoughts, and the first of many recipes I'll share. I look forward to meeting you here on many posts and across my kitchen table, where we can converse about life and share recipes like friends catching up. Thanks for reading. Perhaps this Fall, I'll complete my entire list. For now, it’s a start... Happy Fall!
XOXO,
Coach | Cook | Creator | Publisher of
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