Baking bread...

I have recently decided that baking bread is extremely therapeutic.  I am recovering from either the worst cold on earth or the flu and haven't really done much because of that.  But Steve has to have his sandwiches, so Wednesday I realized that I had to make some more bread.  I began the process feeling like every limb weighed 200 lbs, not a good start.  But as I waited for the yeast to proof, then mixed the ingredients and began kneading, I began to feel more relaxed than I had in while.  The tension seemed to melt right out of my shoulders, and after covering the dough to rise, I felt a smile on my face and came to the realization that making bread is therapeutic.  Then again I've always noticed that baking anything from scratch will almost always brighten my day and leave me feeling better about life.  God finds ways to give us pleasure even in the most basic chores.

Here are a few pictures of some recent loaves...

 ready to go in the oven

my little workspace

The finished product!  Honey whole wheat bread...yum.

farmers market!

I know it's been a long time...I've been busy and haven't really gone on any picture or post worthy bike rides.  Here in Anchorage we have had 31 consecutive days of rain.  That is just crazy for us.  Really.

Riding home from work two nights ago, a little patch a blue sky

I haven't actually minded because I love rain, but most people here have been complaining for the last 30 days.   Today it was sunny, so I went to the farmers market to get some ingredients for the spaghetti sauce I had planned for dinner.

 yummy veggies...

at the bus stop

thats the sun!

Felt the warm sunshine on my head

Getting some sun while waiting for the bus to take me downtown.  It got cloudy during my walk home, but I still felt a bit energized from that bit of Vitamin D.

fun at the zoo...

Garden so far...

some yummy snap peas in my tiny garden

Strawberries!

Lone Pansy I found in an old planter in the yard :)

Raspberry Patch!

Zoo time!

Today Kelsey and I took the boys to the zoo. It was raining but we didn't care. All the animals were having fun in the rain...

Except this musk ox. She looked pretty grumpy and sad. Hope the sun comes out to cheer her up! The drizly weather just made me even more excited for the State Fair...It's coming up at the end of the month and I cannot wait to go. Pretty sure I'll be going at least twice this year!

Here's the swans looking majestic as usual...

Corbin and Auntie :)

Safety First! haha

Geranium are beautiful, especially in the rain.

Long legged lounging wolf.

Baby Brown Bear. So cute at this age!

"Smell the flowers Noah!" I don't think he's so sure about that...

This lynx was stalking me as I ran around with Noah. So cute. She crouched down behind the grass, wagging her short little tail just like my Annabelle does.

no pictures...

NPR came on, and all I wanted was for it to be quiet again, so I could drift back into the deep sleep I'd been experiencing minutes before. I heard Steve get out of bed and get ready for work, but I still wasn't ready to leave my warm covers or disturb the two dogs sleeping on me. I closed my eyes and experienced that dreamy place where I'm half awake, half asleep. I stayed there for a little while, then opened my eyes suddenly to see what time it was. 7:50am. I sighed deeply, sat up, and began the process that is getting out of bed in my house. Let the dogs out. Feed the dogs. Start the laundry. Let the dogs out again. Wash the dishes from dinner last night. Sweep and vacuum. Pack a lunch for work. Pack clothes for work. Put on my cycling shoes and hit the road at 9:20.

It was a grey morning, probably about 58 degrees. I took the usual route past the lagoon and realized that it was August 2. It was probably going to start getting chillier, there would be that crisp quality to the air in the mornings. I smiled and realized that I can't wait.

Fall holds a special place in my heart, I'm not entirely sure why. I think its the changes. Excitement over the changing seasons. Excitement over starting another school year (although this will be the last for me for a little while). Excitement over the coming of the snow and the fast approaching holidays. I love winter, it's my favorite season by far, but I think that fall is a close second. Maybe because it blends summer and winter and it is a period of transition that brings welcome change to my tired routine.

We will be switching out bikes for skis at work pretty soon, which means we will also be getting in our pugsleys, which means I better start saving even more in anticipation! I write this as I wait to throw some honey whole wheat bread in the oven, but I probably won't get around to posting it until morning because it's already midnight and my eyelids are starting to droop uncontrollably...