Hello Autumn

It has been quite a while since I have written a post. Now the season is well on its way into autumn. This morning as I was walking Sumo in the forest, we could both see our breath, and the ground was littered with leaves from yesterday's rain. The air smells different too. There is a kind of sweetness in the air, like burnt sugar mixed with fertile earth.

For me, this season brings a time of quiet. I spend a lot of time at home and alone in nature. My love of cooking (and eating ;) is also revived. I laughed at myself the other day when I scrolled through my pictures and posts on Facebook, most of them in the last month or so have been about food! The small woodland creature in me is preparing for the long cold months. As I write, I have the last of my garden pumpkins baking for more pumpkin bread...

Since I returned from the US, my focus and energy has been directed at my work in the classroom. We have a much younger class this year. This happens naturally in a Montessori classroom, if you have a large group of 3rd graders move on, then those places are naturally filled at the lower end. Some of the new students we have look so tiny! I have had to teach in a very different way this year as a result, but that is one of the things that keeps my interest and love of teaching alive. Every year is different, and each day presents a unique challenge for me to learn something or grow in some way as a result of my interaction with these little people.

I have been playing more music lately as well. A friend of mine plays piano, and teaches the piano lessons at the school. For a year or so, we have been meeting from time to time to play piano and cello pieces together. Now the violin teacher is joining us, and we are talking about a possible concert in the next few months. It is good to reconnect with my music. I am also teaching cello lessons again!

My fall holidays are coming up in a week, and because I have to return to Cleveland for the last part of my Montessori Adolescent Training, I decided to make a holiday out of it. On the 10th of October I am flying to New York :) I have never been there, and I am super excited to see the city, and experience the culture and art that is there. Look for lots of pictures in another few weeks!

Overall, life is quiet right now.