i think portland is having the most magnificent display of autumn colors since i moved here in 2006. i almost cannot stand the gloriousness of it. seriously. there has been a great deal of squealing and clapping with glee. (i often think that i should not be allowed to drive in the fall. i am horribly distracted.)

apparently atlas spent this visit to the doggy ranch trying valiantly to catch bella, a little weimaraner who can outrun every dog there. he never caught her, but he certainly gave it his all, as evidenced by his trimmer waist and more visibly muscular torso.

the tiny leaves in the last photo looked like stars on the sidewalk.

since now is the time of year when so many of us need to pause (to rest and recharge and renew) more than ever, and it is also the time of year when it is the hardest to find the time and/or money to do so, i am offering a special on that service for the remainder of the year. if it speaks to you and the time is right, do sign up. there are a couple of spots available in november and a few more available in december.

i usually drink a great many eggnog lattes this time of year but i don't love coffee. yesterday, i had a brilliant plan. i always have a box of chai tea latte on hand and you add milk to it, so i bought eggnog and i am going to make eggnog chai lattes! i am anticipating the goodness of the eggnog without the coffee taste. fingers crossed that it actually is tasty.

do you want a good salad idea? roast cauliflower with olive oil, sea salt, and curry powder. toss salad greens, thinly sliced pear, red onion, and walnuts into a bowl, then add the roasted cauliflower (warm or cold, both are good). for a dressing, i like to drizzle it with olive oil and add a pinch of sea salt. it is delicious – and perfect for this season.

speaking of cauliflower, in my personal experience, one head of cauliflower equals one serving of cauliflower, especially if it's roasted. i always wonder what people do who are cooking for more than one person.

i'd love to hear what's going on in your world today.

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust – my word for 2011}.

can you see the teeny-tiny raindrop?

there are oh-so-many things that i get excited about. i was thinking about one of them – beauty, something i want to talk more about – but then i got distracted by some of the other things.

like diet coke.

i mostly don't drink diet coke. i had to give it up when i decided to cut out artificial sweeteners. (that was a sad, sad day.) every once in a while, i treat myself to a can of it but unfortunately, now that i don't drink it, it's hard to drink it at all because the caffeine in it bothers me.

anyway, i was thinking about how much i love the treat of a can of (flat, cold) diet coke (with lime) and it made me think about the times you're in a restaurant and ask for a diet coke and they say, "is diet pepsi ok?" my response is a very sad face and a politely horrified "no, i'll just have water". what i am really thinking is, "of course it's not ok! they taste nothing alike! why would you ask such a foolish question?!"

speaking of diet coke, am i the only one who likes my diet coke flat and cold? i like to open the can and then leave it in the refrigerator and drink it hours later or even the next day, when the bubbles are all gone. it's the best way to drink it.

or pickles.

i love dill pickles. not sweet pickles. sweet pickles could be banned from the world and i would not be sorry. there is nothing that aggravates me more than when i see pickles and get excited and pile them on my sandwich or burger and then take a bite and they are sweet pickles and it is horrible.

dill pickles are excellent with peanut butter. really, peanut butter goes with everything, but it is especially good with dill pickles. if you are looking for a breakfast idea, might i suggest a piece of toast with peanut butter and dill pickle slices? you will thank me; i am sure of it.

i would also like to note that sandwich makers never put enough pickles on their sandwiches. pickles need to be piled on, like a little mountain. clearly i should run a sandwich shop. i could call it "the picklewich" and people like me would finally get enough pickles on their sandwiches.

(and no, this picture is totally not related. though now that i look at it after having written my post, i suppose it could resemble the bubbles in a diet coke or the green of a good dill pickle. clearly i am a genius picture picker.)

now i'm curious, what do you get excited about?

on tuesday, i took atlas for a walk at 7am because i needed to leave earlier than usual. he walked a few yards and went to the bathroom.

i continued on because, yay! a morning walk with my puppy!

atlas took a few steps. then, he stopped and gave me a look. the look said, "it is cold and dark and there is a still-warm bed calling my name. i already did what you wanted. why do you torment me so?"

i wander around singing this line every october. i know it's actually part of a christmas song – well, if you replace month with time – but it feels so much more true to me right now. i do so love october.

"there are people who do this sort of thing, you know. they're called models. maybe you need to hire one.

i can hear you thinking that you don't want a picture of a model; you want a picture of me. you don't need a picture of me. you can just look at me. you can look at me 24/7 if you want, and yet you actually choose to leave me behind sometimes. someone who leaves the house without me definitely doesn't need a picture of me.

i can also hear you thinking that this only ever takes a minute. a minute is 60 whole seconds of my life that i'll never get back. there are things to be sniffed, lady. the outdoors is not meant to sit still in."

(a very disgruntled elizabeth says: "i left out the photo where i asked him to stay and instead he moved and peed on the pretty ivy.")

p.s. in case you missed monday's post, there's a celebration going on through saturday!

tracy at prana light writes a series titled “being here now”. it’s in list format and it provides such a beautiful glimpse into her daily life. when i read the last one: “being here now: days of abundance”, i was inspired to fill out the list for myself.

taste — my latest dinner addiction: a rich meat sauce on roasted spaghetti squash; ginger molasses cookies; steel-cut oatmeal with bananas & brown sugar & butter

scent — eucalyptus + vinegar (my homemade bathroom cleaner); lemon + vinegar (my homemade kitchen cleaner); wet dog

sound — “set fire to the rain” by adele

touch — soft fleece blankets

sight — my latest series addiction: leverage (which i stumbled upon at the library and grabbed, thinking it looked like a decent movie, only to find that it was actually a series and i liked it so much that i watched all four dvds in a row and ordered season two)

delight — the anticipation of a proposal from a web designer for a beautiful new home for retinal perspectives

intuition — my focus now needs to be on wholeness

comfort — sleeping later in the mornings; heading outside when the sun appears; working during the cold and dark evenings

making — homemade granola to bring to my sister’s

doing — looking for the perfect images for the november/december collection

dreaming — about the day when my business sustains me

reading — addiction to perfection (marion woodman), clash of kings (george r r martin), the untethered soul (michael singer), what i talk about when i talk about running (haruki murakami), and sailing home (norman fischer)

gratitude — for this moment, right here, right now

happiness — surrounds me, inside and out

love — this month, this season, so very much

i’d love to hear what’s in your now.

p.s. in case you missed monday’s post, there’s a celebration going on through saturday!

i went for a photo walk yesterday.

i know. it doesn't sound newsworthy. it was to me, though; i had only used my camera once since the end of august.

at first, i thought i must be in resistance, and i wondered what on earth was blocking me from one of my favorite things. eventually, i realized that it was just time for a break. it was time to see and be and wander without the weight of a camera, instead of always looking at the world from behind my lens.

it was a lovely break and it feels good to be home.

almost every sunday morning, the pup and i visit the farmers' market at orenco station and then go for a walk behind the library. last sunday, we went for a walk around the orenco station neighborhood instead. i love all the greenery.

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust – my word for 2011}.

i've always loved ivy. since i started my trust project, i appreciate it even more. i love how the vines wrap themselves around something and climb (up or down or sideways). it seems so very trusting in nature.