My husband carried two bins up from the basement.
The bins have blue painter’s tape on the lid.
Fall Decorations is printed in my handwriting.
I love opening the bins up each year.

The wood blocks that spell, Happy Harvest, have their place on top of my Hoosier cabinet.
The Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin primitive dolls, that every child loves, sits on top of an old scale.
Rustic pumpkins made of wood are on the dining room table.
A country sign that says, Autumn Blessings, is over one of  the doors.

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Two of my granddaughters were here for the morning.
The older one, who is two-years-old, loves to play in Grandma’s big girl room.
It is the room that used to be my youngest daughter’s room.
It is now where the older grandchildren can sleep once they are out of a crib and in a bed.

A tall bookcase holds the stuffed animals that were favorites of my own children.
They were not the ones they slept with, rather they were the ones they used for play.
Muppets and Sesame Street characters are there.
Curious George, Paddington Bear, Raggedy Ann and Andy, and Velveteen Rabbit are there.

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I would hear it before I would see it.
It was the Wednesday morning ritual.
I would hear the sound of the trash truck coming down the street.
I could set a watch by its punctuality.

I would often see the trash truck on my morning walk.
We seemed to be on the same schedule.
I was not always consistent in the time I began my walk.
Sometimes, I would see the trash truck right away; other times I saw it as I headed home.

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A year ago, my car was sideswiped on a curvy road, on a rainy day.
We called our insurance company and got a repair estimate.
Since the car was eleven years old, though still in great condition, we had some decisions.
The cost of repair was quite high and we planned to get a new car anyway that Spring.

The sideswiping just pushed up the date of that purchase.
So, on our anniversary last year, we bought a new car.
I loved my minivan and wanted to get another one.
A 2020 car was purchased that day.

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This past October, my car was sideswiped on a curvy road.
The driver simply drove on.
My mini van was eleven years old.
We were planning to get a new car in the spring; however, this pushed the date up a bit.

We had some decisions to make.
I loved my mini van; it had served me well over the years.
When we got an estimate on the repairs, it was not worth fixing.
My husband began to search for a new car.

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I used to read to my children all the time.
Reading to them is a precious memory.
We went to the library every other week.
They would carry their little satchels filled with their book selections.

We read throughout the day when they were young.
There was a large book basket in the family room with books from our own collection.
There was another basket for the younger one’s library books so they would not get lost.
The older ones kept their library books in their room.

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I knew it was inevitable.
My driver’s license does not expire for a few years.
In about seven months, my license must be REAL ID-compliant.
This is needed in order to fly both nationally and internationally and enter Federal buildings.

I decided that I would gather all the appropriate documents I needed.
I went to the driver’s license center that provided same day REAL ID.
I saw that the parking lot was quite crowded.
I was not ready for the number of people I saw waiting inside.

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I have had a bad cold and cough for the past week.
I always know it’s coming.
This time of year usually brings it on.
This time of year, I am forced to slow down and be still.

It is not a bad thing to slow down.
I actually plan a time of quiet in my day.
I could easily live in England, since around 2:30 every day, I have my tea time.
I have done that for years and it really helps set the tone for the rest of my day.

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I simply mentioned it.
I mentioned that I wanted to replace our living room tables.
I wanted something a bit more rustic.
I wanted a change.

A simple mention becomes a full blown project when my husband is within earshot.
I can make them for you, he said.
He can.
He has made me things in the past.

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I had a large box that I needed to take to UPS.
I was returning something for my husband.
I had so many stops that day.
The UPS stop was right after lunchtime.

This particular UPS store is in a small shopping center.
There is also a restaurant in the shopping center.
The parking lot gets quite busy around lunchtime.
I actually saw two parking spaces right in front of the store.

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