Today was that day in October that I had to turn the heat on. Change the filter in the furnace. Take the screen out of the storm door and put in the glass. Wash the window. Take in the plants from the deck for fear of frost.  Put on a turtleneck for the morning walk and leave my sneakers and socks on all day long.  Wear a sweater. Switch out the sandal slippers for the pile-lined moccasins. Have a glass of red instead of white.  Turn the oven on to make dinner.  Put a throw across the bottom of the bed.

I have a mostly love, sometimes hate, relationship with this time of year. Autumn brings thoughts of Honey and how much we miss him.  It brings an end to the farmers market’s colorful fruits and vegetables to make way for the sturdier harvest.  It brings soups and stews and baking.  It brings nights by the fire and thicker coats on the dogs.  It brings dark mornings and more layers for walking.  It ushers in the holidays and the nostalgia of days past.

It is essential to me to nest into my home.  I love everything about my home and this time of year forces me to look around at each item and its story and oh there are so many stories.  The other life stories are tucked away in notebooks and photo albums and cedar chests.  The now life stories surround me every day and remind me of the wonderful life that is now mine.

Welcome to autumn; my roasted tomato tart is ready to come out of the oven.

It’s been an amazing day on Stowe Lane.  That alone makes me smile.  After yesterday’s Defining Moments post I am delighted to share some of the tiny little defining moments that made me smile today.  My top ten MMS of today:

MMS to see the first text of the day, sent the previous night, included a quote that made them think of me, love that.  Watch for the quote in Sunday’s post.

Peanut butter and jelly for breakfast MMS

MMS every day to use my new coffee pot, makes hot delicious crema topped espresso in a minute.  Note to the Aunt M’s, it’s no longer a process to make latte, you’ll be fine when you have to make my coffee every morning when I get old.  No sippy cup filled with wine until lunchtime.  God love you both for becoming my Stowe Lane family.  That definitely MMS EVERYDAY

Dancing MMS.  Even after almost three weeks. Knowing that the cool down song was a gift meant for me. “When there’s so many beautiful reasons I have to be happy.”…Natasha Bedingfield

Watching someone recognize their own power and use their energy for themselves, finally, after some tiny little thing you did made a difference. I know like I know that MMS

MMS learning that a contractor referral you made turned out very well.  So well it might result in a date for her best friend.  God love my Jewish friends they all have the matchmaker gene.  And even more they mostly have UN-handy husbands so my contractor will do very well indeed.

MMS to have the most beautiful day to drive with the top down in October.

Raising a significant amount of money for my favorite charity fills my heart with joy especially after reading all of the comments and personal notes that accompanied many of the donations.  Just ask and you shall receive. MMS to know I have the most amazing people.

MMS to discover the clicking noise I make that sends the dogs into play.

Last but certainly not least, Toto and Lina MMS Terri MMS ReeRee MMS

There is something in everyday that makes me smile.  What makes you smile?

I passed an accident scene yesterday on my way home that really got to me.  I don’t normally slow down for accident scenes, I don’t consider myself a rubbernecker (mostly because it annoys the hell out of me) but this scene was odd.  It was a small car, looked very new, with the entire front end smashed in.  The driver seemed to be trying to back up but this car wasn’t going anywhere.  There was no other damaged car to be seen. There was no tree or wall and nothing had fallen from the sky.  There was, however, someone in a Jeep protecting the car from being hit again as it was in a precarious spot.

But the driver was screaming, screaming from her soul.  It was that type of gut wrenching scream that didn’t denote injury; but rather a desperate plea to something bigger than all of us.  What you might expect from someone who’d had horrific news or lost a child.  It was animal like and stayed with me all night.  You knew by the sound that the woman’s life was changed in that moment.

I witnessed something like that a few years ago.  Same kind of you-know-that-person’s-life-just-changed moment.  I was at a light on my way to work and heard that God awful sound of metal buckling.  There is nothing like that sound and for a moment I thought it was me the sound was so close.  The car next to me had been hit from behind.  It was an older model Honda hit by a much bigger Mercedes.  The woman inside the Honda just deflated before my eyes.  We made eye contact for the briefest moment and I could see that she was physically ok but she knew her life had just changed in that moment.

I could pretend to know the story behind each of these incidents, elaborate on their circumstances.  But honestly how could I, or anyone for that matter, ever know for sure what each of these women was up against.  Doesn’t mean I could get either of them out of my head.  I wonder about things like this all the time.  I wonder what will happen to people and how they will cope with their defining moments.

It can always go either way.  You can look at these kinds of things as great misfortune or you can look for the silver lining.  Ok not at that very moment but many times the most wonderful things come out of what seems like the darkest of situations.  My friend Sandra is a perfect example of a happy ending from a misadventure.

Either way my prayer for these women and anyone else I see up against a defining moment:

Dear God please give this person whatever they need.  Don’t listen to what they want because you know (like you know) much better than them.  Please give it to them quickly and help them see the lesson in this moment so that they can define their lives with love not hate and resentment. Amen.

There I prayed for them again.  I feel much better now.

My sister and I found ourselves at Bergenfest (www.bergenhealthandlife.com/Bergenfest2012) last Thursday night through the generosity of Companion Animal Advocates (www.companionanimaladvocates.org) a charity I adore.  Bergenfest is a celebration of the best of Bergen County NJ with exhibits by many local businesses included Parisian Beauty Academy in Hackensack NJ.

There were several people dressed in black with varying degrees of tattoos and hair color wandering through the very thick crowds handing out flyers and coupons for salon services at the academy. To say they exuded enthusiasm is an understatement.  The academy is a Paul Mitchell Partner School which means:

It is a full-service educational program for cosmetology professionals, teaching a full array of body, hair and personal care services that provide lucrative employment opportunities for program graduates, in the salon, spa and business. The program features training in hair design, cutting and color, makeup, texture and bone structure. The Paul Mitchell Partner School Program trains future professionals and works with them in passing state board exams necessary for business certification (taken from their website).

So not two days before I was bitching about the cost of my haircuts and here I am with a flyer in my hand, a coupon and a chance to do something different.  I made my appointment, what is there to lose?  I know you’re hearing the song from Grease in your head but not so fast.

Walking into the salon you are duly impressed by the design of the waiting area and immediately greeted by the staff behind the counter.  Had you made an appointment, what were you thinking of having done today, where did you hear about us? Oh how they wish they had been at Bergenfest on Thursday, just sayin.

Fill out the release. Yes there is a release.  This is a school, you’ll be attended to by students, stay with me here.  You acknowledge such and will have the opportunity for a redo in a certain amount of time but I can assure you that won’t be necessary.

You are greeted by your student stylist and escorted back to their station.  There a about 40 individual stations, there is fabulous lighting, I looked damn good back there, and enough energy to power all of Hackensack.  There is the bustle of a salon only more youthful, there is the chatter of a salon only more enthusiastic, and there is music just loud enough.  At one point Tom Petty’s Free Fallin came over the speakers and literally everyone joined the chorus.  Good to see an entire room of mostly twenty somethings belting out Tom Petty.

On to the consultation with your stylist; they take some information, examine your hair, and discuss what you’d like to do.  They write it all down.  Then over comes the instructor to sign off.  They confirm what you’re looking for and there is a lesson right on the spot.  Did the student get the client’s wishes correctly?  Did the client convey their wishes correctly?  I got a very good lesson on how to convey my wishes and will use that lesson going forward; I had not really done a good enough job.

Off to the wash house, love that.  How do you prefer the temperature of the water, the pressure of your scalp massage?  When was the last time you were asked that, come on this is great stuff.   Back to the chair.  There is a moment of concern when your student stylist consults their diagram book to make sure they are parting and clipping your hair correctly before cutting but it’s all in their quest to give you the best they can give.  Before she made one snip she conferred with the supervisor on what she was going to do and how she was going to do it.  He concurred; she exhaled and regained her confidence immediately.  Let us begin.  Handle the length first, on to the layers, check in with the supervisor and complete with product.

God knows one can’t live without product and my student stylist was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a new line for wavy/curly hair that had just come out.  I don’t know if they get anything for selling the product but you know I was going to buy it.

Your student will walk you back to the desk, get your product for you, shake your hand and thank you for coming in.  You pay your bill for services rendered (which is very very nominal, my haircut cost $12.00) and the last thing they ask was how was your experience.

My experience at the Academy was wonderful.  My haircut was perfect, even though it took far longer than I expected it was perfect.  Be prepared to spend time when you go to the Academy, you are not only getting a service you are taking part in someone’s education.  You have the opportunity to talk with them on a level that might make a difference in how they might speak to their clients going forward.  You can be encouraging in letting them take their time allowing them to confer with the supervisor.  You are allowing the supervisor the time to sneak in a lesson or two in real life, real time.  Your student will remember you if you are a pain in the ass or if you are a patient encouraging client, you decide.  I was grateful to have spent a wonderful afternoon with Kristina and Caesar, thank you both.

You can find the Parisian Beauty Academy online (http://parisian.paulmitchell.edu/hackensack-nj) and on Facebook (you know they want you to hit the LIKE).  Give them a try (I hear earlier in the week is less crazy but the crazy was fun too) it will make you smile all afternoon.