Roasted butternut squash and carrot soup

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut  into medium chunks
6 or so carrotts, peeled, cut into 3 inch pieces
2 red bell , or roasting peppers
6 or more cloves garlic
1 yellow onion. diced
4 cups stock of choice or water
olive oil
salt

1. oven at 425
2. prepare vegtables and garlic, mix squash, carrots, red peppers, and garlic in a large bowl with a goodly amount of olive oil to coat
3. place in oven at 425 for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until carrots are soft, and squash just starting to brown. turn  red peppers and other vegtables a couple of times while cooking so the skins get even charred.
4. enjoy smell in house
5. saute onion in olive oil in your favorite soup pot until they are transluscent and softening up.
6. add vegtables from oven. removing skins and caps and most of seeds from peppers
7. add stock of choice or water, bring to boil, lower  to simmer, cook twenty minutes
8. puree in blender, add water if necessary for easy blending, and to get your desired consistancy. i made mine slightly looser than baby food, and problably added 2 extra cups of water
9. season with salt and pepper, and maybe a little cayanne if you don't have little kids who will complain.

playing with children is like a form of meditation sometimes.
in real meditation you focus on one thing, your mind wanders, and you bring it back.
playing with children is sometimes very boring.
your mind wanders. emotions arise.
you need to bring your mind back, to focus.
to remain aware of what you/they are doing.
otherwise they notice.
this is hard to do.
this is practice.
this is meditation.

Crashing at home after a week away.
The jumble that is the kitchen, the house.
Everything where we left it, everywhere.
One boy starts longer days at school.
One boy has learned to clap.
And so we plunge head first straight in.
The mess getting out of our way as we move forward despite it.
(and somehow this is a metaphor for our life/ soul,
you  know what I mean).

Vacation.
This one last chance to chase waves and dip into the pool.
Returning home it will be fall.
The exhaustion of summer giving way to the mindfulness? Of fall.
Looking forward to apples and pumpkins and cooler days.
Changes of season overlies the changes in our lives.
big goals little goals.
Growing boys
A reminder to not rush too much.
Watching him run down the walkway away from the beach I am sad.
He will never be this almost five year old at the beach again.
But he will be that six year old, or that seven year old.
Still the pain is still felt.
We keep moving on.