life is like pumpkin gingerbread.

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i tell ya'....i've spent better weekends, that's for sure. 

the highlight of the days was baking pumpkin muffins for my alaskan mom-n-dad

up the road. 

the muffins didn't quite turn out like the first batch. 

i used this sweet friend's recipe for both bakings, [yes: you must click twice]
but the first time i stirred in organic pumpkin, and the muffins and loaves were much darker, richer, heavier. 
the second time, being yesterday, the pumpkin i used was the regular ol' commercial brand
that is so popular at this time of year. 
both times, i added dried cranberries. 
nevertheless, nonetheless, mom and dad were pleased with having a boxload of 
warm muffins presented with the ringing of the doorbell. 

[and mister pencilfox, well, he ate a few throughout the gusty blustery winterday.] 

so now that i look back at the weekend
[yes, it's still the weekend, but for me, i head back to work on this sunday eve]
i can tell you that life is much like baking muffins with the same recipe
over and over
expecting them to be the same each and every time. 
we were the same pencilfox family, doing the same pencilfox weekend activities,
but the outcome was not the same. 
i feel it in the back of my neck, in the browbone of my being, 
sorrow and heartache, chewing their way out, poring out through my foxbrown eyes. 

thankfully, there is ginger tea for sipping and essential oils for rubbing. 
thankfully, there is a large talkative catfriend concerned for my well-being. 
really, i believe he is more concerned for his own well-being,
but don't tell him i said so:
i believe he is jonesing for a pumpkin muffin.  

that all being said, life is good:
much like a warm muffin on a cold winterday. 

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