Happy Friday! I hope you have had a wonderful week. Ours has certainly been a bit of a "mixed bag." 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 On the positive side, a bundle I am part of is finally live and I can share it with you! It's hosted by my good friend @Rebecca B , and I know a couple of our members here are part of it as well. @Rachel Mohl It's called the "Cozy Seasons" bundle, and it has 35 printable and digital products to make your fall a little extra special. And it's free! :D My contribution is something I made for kids, and if you're a member of this group and have children or grandchildren, or if you are a teacher, I think you may truly enjoy it. It's called "Noticing Nature: Autumn Observer," and it encourages kids (especially around the 7-12 years old range) to get outside, notice, create, and reflect on their experience. If you're interested in the bundle or checking out my work, you can access it here: https://amandareneectrlz--keb.thrivecart.com/the-cozy-seasons-collection/ . Please note this is an affiliate link. While the primary bundle (including my creation) is free, there is a VIP pass that you might be interested in. It adds even more resources and goes a little deeper with its offerings. It also allows you extended time to access the gifts inside, and as you know, I'm all about decreasing the urgency of things. 🙂 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦-𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡-𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 We are safe and healthy, but two things we could have gone without this week are a failed air conditioner and six inches of rain in one night! I posted about the six inches yesterday in the group, so I'll focus on the air conditioner today. It also brings a couple of questions I've been pondering that I'd love you to consider . . . When we moved into our house over 20 years ago, my father (who has HVAC training) noted that the air conditioner would likely need replaced soon. So we are quite lucky that it only finally breathed its last this week! (Both because of the quality of products from years back that seem so much better than those offered in the age of obsolescence, but also due to a dad who did his best to keep that thing keeping us cool for all of these extra years.)

Happy Wednesday! I've been meaning for awhile to make a video and share some information with you about Skool, the "Leaderboard," "Levels," and this community. Instead of waiting any longer, I am just going to write! Note: This is a bit long, but it identifies a lot about what this community is about. If you just have a moment to read, please check out number 2 below to learn about posting in this group. 💖 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 "Eww." This was my first thought when I realized our space would have something prominently displayed at the top that is absolutely *not* in keeping with what this community is about. Unfortunately, it comes with the current setup of a Skool group, and I cannot disable or rename it. However, I have renamed the levels to hopefully better match the philosophy and welcoming space you find here. 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒔 (If you're skimming, please be sure to read #2. 🙂) This is actually one aspect of the Skool system I don't mind as much as I thought I might. To move up a level, you simply need to comment on a post or create a post yourself and earn "likes" from group members. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀: 1. I know there's a stigma around vanity metrics, and that's certainly not the mission here. But for better or worse, when a person posts or comments, it's nice to know someone is "out there" and that they have been seen. ☺️It is also a nice gesture for those who are adding to the value of our community by keeping the conversation going. (It's OK to lurk, but if no one is talking or engaging, there is nothing to read, to admire, or to make us think. I truly hope all will feel welcome to chime in every so often, but if you don't, you can also enrich our community by letting us know the content you enjoy seeing or reading by leaving a simple reaction.) 2. 𝐀𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟐, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩.𝐀𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐲, 𝐈 *𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞* 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. I truly appreciate a range of voices, and our group will be much more engaging if I am not the only one posting. [ I have locked this permission behind a level to discourage those who would try to join and spam us or be negative. This is the same reason I have questions for you to complete before joining, as well as why I have locked being able to message a fellow group member behind Level 3. ] 3. I have plans in the future to add some fun incentives and light free resources behind levels as a way to encourage occasional commenting and posting. I hope to have the first up by the end of the month at the latest, and I hope you will enjoy the new feature. 🥰

In today's world, great emphasis is placed on what many call "progress." We must run faster, grow bigger, and eschew the old in place of the new. But in this effort, we often lose sight of what we already have. We miss what is here with us, right now, in this very place. In nature, many animals thrive because they know a specific place very well, and they return there again and again. (And based on what I see of my bird and squirrel friends in my backyard, they frequently do so at around the same time every day!) In birding, a "patch" is a place we return to often. While it is exciting to spot a new bird and explore a new place, there is a comfort and intimacy that comes whenever we return to our patch. We begin to notice rhythms, and as the season shifts, changes that might go undetected by those less familiar. We learn to notice and appreciate the small things. We might even learn to apply this to other areas of our lives. That's my hope for this community. The Patch is a place where we will practice paying attention to the things that matter in our everyday lives and being present for them. You are invited to join, and to return, whenever you can. You will always be welcome here. For today, I'd love to get to know you. I invite you to say "hello" in the comments, and if you're willing, to share something small you noticed or appreciated lately. It could be a bird at your feeder or a quiet moment that made you smile. Welcome to Your Patch. Amanda