Posts Tagged ‘autumn’

No Comments

Mission Accomplished vs. Mission Impossible


2009
10.15

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in On My Mind | No Comments »

In the “Of Course, I Always Want More” department, I didn’t get to everything on my weekend TTD list (see last post).  I must say, I didn’t do too badly.  Here’s a quick recap…..

1.  All the summer clothes have been put to rest in the attic.   The closet is ready, the fall/winter clothes didn’t make it in there.

clothes pile

2.  Didn’t get to the Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce recipe, but did make a Chicken Soup with Fresh Herbs and Tomatoes instead.  Yum!  The weather was certainly conducive to a bowl of hot soup.

3.   I did get my garage workshop pretty well set up.  Looks great and I think it will function well.  Will post some pics soon.  I don’t know about you but I LOVE a functional workspace to play in – is that an oxymoron?

4.  Harvested and packaged some seeds in envelopes.  Am drying some tomato seeds.  Gave my neighbor some basil seeds to plant in a sunny windowsill -  there’s something nice about sharing things from the garden.

seedsaving5.  No stones from the beach.  Simply ran out of time and energy simultaneously.

6.  Roasted tomatoes and some other vegetables.  Sure smelled good in the house.  Among the veggies I roasted were a few tomatillos.  I’ve never grown them before, and the pickins’ were few.  Next year I’ll start them inside to extend the growing season.  I have a dynamite avocado-tomatillo dip that I will share shortly.

tomatoes.basil.silpat

7.  Did the pot roast – subbed buttered noodles for the smashed potatoes, and added some maple syrup to the squqash puree – one of my favs.

8.  Got all my orders up to date and sent out some surveys as well.  I do need to get some new products uploaded to the website, but just couldn’t get there.  Hard to believe it’s mid October already and I’m  seeing  “holidays”  just about every where I go.  Too much, too soon.   Gotta put a move on that.

9.  Not even a minute devoted to this one.

10.  Did spend a little time in my office/studio.  I feel like I need to get my other work done first, cause I could lose myself in there.  So easy to get into a project.  I have visions of a day when I can just grab a cup of coffee and work, uninterrupted, on projects all day – I can dream, can’t I?

No Comments

The Top Ten Wonders of Fall


2008
10.29

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in On My Mind, The Joys of Nesting | No Comments »

I’ve always felt I would have a difficult time living in an area where the definition of seasons is not as keen and striking as it is here in New England. That being said, I am not as enthusiastic about the extremes of summer and winter, but I admit it, I’m a sucker for fall and spring. There’s something about the “newness” that is integral with each, and the incredible energy I get from these two seasons.

Allow me to share with you my ” Top Ten Reasons for Loving Fall “:

1. the inherent vibrancy that comes with the harvest and the changing colors of the leaves, the sunlight that plays off these colors and provides an amazing show – unmatched, for me, in any other season. Mesmerizing!

2. new plans, agendas, and rituals – a renewal, another fresh start. Patterns change, the kids are off to school, warm weather outdoor activities come to an end. We all must shift gears again, and I like the fresh energy I derive from it.

3. the closure to the garden season. I am an avid gardener and love every phase of it, but, for me, there is also a sense of completion when I put down the last shovel of mulch, do the last of the deadheading and trimming, and put the garden to rest for the winter months. With that comes the promise of a new season to come in the spring – full of new sprouts and a chance to correct or better that which I did the last garden season.

4. neatly stacked piles of sweaters on my closet shelves, and crisp jeans ready to go! I know…it probably sounds weird, but there’s a nice “feel” to getting up on a chilly Saturday morn and donning a pair of jeans and a “cuddle-in” type sweater. When the temps drop to zero for days on end, however, I might think it pure tiresome! Stay tuned!

5. a simmering pot of soup on the stove, something baking in the oven – things I don’t do much of in the sweltering heat of summer. The whole process of it. To say nothing about the aromas that fill the house – divine!

6. the change in decor in the house. Each season I make changes – don’t we all?  In the summer, we lighten it up a bit.  We change with the holidays and the seasons to reflect the nuances, and perhaps traditions, we’ve come to love.

7.  the flurry of activity in nature as the squirrels scurry about gathering , the frenzy at the bird feeders, the change in the air….

8. “nestling in” with a stack of magazines and a bowl of popcorn watching some sappy or dramatic movie, wrapped in a blanket on those chilly nights.

9. the anticipation of the first snowfall – the sheer beauty of it, the glisten, the slowing down for a moment to take it in and appreciate its charm.  The quiet…

10. making a list of wintertime activities around the house – those projects you just can’t (don’t!) get to when the nice weather beckons you out of doors.  I’m already thinking of photos that need sorting, gardening catalogs to come, that garden journal I’m going to ready for next spring…..the list goes on.

Share with me – what do you love about the season???