Whoa! What a find!!

Here is a link for our times! http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

This is the National Center for Home Food Preservation, at the U of Georgia. I found it through a link in a post over at Rolling in the Dough. The baklavaqueen is a true font of information and inspiration!

I love you too, TX Self

Another nine word poem for Arwen. These are from her post here on her Tarot blog. I cheated; my poem's not about a Tarot card. *grin*

~Blessing~Rod~Stern~Sycophants~Keys~Pillars~Cardinal~Trinity~Gray~


Trinity

Autumn's blessing stands in state
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker
Gnarled bark brown, tan, gray slate
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Flaming rod of crimson hue
Flowing golds and oranges
Pillars standing tall and true
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Walnut balls and hickories
Underfoot with maple keys
Harvest blessing in the streets
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Soon enough stern Winter's call
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker
Comes to end sweet Autumn's thrall
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Yet till then the trinity
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker
Holds its sway in Nature's seat
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Mornings soft with woodsmoke scents
Afternoons of sunny bent
Evenings Winter's sycophants
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Colors bright and swiftly fleeting
Flashing in the trees a greeting
To a heart Autumn'ly beating
Blue jay, cardinal, flicker

Bindweed

This is a nine word poem for Arwen. Here are the nine words which inspired it: Bind ~ Innocent ~ Where ~ Intend ~ Compel ~ Rift ~ Late ~ Real ~ Find


Bindweed

Late in summer turned to autumn musing deep I stand
Before the glories’ green and twining creep upon the land
Where once twas nothing now the vibrance does the drifting gaze compel
Where once twas barren now exub’rant life twines out its spell

You may seek but never find the real authentic meaning in the world
The rift can only ever bind twixt leaf and bud unfurled
And innocent though twining bud may look to passing eyes
If you intend to see the truth in weeds that men despise

Look deeper yet, a purpose find within this burgeoning life

This earth which welcomes root and seed
Which answers every gardener’s need
Which takes the cut yet does not bleed

This earth which shelters bud and vine
To an ancient vast design
To a purpose undivined

Look deeper yet, a purpose find and mend the rift within

Today I am grateful for...

Cheetos, snack food of the gods....mmmmmm, thank you!

Pomegranate tea on closeout, when I actually had money to buy some--and now it is mine, all mine! *grin*

Inexpensive votive candleholders from the thrift store.

An open window.

Books by Manda Scott about Boudica, the Eceni warrior... the novels are fiction, but she was real. People today call her a British Queen but really she was a warleader, like one of our highest generals today. Reading these books made me realize the Celts were as British as they were Irish, Scots, or Welsh in the beginning. The first book is called "Dreaming the Eagle" if you would like to read them.

The feeling of roots these books gave me--something that was lacking for most of my life.

Walking my doglet, and having such a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful, charming neighborhood to walk her in.

Warm sunshine alternating with shade. (I know, absolutely AMAZING considering how I have always hated the sun!)

Living where I can appreciate warm sunshine, instead of seeing it as my deadliest enemy. (I'm very susceptible to sun poisoning and heatstroke, and living in the desert was torture to me.)

Winter's inevitability, whispered in the morning wind.

The neighborhood park, peaceful, full of birdsong, red berries, and light green pears hanging heavy on a tree. Too bad tis a TALL tree. *gentle laugh*

Brown acorns almost as big as small eggs, so that four make a big handful.

Meeting new people in the neighborhood.

Watching my newly-made social butterfly of a doglet meet new people in the neighborhood.

Green acorns almost as big as small eggs, with FRINGE hanging from the caps! They look like Cousin It... or hippies with bad haircuts.

Water carried on the evening breeze.

Black skies with an ivory moon.

Getting the laundry done.

Talking to a friend who was also getting the laundry done. *smiling*

Watching all five of the furbabies come, one by one, to greet her... she isn't my friend alone; even the Skitty Kitty (Module Four) came out to say hello, and she hides from everyone.

Making garden plans with my friend, plotting out what we'll do come spring.

Laundry finished, and bedtime at last.

The sweetness of a happy dog, leaning against someone she has come to love and trust, and who loves her just as much.

The sweetness of falling asleep as a family, people, doglet, cat all sharing the bed... well, okay, the cat was in his own private cubby in the bookshelf we use as a headboard, with his pillow and blanket for a cushion *grin* but he was holding Gryph with one paw and it made us both feel like purring, ourselves.

Blue skies with bright morning sun.

Cornbread with butter.

Milk, and Gryph's insistence that it be "whole cow or no cow".... so, whole milk without guilt--no more skim! *YAY!*

Hippies with bad haircuts drying overnight into miniature Medusas, with wildly curly flyaway fringe.

Being able to walk the dog farther than before, because it isn't so hot.

Late cannas, glowing in the sunshine.

Late roses going to hips.

Purple hibiscus.

Double purple hibiscus! Looks like a completely different flower, too--more like old-fashioned roses.

Squirrels with tails longer than they are.

Polite squirrels, who stop and wait to see what I'm saying when I t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t softly at them. Not that it makes any sense to them, mind you... I evidently only speak some sort of babytalk babble. *grin*

Flame-orange mini trumpet flowers on a lovely vine, and the internet... it's taken me half an hour, but I found it! Ipomoea coccinea, the red morning glory or "redstar." I want this vine! It self sows readily... *whistles innocently, passing by, looking for seed capsules* It should only take one.... *eyebrow waggle* I had thought at first this vine might be cardinal creeper (another morning glory), but the flowers are more orange than scarlet and the leaves are VERY different, not fringed at all, but heart-shaped like a cross between ivy and grape leaves. I didn't think to look under morning glories for a long time, because the flowers stay open all day.

Heartpods still hanging on the tree.

Yellow leaves, falling from the black walnut trees already. The trees are half-aglow, half green; the sidewalks are scuffily yellow.

The sound of leaves scuffing underfoot! *grin*

Yellow leaves on the sycamores--just a few, here and there.

The first red maple leaves! Just tinges of red on creamy yellow, three leaves and the rest of the tree covered in deep-green--the rest of all the maples covered in deep green!--but there they are, the first three red leaves of Autumn!

Cardinals, brighter red than before, winging past.

Squawky starlings, spiffy in their new spots.

Birds I don't recognize and couldn't begin to identify flying overhead.

A tiny sparrow clinging to the handle of a faucet, ever-so-carefully turning its whole body upside-down to snag a dropping drip of water.

The rest of the flock swooping around the porch and eaves, waiting their turn.

"Our backyard woodpecker," perched on a telephone wire.

Spiky seedheads on the weeds, looking for all the world like matte miniatures of those "sputnik" type holiday ornaments so popular in the 1960s.

Noticing a long thin charcoal grey feather on the sidewalk.

Realizing I had been carrying it through the neighborhood for blocks without feeling the least self-conscious.

Giving it a new home in the former squash pot, which is now a pansy pot.

A big black lab/golden retriever cross, running free through the neighborhood, deciding not to bother us.

Seeing a house for sale and thinking, "nope, not for me--tis at ground level on the low point of the street, susceptible to flooding..." and then realizing, oh, I can tell whether I'm going uphill or downhill now, even on a slope I can't really see... that's new!

Feeling and tasting new things on the wind: winter and the promise of bitter cold with snow and ice (well, bitter cold to me, anyhow, lol); water and the hint of possible rain the next day but probably not; mellow sunwarmed days staying a while.... this sense is also new!

Instructions and recipes for acorns and black walnuts, and databases filled with flower and tree pictures on the internet.... what a wonderful place it is! It has grown exponentially since I first came online. What a treasure!

Realizing that I am settling in for the winter, that it is Autumn and I am gearing myself to colder weather... and slowly over the days recognizing that I don't need to buy a house right now, that instead I need to stay in my little apartment home which will be snug and warm on high ground with the radiators going. Winter in the Midwest is not the time to become a new homeowner... so if we are meant to buy a house, it will be there come Spring or Summer.

Inner peace.

Noticing the Natural World--Late Summer into Fall

Fall is coming in on hurricane wings... I realized this morning that with the storms moving through so steadily now (there's one in from Baja through Mexico right now, and they're saying Ike will be through Texas and on into Kansas by Monday), there isn't likely to be any last stand for Summer here in Wichita. It might fluctuate between warmer and colder/wetter, but it is going to remain Fall here no matter what--the Season has settled in for the duration. I'm hoping it's a long mellow duration, but I have this nagging feeling that Winter will also come in and settle early... and Spring will be a little late, maybe?.... Not sure on that one, too soon to see any signs.

I never knew I had this weather sense before. I think maybe it'sbecause I am paying better attention to the world around me now, and so I am more open to reading the Seasons and their turning. Before when I lived in a climate that didn't suit me I really kept myself closed off as a survival mechanism... although I was always right about how doggoned hot and/or dry it was going to be, and my rain predictions were way more accurate than the weather service's... so maybe this sense was partially awake even there...

I am learning to trust myself; the morning I felt Fall come to Wichita, I told myself not to be silly since it was only August... but time has shown that I did know what I felt when I felt it. I was accurate. It's kind of astonishing, yanno? I never expected that to be so. I didn't know weather watching was a skill that could improve with practice--I thought it was a gift that one either had, or did not.

Yesterday I noticed that although the leaves are still deep, deep Summer green, enough leaves have fallen to make the tree canopies more open and curiously more graceful-looking. AND we saw fireflies again! After the long heat, they have come back out... or maybe tis after the long dry spell they have come back out? Well heck, for all I know of firefly mating habits, maybe they just have two seasons, lol... but I loved seeing them whatever the reason.

My garden is much reduced. The squash bugs have almost completely decimated the vines, and so my glorious lush green "squash hedge" is gone. I miss that luxurious greenery! I haven't had to water in about two weeks, though; the flowerpots are wet clear through and now the basil and mint are finally starting to grow again. The verbena has new blooms and the oregano and tarragon are full of new growth. Ican see that summer in flowerpots on cement is hard for plants; the Autumn light is much kinder.

I notice in people's yards, the shade flowers have come into their own, the violets are putting up new leaves, and the mosses are re-sprouting. The occasional fence is covered in moss and lichens, as are some of the tree-trunks. It doesn't seem to be true that moss grows only on the north side of trees in the city, though... luckily Ican rely on the street signs if I ever get lost! *grin*

The hawks are still here, yet Summer's birds seem to be more visible again, and I am wondering if it might be the fledglings come into their own now. Certainly every morning is greeted with glorious birdsong!

The sky alternates between grey and brilliant blue, and the air between dry warmth and cool misty haziness. I confess, I never knew before that grey was an Autumn color; I always thought of the "earthtones" yanno, browns, mustards, oranges, scarlets... but I didn't know there were sky tones also, the misty greys, the warm deep blues. And although I am waiting happily for the leaves to turn their brilliant Autumn hues, I see that the deep mature green of full canopies and the intensely vivid carpeted green of new moss are also Autumn colors.

I can walk at night now with very few unsavory bugs--except those darned skeeters!--and the frogs no longer sing their mating songs (a good thing in the case of the frog that sounds like abandoned babies on the verge of death! eeep!), but the cicadas are still loud in the afternoons and evenings. A new sound has joined them, some sort of clicking beetle, and of course the crickets remain and are getting louder as the season turns.

What is like for you right now? What Season are you in? What has changed; what has stayed the same?

Curious as ever,
Cath

OOOPS--book correction

Was I ever surprised! I had read Hen's Teeth and Nightmares... but they aren't the books I remembered, lol... they are set in contemporary Scotland, the heroine is a highly educated therapist, and they're mysteries.

The books I am thinking of so fondly--with nary a clue to titles now, nor to the author's name--were set in the 1800s, in an alternate America where magic was a reality. The heroine was a young girl living on the frontier.

Ooops, lol....

That Crochet post I promised you

Thought I would share not just the crochet, but also the books... well, booklets. I started collecting these not long after I first learned to crochet in the very late 1970s. Fanciworks is one of my favorites... probably as much for the name as for anything. *smiling*

When I was first taking art classes, my teacher said that one of the secrets to art is not only knowing what to put in, but also when to stop. See that ordinary doily on the cover up there?

If you stop at the right place, it suddenly looks Art Deco. This reminds me very much of the Egyptian craze that swept the US in the 1920s. The pattern is called "Crocus" and you can see the flowers do look like crocuses... but they are just stylized enough to remind me of the flower-topped Egyptian pillars in the pyramids, and the pattern at the edges reinforces that.

So I stopped. *grin*

I'm not going to block this one--or even press it--because I like that slightly ruffled look. We have a small carved wooden box sitting on this doily and the ruffle frames the box and contrasts with it very nicely.

More of my fav booklets. The Starwheels are from Treasures in Crochet and the Queen's Scroll (a new one) is from Tablecloths and Bedspreads.

Edgings, oh edgings... how I love my edgings! And the Crazy Quilt book was all about lace and edgings on the seams of the crazy patches... yet I have none. So surely it is most logical to make some? After all, the sewing machine is still buried...

Here is my assortment of motifs and edgings. Starwheels are at the bottom, and Queen's Scroll is in the upper left. It's giving me a TON of a trouble and I haven;t decided yet if the instructions are wrong--it happens--or if I am not getting it yet. I finally had to give up, count the spaces in the corner loops in the illustration, and do it my way. Sheesh!

There are several different edgings in this pic, but the one I am most taken with is a simple little repeat that makes... of all things!... RIC-RAC!!! You can see it crossed through the center, and the liiiitttttttle teeeeeensy one just to the side is the same exact thing, but instead of doing it in size 30 thread--the rainbow is size 30--I did it in size 80 like the motifs. Astonishing difference.

So. I intended to make a mini-mat with four of these starwheels, but I have given up. When I finally finished the sec0ond one--which gave me a pile of trouble!--I discovered I had already finished the first one as an ornament. The HECK with it! I did the second one as an ornament too, and I am done with Starwheels for the foreseeable future! Then I went to take this pic and was I surprised! See how the right-hand side one is smaller? That's the second one, and no wonder it ghave me trouble!! I changed the gauge!! Lord love a DUCK, that was entirely too tight for my hands to be working, and it hurt. I'm not making that mistake with Queen's Scroll.

Oh, btw, I should probably mention that I took these pics by lamplight and I guess even flourescents are kind of yellow like incandescents. The Starwheels are actually pristine snow white, not ecru. That might have shown if I had used the flash, but the pics generally come out better without it.

Friday on the way home from the library, we caught a bus with Pockets the Clown (in her Muggle disguise as a bus driver, lol). We had fun talking to her about clowning. She has 19 pockets in her suit. *grin*

Well, you know I'd already been ric-racking, and when I held up the rainbow ric-rac, Gryph liked the way it twisted (as skinny crochet does before you press it).

Then I made my book review and started reading the new books (review of them at a later date)... and something was percolating in my mind....

Hmmmmm, how interesting... yes, rainbow ric-rac does go with denim... the fringed seams on the Western crazy-quilt items in Crazy Quilt Decor were on my mind.... and Pockets the Clown was on my mind....
This is the crochet project I had a little trouble finishing. That is a lot of ric-rac, two separate pieces, one to go around the pocket and the other to be the handle. It's easy but monotonous and my hands are tired right now, swollen and sore, so I got bored with the ric-rac before I finished; but I did persevere and I am so glad I did!

What's a pocket without a pal? Those are mini jingle bells, standing in for buttons. The hair is made from some of the threads I pulled out when I was fringing the denim. This little pal is handsewn--I did it last night while Gryph and I listened to the first Amanda Peabody mystery, Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters.

And here ya go, a pocket for Pockets' pocket collection! I clipped the pal in with two teeeeensy lil clothespins, one blue and one green. Hope she likes it; this one is kinda hard to give away! *grin*

Today I am thankful for....

Spinach pies, and their "built-in handles." We eat them with yogurt on top, and it gets a lil messy--so the handles come in... um... handy. *cheeky grin*

My 25 cent plates. Still getting a kick out of them!

The $6 baker's rack, which is proving its worth in the kitchen day after day--lately by holding my $6 set of dishes.

The way the spinach pie filling mellows in the fridge overnight. I was, um, a little.... enthusiastic... yes, that's the word... enthusiastic with the pepper when I made it last night. *blush*

Interlibrary loan.

Bus transfers.

Finding an author whose name I had forgotten--Manda Scott--read her first two books years ago as library books in another state and LOVED them, but lost track of them (and her) as I moved from state to state. Twas happenstance that Gryph saw an interesting novel and I rediscovered the author! Tis a fun work of fiction, and Gryph likes the game on the website, too... ooops, just discovered that I like it too, lol.

The way Lady brings her toys to her food area; she knows that is Her Place, and she actually picks up her toys and "puts them away"!!

Inspiration--this last batch of library books has been GREAT fun! I made a paper teapot the other night just to see if the template really worked, and it does!

Stick-to-it-iveness.. had a hard time convincing myself to finish my latest crochet project but I am SOOO glad I did!

New friends, especially new friends with wisdom to share.

Bubba (Module One) and his tuxedo-cat handsomeness.

The bookshelf we turned into a headboard.

The way Bubba claimed himself a little cubby in the headboard. *grin*

Thenie (the shy Module Four, you haven't seen many pics of her) hopping on the bed while the dog was on it, ignoring the dog (MAJOR progress!) and getting loads of attention without throwing a jealous fit (for the very first time!). Hey, it's only taken a year...

Thrilling the doglet by giving her some leftover yogurt, since it's good for her.

Finding this a little later on--everybody wants to get in on the act!!

Being able to laugh!

today I am grateful for....

Today I am grateful for....

My bright yellow rain slicker with a hood! Nothing makes me feel the wonder of rain and childhood more... tis like Paddington Bear's... *huge grin*

A happy flowerpot garden without having to lug jugs of water!

Watching the doglet shake and shake, and seeing that dementedly happy grin in her eye. *I'm wet, I've got to plaaaayyyy!!!*

Being met at the door by Gryph with a big towel, and watching the doglet do her (involuntary, lol) Yoda impression.

Watching her love Gryph and be loved in return--one of the sweetest satisfactions in life, since I was truly worried that she wouldn't accept another adult around me.

Hooks on the back of the front door, to hold coats and such.

The teensy lil clothes-drying umbrella that hangs on the shower curtain rod, and is jusssst big enough to take one drippy wet bright yellow rain slicker with a hood while it dries.

Seeing that Gryph made it safely across the street to the bus stop.

The gray morning light coming in the windows.

Having enough Mexican bean stew left over to send it to work for Gryph's lunch.

Being with it enough this morning to make some tortillas to go with her lunch.

The banana cupcakes I made last night as a midnight snack.

LIBRARY BOOKS!!! ohhhhhhh I have found some good ones!

Reading a book for beginners in papercraft--not that I think of myself as a beginner, but it had cool projects--and discovering a very good reason to get a bone folder for greeting cards, rather than a plastic folder. I always wondered....

A cat wandering through the apartment, yowing because he has his "mouse" in his mouth and all is right with his world.

The doglet warm and softly sleeping at my feet.

You.

What are you grateful for today?

Bright Blessings!
Cath

Book Review

One of the things that I have always done is read craft books, and while I have recently been sidelined with illness, I indulged. *grin* We had gone to the library earlier, and I had wandered the stacks of older books this time (not the new purchases). This is how I originally found Lisa at Dorky Homemade Quilts, by reading her quilt books from the library; she's the one who inspired me to start this blog. I meant to document my quiltmaking here, but I stalled out after I learned strip-piecing.

Then I found this book.
Well! *I* have a sewing machine! I should be all set to go, right? Really cool, eh? I was alllll intrigued... until I started reading. Oh my! *dismayed look* This is quilting by the numbers, V-E-R-Y precise, methodical and mathematical.

I am sooooo not that way. Do I have a perfectionist streak? Yes, indeed I do... but am I that fussy to be so precise when I am cutting up OLD SHIRTS and such? Oh heck no! It was sooo discouraging!!

The sad thing is that I am certain the author meant to be ENcouraging, and more than likely IS encouraging to scads of quilters... but my heart just fell as I read the book and by the end I thought to myself, "forget it; I'll just never be a quilter."

So I turned to something else.

Who can't use more potholders, right? And I was hoping to pick up a lil technical detail--whatever the heck the NAME is for that stuff I've been using to pad my crafts, cuz it's the stuff that you put in the middle of a potholder--but no such luck. Still, the book was SO CUTE and this time so totally encouraging that I really enjoyed it.

One of the things that intrigued me was the history she included with potholder examples from museums. Now doesn't that make you want to giggle, everyday ordinary POTHOLDERS in a MUSEUM?

The other most intriguing thing was a crazy-quilted potholder. Hmmm!! Maybe there might be a way for me to be a quilter after all? At least on a potholder scale.

Ohhhhhhhh but then I read THIS book.....

Oh MY MY MY!!!! Here is a book which is not "cute" but absolutely fabulous, elegant, inspiring, beautiful.... And the pincushions! lol, my favorite was made on an empty salt container! It was called a sweet roll, with the tube part of the salt container supporting two pincushions at the ends.

There were more variations on pincushions than I had ever imagined, with all kinds of embroidery and beading patterns to embellish them... this book even includes that most amazing thing, patterns for fabric-covered boxes (with pincushions built in) of various shapes and sizes. The boxes were not premade, like starting with a section of the salt container, but were completely from scratch!

The whole book just made me sigh and say to Gryph, "I *want* this one!!" It belongs in my craft library. Someday I will buy it.

THENNNN, oh then.... this book is another one like the other one! Talk about inspiring! Beautiful! Exquisite! Victorian inspired sewing to make all sorts of things! And yet again, some crazy-quilting... hmmmmm...

So I went to the grocery store, and guess what I found on super close-out for $2?

Do ya think it's a message? I read this book with growing delight... I SOOO want to try this! The author separated the projects by theme--I loved the Western section, all kitschy cowboy-design looking--and she included several techniques for crazy-quilting. I loved the way she embellished her projects with snippets of lace, and I loved the patches with the seams showing--especially the denim--and her projects were sometimes elegant and sometimes too cute for words, but all of them seemed do-able to me.

See that basket on the cover of the book? It's made from a 12 yard strip of crazy-quilting. The flower embellishments are made from ribbons. The basket caught my eye at first and is the reason I opened the book, but the sheer wealth of projects and techniques is why I bought it.

And then, yanno, this author was encouraging but did not call for math and methodical precision, so I was hooked, lol...

I think I can do this!

Now to unbury the sewing machine. That might take a while; we're still finishing up on rearranging things, and of course... I want to re-rearrange the living room to make it work better. *wry grin* But in the meantime, oh have I ever got happy things to look forward to!

And, um... I got more books at the library yesterday, from the "new" section... I'll let you know if anything sparks this kind of encouragement this time. *eyebrow-waggling grin*

small world, eh?

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Pixie}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Welcome, welcome to my blog!! I know Arwen from the same website where I met Gryph.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Arwen}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Good morning, hon! I know Pixie from Gryph's favorite mailing list.

*grins* I remember reading Arwen's livejournal one day, seeing a comment, and saying to Gryph, "Pixie?! Is that OUR Pixie?!" LOL, I guess it was! *wink*

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Cindy, Dawn, Arwen, Katt}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Thank you for the comments!

Arwen, you come to Wichita and I will certainly teach you to make doilies.... if we ever stop talking, that is! lol!

Dawn, this is me, the real me. I've been sick a while, and dealing with grief for a while, so I haven't had a lot of energy to put into writing--but these gratitude posts are how I really feel. Thank you for appreciating them!! *smiling*

I have to get with it and take those pics of the library books so I can return them this afternoon--they're due now--so I'll be offline for a while... but really truly there will be a review of a couple craft books coming! And while I have the camera out, I'll get pics of the latest crochet, too.

Love y'all!!

Cath

Today I am grateful for....

A street I haven't explored before.

Another heartpod tree--love those!

What look like crabapple trees, loaded with little berry-like deep bright red... crabapples?

Finding a pear tree in our neighborhood park.

Having a neighborhood park only four blocks from the apartment.

Hazy "twilight" Autumn mornings, all soft and grey-skied.

Finding a pair of gloves in my jacket pocket! *brrrrr, really grateful for those!*

Talking to my friend down the street.

Schoolbus yellow.

.........not ever having to get on a schoolbus again! lol!

Long slow ambles through the neighborhood.

Feeling like I belong here, if only for a time: this is MY neighborhood now.

Living in such a woodsy place; the urban forest is alive and well in my neighborhood.

Lichens on a wooden fence.

Big houses on double lots.

The neighborhood creek, and the parklike landscaping alongside it.

Adorable little houses.

Crepe myrtles in full Autumn bloom.

The silver undersides of maple leaves.

White-flowered monkey grass.

Salmon-n-coral hibiscus, the tropical kind... so beautiful.

Getting home before I was desperate to.... getting older is not for sissies.... *wry laugh*

The peaceful silence of an apartment without an air conditioner running (at least for this morning--this afternoon I will be grateful for the air conditioner! *grin*).

Realizing that gratitude doesn't depend on happiness, that I can recognize the good in my life and be grateful for it whether I feel happy or not.

The internet.

A good computer.

And of course... YOU! *grin*

Are there things you're grateful for?

She was just an excuse, yanno?

She didn't have to be walked that far.... I just didn't want to go back inside. It was 57 degrees (14 Celsius), cloudy and breezy--a perfect Autumn night. I even had to wear my jacket!!

Autumn Dog, optional camera flash eye-enhancement feature included at no extra charge

This has been the VERY best Autumn since last year!! *dances away with a cheeky grin* In case you might not have known, I really truly love Autumn. *wink*

Gratitudes

Today I am grateful for....

Coffee and peanut butter, stashed away to get me through Summer and into Autumn--and for the foresight to stash them, back last Spring!

Cool Autumn breezes that make me want to dance down the street, and sent me dashing back inside to get Gryph for a loverly walk.

Deep orange and maroon marigolds.

My home, which is becoming ever more homelike to me.

The pictures we hung on the wall this weekend.

Four loads of clean laundry, dried, folded, put away.

An empty sink. (Well, it was empty till we finished breakfast, anyhow. *grin*)

Fresh strawberries.

Good sales at the grocery store.

Soft rain and hazy mornings.

Umbrollies! *grin*

Daydreams... we saw a triplex for sale yesterday when we were out walking in that gorgeous Autumn breeze, and we daydreamed a little.

Having the water and heat included in our rent. (lol, that put the daydream in its place pretty quickly...)

Cats and dogs... their fur feels so wonderful under my fingers, but their love feels even better. Making the dog grin, seeing her loving eyes, watching the cat's eyes close in ecstasy when I rub his head... oh my *heartmelt*

Cell phones.

Doilies.

Orange chairs.

Being able to sit partially cross-legged again finally! That knee was nine months healing.

Old friends.

Being able to crochet.

Being able to figure out crochet patterns, especially when they've made a mistake in the instructions.

Being old enough now to "not worry about it"--perspective is beautiful.

You. I am ever so grateful for you!!

GRYPH! *huge happy grin*