Peppers, Rocks and the Beginning of Fall - Things are Wrapping Up

Hello everyone. It's time for the Fall Equinox, so I'm looking back at Summer, and ahead to Fall and Winter. I'm actually fairly happy with how things have gone, although there certainly are aspect in my life that could stand serious improvement. Still, we had a pretty good Summer, not too horribly hot until those last days of the State Fair, and our Autumn is looking to be wonderfully colorful. I'll be driving around on Wednesday taking photos if the day is clear. If not, than hopefully Friday will be a clear one. 

My pepper harvest from Sept 22nd (there are a few 
cherry tomatoes in there too. Look at the size of those 
Jalapenos! LOL

I harvested the three largest jalapeno peppers yesterday, and all of the red, orange and true yellow Tabasco peppers. I still have quite a lot of peppers on that plant, and I'll let them ripen until frost, when I'll pull them and dry them. I sliced the jalapeno peppers into rings, and pulled the stems from the tabascos, put them into the dehydrator for a 12 hour cook at 125, which ended around 3:00 this morning. I checked on them about 4:30 am, pulled the dried jalapenos out of there, and reset the dehydrator for another 12 hours on 125 to (hopefully) finish out the tabascos. I guess it's time for me to find a good food grinder if I can't use my mini food processor, because I want these to be powdered. 

The Jalapenos cut up and ready for my dehydrator. They 
don't look as large now, to be sure, but they usually dry 
up beautifully and I'm really looking forward to grinding 
them up and using them in my chili and stews over the 
winter. 

Of course, me being a klutz (and somewhat stupid sometimes), I forgot to wash my hands after cutting up the peppers, and I rubbed my nose. OUCH! It took more than an hour for the irritation to calm down. Time and Vaseline did the trick, and hopefully I won't be that stupid again. *sigh* I know better, my brain was six steps ahead and not paying attention to what I was doing. 

My Tabasco peppers don't look quite as 
impressive, but they pack a punch. They're 
super spicy and wonderful. When I checked 
after 12 hours, these guys were only half 
done, so there's still in the dehydrator for 
another 12 hours. I'll check them when I 
get home from work tonight, and maybe 
they'll need more dehydration before they're 
ready to be put into my jar. It's hard to say. 
It would be faster if I cut them open, but I 
really didn't want to be bothered, truth be told. 

I also made my sheet pan fajitas yesterday, and that recipe is definitely a winner for me. It's so damned easy and tastes fantastic. I'm finally starting to use up some of the more unusual spices in my cabinet, and that also makes me quite pleased. So I'm set for meals for a while. I have the fajitas, and I still have two portions of tomato and pepper soup from Wednesday. I think DH might grill steaks tomorrow (if it's not raining). If it is raining, I'll use the broiler in the oven. Either way, we're having steak for dinner tomorrow night. 

I'm NOT buying any slabs tomorrow, I quite literally have no 
more room for any rough stone. I really need to get working 
on making pretty things with the stones that I have, and I 
have some scrumptious stone in my drawer. 

And tomorrow is also the day we'll go to the Gem and Mineral Show, which is always a treat. We'll skip Renaissance Fest this weekend (that will make two days that we skipped this year, but we're still fine on actual price per day for our season tickets). We'll relax, we'll look at pretty rocks, and we'll enjoy a lazy Sunday. Next weekend is the final weekend of Fest, and we'll definitely be there for that. We never miss an opening or a closing weekend. That's important - LOL. 

MN Renaissance Festival is a bit magical itself - and I 
do love going there. But I'm just as happy to not spend 
all day there too, especially when it gets colder. Over 
the years, we've stopped going from opening to closing, 
and have just relaxed into walking the circuit, catching 
up with friends who own or work for businesses there, 
and enjoying the outdoors for a few hours, before 
calling it an early day and returning home for drinks 
on the patio. I guess we're getting older - LOL. 

So I hope all of you, my readers, have a wonderful weekend and I plan on being back again with you on Monday. Whatever you're doing on this First Day of Autumn, make it count. Do something for a friend, help a child or an elder, rescue a puppy, whatever - do something positive in your little corner of the world. We all need positives in our lives, and good things radiate outward to affect others in a good way as well. Slava Ukraini. 

I Didn't Set The House On Fire, So I Call It a Success

Yesterday was a day for zooming and cooking, oh and there was some shopping in there too - grocery shopping and a quick stop by Target for a mandolin, a spiral slicer and a nutcracker. I got back with bags of groceries - mostly veggies and fresh fruit - in time to get everything put away and my new tools washed and put into their new homes. I set up Voodoo and settled in for my weekly Zoom meeting with my WildFit coach and fellow Tribe members. There are calls on Monday,Wednesday and Friday, but I usually end up only having the time to attend the Friday Zoom.

Today is the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. Winter is 
finally behind us and we're heading towards 
summer, full speed ahead. Have a safe celebration 
and I hope this next year will be better than the 
last one. 

After the call, which was excellent as usual, I moved upstairs to the kitchen and started working on food prep - I wanted to make several things before DH got home, and actually got most of them done. I started off by baking a spaghetti squash - something I've never done before. I wanted to make a recipe called Tomato Mushroom Spaghetti Squash and it starts with a cooked squash. 

I got the squash made for the Tomato Mushroom 
Spaghetti Squash, but I ended up using the 
tomatoes I had on hand for the next dish, so I'll 
have to wait until I have more tomatoes before I 
can finish this dish. 

While that was baking, I started fixing a Vegan Tomato Zucchini Casserole. This recipe had me bouncing between the small counter-top we have for a workspace, to the stovetop - a larger surface to use as a workspace, and finally, after the spaghetti squash was baked and cooling, into the oven. The squash continued to cool while the zucchini casserole baked, so I grabbed the new mandolin and started slicing golden beets and a sweet potato to make my next recipe, Crispy Baked Vegetable Chips. 

My casserole ended up with more sauce than 
their photo, but, it's tasty. I think it's because 
I made my own tomato puree instead of 
using something store bought. I'm fine 
with that, though. The little bit I tried was 
quite good, so I look forward to eating it 
later this weekend. 

The Crispy Baked Vegetable Chips recipe called for thin slices of veggies basted with oil and placed, single layered, on parchment paper. It took 45 minutes (minimum) to bake, rotating the cookie sheets every fifteen minutes. Although a few of the slices did turn crispy and were actually pretty good, I called this a failure and tossed them into the trash since most of them were a soggy mess. I think there was just too much oil on the slices to allow them to get crispy. I have more oiled slices waiting in the refrigerator, so I'll wipe off most of the oil and try again - maybe on Sunday.   

I'm calling my Crispy Baked Vegetable 
Chips a failure, although I will try this again 
with the remainder of the veggies I have 
already sliced. I really want this to be a 
success. I bought some golden beets and 
a lovely sweet potato for the chips, and 
I think they'll taste fantastic if I can 
get the recipe to work out. 

Finally, I dove into my main meal for the day - Honey Garlic Salmon and baked Brussels Sprouts. I was finishing these up while DH came through the door after work. In this case, the Brussels Sprouts were baked in the oven like last week, but the fish was pan-fried. It turned out VERY tasty and I have a second portion ready to be reheated tonight for my dinner. I'm already looking forward to it. 

This Salmon recipe was outstanding. It's a pan-fry cook, 
so it's fast and easy and the sauce thickens after you've 
removed the fish. Then you can pour over the cooked 
fillets and it's incredibly flavorful. I'd absolutely make 
this again. 

So, I guess after more than 20 years of microwaving and reheating, I'm starting to get used to cooking again. I know there will be some spectacular disasters in my future, but generally, I'm doing OK. I think one of my major problems right now is determining the appropriate amount of oil to add when a recipe just says "add oil". I'll get there, I'm sure. At least I'm not starving - LOL. On that note, I'm out of here. Have a glorious Equinox and celebrate as appropriate for you. Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back Monday. As always, please be kind, stay safe and wear your mask. 

It's Colder - Equinox and Informed Delivery

Thanks to those who responded to my query for suggestions and recipes for my green cherry tomatoes. It's 44 F right now, so freezing is coming soon and I don't want to waste my lovely tomatoes just because "Winter Is Coming"! Brrrrrr. I was so cold while sleeping this morning that I folded my quilt double. It's a large quilt, but it still didn't cover completely. Guess I'll have to look for a second blanket for these colder nights. 

The very idea of standing outdoors while waiting for the
gym doors to be unlocked sucks. The pool water, however,
will probably feel nice and toasty, so it'll be worth it. 

I have a recommendation for those of my friends in the USA. Unfortunately I think this service is specific to the United States Post Office, but you might want to check your own mail service to see if they offer something similar. The service is called "Informed Delivery" and here's a bit of why I like it so much. 

The USPS may not always get it right, but their
"Informed Delivery" option is fabulous! 

A week or two ago my town's emailed police report featured a story about how my PD was able to break a mail theft ring. Apparently the crooks stole mail from a large area and were well planned with routes and a variety of "helpful" notes. Within the text of the report, the police recommended residents sign up for "Informed Delivery" with the Post Office. I signed up immediately and I've really liked having it. 

Informed Delivery will give you actual scanned B/W images
of the mail that you should expect to have delivered to you
every day. It's rather fabulous. 

We all get days where there is no mail in our box. On days like that, since I usually do have mail, I always have wondered whether my mail has been stolen. Our delivery boxes are at streetside and realistically, almost anyone could open and take. Now I get an email every day with images of the front of each piece of mail that went through the automatic sorting system. I don't get notified about every piece of mail - pieces that don't go through the sorting machinery don't scan - but I do get most of my mail in each daily report. I know what to look for when I collect my mail later that day. 

Not every day will have mail delivery. Sometimes we don't
get any mail in our mailbox. It's good to know that it's
intentional, not that it was stolen. 

It's easy to sign up (you have to set up with a pin number and some security questions, so be prepared to do that), and you'll need to have an email that you can check easily during the day (I use the email from my phone, so it's at hand easily), but it's worth the effort. Chickie managed to mess up her first attempt and had to wait 72 hours before trying again, but she's enrolled now and equally happy. It's a relief to know that an empty mail box is just that - a no mail day. 

It's time to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Let's
indulge in the colors of Autumn and the glories of
Nature's last fling before the winter's chill. 

So, on this positive and chilly note, I'm leaving you for the rest of the weekend. Have a glorious weekend, celebrate the Autumnal Equinox tonight (the Equinox will occur at 8:54 pm Central Daylight Time in my household), and celebrate the first day of Autumn tomorrow. I'll be back on Monday. 

Did You Celebrate Yesterday?

Yesterday was the first day of Spring - the Vernal Equinox. Did you celebrate? Was the day a lovely one in your part of the world? I was busy - lots of customers to help that kept me going most of the day, and then pounding out yesterday's story "Stone Faith for the Future", what I had planned to be short and sweet and what ended up growing into a definite short story instead of a ficlet. Oh well. I finally got it edited and posted late last night so I'm still on track. Today's prompt is "Foresight", and that will be difficult. But I'll figure something out because I have to.

Just look at this tiny mouse in the flowers! Too cute! What a lovely
way to celebrate the new season. 

Spring up here in the Frozen Northlands often is accompanied by snow, but we're almost snow-free and our temps have been fabulous. It's currently 4:00 am and 39 F degrees! I can totally live with this. Call me happy! DH is ticked, though, because he's let his weight loss slide and is more than ten pounds up from where he wants to be. He has my sympathy, but everything I suggest to him he shoots down as something he either doesn't want to do or "can't" do. So he's on his own.

Spring has sprung here in the Frozen Northlands. It's a wonderful
thing to see. We could still get some snow, but if we do it will
be gone quickly because our deep low temperatures are gone
for the season. We still won't plant a lot until the end of May, though. 

Tomorrow is our personal income tax appointment late at night so I'll be scurrying and printing out numerous things to make sure I have everything Paul will need as far as information and paperwork goes. I usually end up forgetting something and dropping it by his office on Thursday or Friday morning, but it would be really nice if I actually had my act together for a change - LOL. Nice dream, yeah?

Most of our Garden Centers have closed down, but this sign still
made me chuckle. I may not be buying plants yet, but soon DH
will be able to buy the last of the stones he needed and he'll get
back to work on the castle. Maybe that will make him happier and
get his extra weight back off. 

So as you step into your second day of the new season (and I'm making sure to wish a Happy Autumn to my friends in the Southern Hemisphere, too), I'm enjoying the possibilities ahead of me. Have a totally excellent Tuesday and Enjoy Your Day!

Equinox Rain

If anyone in our area had been planning to welcome Fall in an outdoor ceremony, they wouldn't have been able to outdo the fireworks Mother Nature brought for us last night. With flash flood warnings in place, a constant rumble of thunder, and the sky showing lightning that would rival the red carpet at the Academy Awards, it was a busy, busy night. At 12:30 am it was still raining hard, although the thunder and lightning had finally calmed down. When I finally awakened at 3:15 am the rain had stopped, but the warnings continue until 11 pm tonight. Ah, Fall in the Frozen Northlands - nothing quite like it.

Happy Equinox to all of you. We're ushering in one of my favorite seasons
here in Minnesota. It's a time of colorful leaves, crisp days, and amazing
beauty and bounty. We'll be following it by winter - my least favorite
season - but what a way to go! 

I'm posting photos of rainstorms, clouds and fall leaves to celebrate Mabon and our past and upcoming rainstorms. I also want to mention that today is Free Short Stack day at your local Perkins/Marie Callender's restaurants. If you make a donation to "Give Kids the World", the charity they've supported for many years, they'll give you a free short stack of pancakes. Yummy! I usually eat there several times a week anyway (one egg, two pieces of bacon and two pieces of toast with a POT of coffee), so giving a bit more for kids? No problem!

We were getting hundreds of lightning strikes per hour for a while last
night. I was nervous enough that I turned my computer off for the night -
something I rarely do since I schedule all of the system backups, etc. for
my overnight hours. It's much quieter now and I'm much happier. 

Shelf clouds like this spectacular example, presage thunderstorms. They are
formed by a mix of cold air coming down from above hitting a different
air level coming from below. The Weather Channel has some excellent
examples and explanations if you want details (and more accuracy
than my sparse explanation above). 

Have a wonderful Thursday. If I could, I'd send our rainstorms to those of you who truly need the moisture - California and other hot spots come to mind. However, I don't seem to have those superpowers. I have Project Runway to watch tonight and I'll be back tomorrow with some Kitty photos. The furry demons are doing very well, and my allergies suck! Oh well ...

Happy Ostara, Etc

Happy Vernal Equinox to all! We're in Spring at 12:30 am EDT on Sunday, the 20th. It's one of those times that actually means I'll be in Spring at 11:30 pm CDT on Saturday, the 19th. There's nothing like forcing me to wrap my head around time zones, but either way I look at it, we'll be in Spring on Sunday. Hurrah for little bunnies, budding flowers, singing birds, and green grass. Of course, that's still in my future. We were getting snow yesterday and the wind was blowing something fierce. I'll have to watch out for patches of ice as I drive to the gym this morning. Here are some Spring pictures for all of you to celebrate Ostara and the new season. Goddess Bless!

Happy Ostara to all! 

This lovely row of cast iron bunnies really caught
my attention. Fabulous! 

Many people will be celebrating Palm Sunday over the weekend.
I'm now one of them, but I wish all my Christian friends a
good start to Holy Week. 

Do you have your Easter baskets assembled yet? Chocolate
bunnies are a personal favorite, but I like chocolate eggs, too.
Oh heck - I admit it - I just love chocolate! 

So, as we enter Spring, the next week will be a week of celebration for many. Take this opportunity to take a deep breath, celebrate the change of the seasons, and gear up for another busy season. Happy Ostara to all!

Holidays Today! - Celebrate

Lots of holidays today, so celebrate and take a bit of time out to think about them.

Blessings Be to all of you at Mabon. 

Of course, the big one is the Equinox - Mabon in the calendar. That began less than an hour ago and we are now officially in autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. It is time to celebrate the harvest, press the apples, and begin to get the cold weather clothing out of storage. It's time for fall cleaning and for making plans for the next few VERY BUSY months since we have Samhain followed by Thanksgiving followed by Christmas. It starts now - the time to rush life.

Today is also Yom Kippur which actually began at sunset last night. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement - a day of prayer, purification and fasting. It is the highest of the holy days for the Jews, the end of the ten day cycle that began with Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur features five services in synagogue during the long observance of this day. At the end of the day, sins and transgressions from the prior year will be forgiven and a new year will begin in the eyes of God.

The Yom Kippur War was so fast. 

I remember Yom Kippur as the beginning of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. I was in my first year of college when the war began and the world watched, amazed, as events unfolded and one small, tiny nation held strong, defeating a coalition of enemies. The war lasted from October 6-25, 1973; very short and very decisive. It seems that was the last of the short wars. Now they drag on forever and ever and more.

So as we enter this season of Thanksgiving, it probably wouldn't harm any of us to put a bit of thought and thanks out there into the aether for another year behind us and add prayers for peace. It seems the most elusive of dreams - Peace. Good Holidays to all!

Halloween is Coming - Thoughts About Worship

We're past Labor Day in the United States, and that means that our media is full of commercials for things occurring in the fall. Primary among these are the new television season beginning next week (new shows - yawn, continuations of older shows - some are OK) and the next holiday - Halloween.

It's almost time for kids to go "Trick or Treat" at your doorway. Sure, there's
still more than a month before Halloween, but if you're making their
costumes, it's time to pull out the fabric and sewing machine. 

For those who are Pagan, Halloween is a seminal holiday - a holiday that is not an equinox or a solstice such as we will celebrate next week when we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Most of the mid-seasonal celebrations go on with a wave, a smile, an extra offering on the altar if one is kept, and sometimes a small gathering. But for Halloween the world seems to celebrate.

Carved pumpkins are indicative of Halloween throughout the USA. Why
carve a pumpkin? Well, I suppose it's better than the turnip or
rutabaga of historical records. 

As I was seeing yet another commercial for costumes this morning as I was catching up on my emails and watching the 4:00 am repeat of "Law and Order", it occurred to me that without children embracing Halloween as a nation-wide costume ball, we might be more aware of the longer-held beliefs in the thinning curtain between good and evil that take place at the turning of October into November. After all, All Hallow's Eve is followed by All Souls's Day - the ghosts are driven out by the choral voices at the closest cathedral.

Castles had their gibbets, crossroads had their hanging
trees or frameworks. 

In ancient times, Halloween was a time to avoid places of danger - crossroads, confluences of water, and intersections of ley lines. Criminals were executed at crossroads and, sometimes, their bodies were placed in gibbets or left hanging by the noose to warn others that retribution was swift and harsh in the area. It was a simple "No Trespassing" sign that communicated a message graphically.

The great cathedrals, this one in Lincolnshire, England, were built to
inspire the people to cast their eyes upward towards God. The architecture
draws the eyes upward as well as toward the central altar. 

There were also signs for the other side - the godly side. These were the stained glass windows and arched vaults of the cathedral - raising the eyes of the congregation towards heaven. The liturgy was performed in Latin, a language foreign to most of the peasants in the pews or standing in the wings. It almost placed an aura of magic over the familiar ceremony and also led to a social gap between the priest performing the Mass and those listening to the strange words and not allowed to stand at the altar.

The Pharaoh would walk through the temple columns to
offer his gifts to the god - hoping it would be well received.
When the god turned away from him, the floods wouldn't
come or would be too strong, either way causing famine
in the realm.  

Ceremonies separating those performing religious rites and those attending them seems to have always been present, even back in Egyptian times when Pharaoh brought his offerings to the priests of Amun and the sun entered the Chamber of the God.  I believe worship and the trappings thereof are your personal choice. I choose to keep my celebrations private and personal. If there is a deity, they understand, if there isn't, what do I lose?

Many pagans or individual worshipers following personal pathways will set
up altars. This one is quite nice with the female to the left and the
horned male on the right. Don't look for any altars in my house - I don't have one
of my own. 

So start shopping for that Halloween candy, start dressing the kiddies up as ladybugs, princesses, pirates or their latest superhero fixation, and don't forget to stay away from crossroads in a little more than a month. Such a rambling post, today is. That's what happens when I have a bit of time. Now to find some quick pictures and get going to the gym. Happy weekend to all and don't forget to clean your house to prepare for the Equinox and the Jewish holiday next week.

I Love Autumn - Colors and Art

I love Autumn. It officially arrived after I was already asleep last night, but I need my "beauty" sleep with my early morning wake-up schedule. Nonetheless, Fall is here now and the leaves around town are following the unvoiced but mandated directive and changing swiftly into their ballroom dresses of gold and scarlet with the occasional orange hussy off to the side. It's like the trees visited the fabric store and bought out the entire stock of vibrant velvet, from deep burgundy through bright yellow. The downside of all of this fabulous color is that eventually I'll have to do my share of raking all of these leaves and taking a round or two (or more) to the compost. The upside is that I'll get to look at these amazing colors living in a state that paints the trees with an eye to glorious colors extending over broad hillsides of raiment.

I adore the artwork of Andrew Goldsworthy. One of the media he chooses
for his art are the autumn leaves. Just look at this fabulous winding pathway
he made on top of a flat rock. Perfection in transitory form. LOVE!!!

Autumn means that the temps will get colder. I guess someone forgot to tell that to the local weather goddess because she has determined that we'll have a nice, hot weekend. I'm delighted. It is the final weekend of Renaissance Festival and it will be a pleasure to not freeze to death as we wander the grounds for the final run. It's also Bar-B-Que fest on the grounds and I fully plan to indulge in some wonderful, smokey ribs. Not freezing while eating will be a total plus. We'll still have the cooler morning temps, but then it should be in the 70's for the rest of the day on Sunday. Call me happy!

I'm pretty sure this is another of Andrew Goldsworthy's
pieces, but it is also possible that it is Richard Shilling's
work. I spent quite a bit of time trying to isolate which of
the two of them made it, but was unsuccessful. 

I watched back-to-back episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" last night, followed by "Scorpion". Of course, I was also working and dealing with my DH trying to purchase some ebooks from the Nook app and get them downloaded. For someone who actually sits at a computer for much of the day, he's totally horrid when it comes to purchasing anything online. But he finally got his two books purchased and downloaded onto his tablet and was ready to begin reading after "Blacklist" wrapped up. I assume he was successful, he didn't awaken me with additional questions.

This stunning piece of woven willow and dogwood with maple leaves
is by Richard Shilling. He attributes his inspiration to Andrew Goldsworthy
but has been producing some exceptional art on his own. 

I hope that all of you had a safe and non-eventful passage into Autumn. I'll be continuing on my quest to move, label, clean and attach new signage at the shop today. I'm already looking forward to my day off tomorrow, although my list of errands is growing exponentially. Yikes - I only have eight days until the Bead Shops Hop begins!

This lovely leaf curtain is also by Richard Shilling. The leaves
are held in place by thorns acting like pins. 

To see more of Andrew Goldsworthy's work, drop by this Flicker page. More land art by Richard Shilling can be seen here. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Update and A Celebration of Seasons in Photos

I'm short on time and in a mood for photos, but first a quick update. Yesterday's breakfast with my long-ago friend actually went pretty well. We'll try to get together again next month sometime, but I certainly won't return to the weekly routine that we had been on for more than 15 years. Nope - not happening! But, I'll see her a few times a year. Now for some pictures.

I was looking for something to indicate the passage of time, and found a lot
of these trees as seen through four seasons montages. I thought
that might be something really fun to share today. 

I asked for "Seasons of the Year" and found these images. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I really liked the composition of this quartet. The person
seated in the upper photographs also adds a nice touch. The
moon and stars over Winter make it just that touch colder. 

I really enjoyed this one. The subtle changes from spring through winter
are really nicely realized. 

I really love this. It's called "Tree of the Four
Seasons" and is painted by artist Josephine Wall.
For more of her art, follow the link.
I've sold greeting cards with her artwork in my shop over
the years. She does some beautiful color work. 

Finally, I really enjoyed this more fanciful version of seasonal trees. It is
a Deviant Art piece, but I couldn't read the artist's name so I'm unable to give credit
 or a link. I love the way the sky moves over the entire piece, pulling it into
 cohesion, and the undulating ground also contributes to
this uniformity. It's cheerful and a bit whimsical. 

So there you have it. A celebration of seasons for all of you as autumn moves into the foliage with speed. Fall is almost here and winter is not far behind. The Autumnal Equinox is Tuesday - time's a fleein' quickly. Have a fabulous Friday!

Equinox is Coming

Sunday afternoon is Equinox and I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful day as I move into the season of shorter days and longer nights. The beginnings of red leaves are visible on the trees here and within a month our hillsides will be Nature's painted canvas with the richness of her fall paintbrush. I love autumn up here because the reds and oranges are so different from the fields of intense gold that the aspen trees gave to the hillsides of my youth. I suspect we'll be spending Sunday at the Renaissance Festival - we only have two weekends left in this season's Fest.

I love this railway tunnel in the autumn leaves.

I thought I'd give pictures of wonderful, colorful autumn scenes today - the beautiful colors of the fall. In another post I'll concentrate on the harvest, but today I'm focused on the colors of fall.

This mountain trail is so tempting to walk down.

I have been inspired by the colors of fall in my own artwork and pull that season of harvest and change into my fiction writing as well. It truly is my favorite season of the year and even though fall is short up here, I will enjoy every single color-filled day.

This solitary tree is just stunning at lakeside. 

So enjoy the colors of autumn as it arrives in the Northern Hemisphere (or the promise of the Spring with the Summer ahead of you in the Southern Hemisphere). Celebrate the Solstice as we move into the season of abundance.

So Days Off are Merely a Carrot and I'm a Donkey?

I was supposed to switch days off with my Manager this week which would give me today off and I would work for him tomorrow while he has several doctor appointments. But he's sick. I'm feeling more human, although still sick too, so I'll work today for him and tomorrow for him. Thinking that maybe with a lot of luck I'll have Thursday off because I have an art project due Friday and just barely enough time to achieve it. Maybe. If the stars are in alignment. And if I make appropriate sacrifices.

So my days off are turning into an illusionary carrot today. Tonight we meet with our accountant. I will be spending my early morning at the shop getting my bank statements, etc into chronological order because that's what I do - LOL. An extra hour or two with room to spread out would be helpful, but I'll make it work, I have no choice.

And today is the Equinox, Ostara, the earlier arrival since 1896. Wow! Obviously I wasn't thinking (actually I was, but not thinking well) setting up my tax appointment on Ostara, but I'll just throw my fate into the hands of the Powers and allow them to show me a new life ahead through the actions of my tax guy. *sigh* Doesn't sound very positive or romantic, does it? Good Ostara to all of you.

One Step at a Time

Today is a busy one, and I needed some good sleep. So I took two heavy-duty pain pills last night to make it through the night. Why pain pills for bronchitis? Because my coughs have managed to tear the muscles of my chest and it HURTS! Big time hurts. So I needed to try and sleep without coughing. I feel better today, of course the narcotics are still in my system. I do have to be a bit careful because I need to drive quite a bit early this morning and the pills are still in my system. But I always was a fan of downers and my body likes them, so I think I'll be OK.

I pick up DH's new computer this morening around 7am. I'll be bringing both CPU's back so that we can be sure that everything is working properly before destroying and recycling the old CPU. I HAVE to find out where to take my recycleable electronics. ARGH.

After I get the new CPU home, I have to get everything set up and some of the secondary programs installed. This will be my first experience with Windows 7, so I hope I don't find it too confusing. My Guru likes it though, and went through some of the basics with me on Wednesday.

Finally, when programs are installed, I get to go to work. Sheesh!!!

And, of course, I'm still writing. I'm behind on my posting, though, so I'll try to catch up over the next week. I got a drabble posted yesterday that is getting good reviews, I'm working on the next monthly challenge which is forcing me to write "outside the box" and I just sent my latest ALEC contest piece out last night. Life is progressing. GOOD EQUINOX FOR ALL ON THIS AUSPICIOUS DAY. CELEBRATE UNWISELY! Welcome Autumn!