So Many Pans in my Fire, and I'm Not Even Talking About Writing!

I'm running a bit late today, and it's a laundry and cooking and shopping day. It's my last laundry, cooking and shopping day for several weeks. For the next two weeks, I'll be grabbing time as I can because I'll be working six day weeks and I won't have my "day off". Sucks~but Chickie well deserves her vacation. As I recall, she didn't take any vacation at all last year, or maybe just a day here and there. (I could be wrong about that - there might have been a trip to Montana built into her schedule). Still, she deserves her vacation. 

It's a bit too early in the year for us to have 
leaf turn, but within a month or so, we'll 
be multiple colors. The trees are already 
starting to turn and Fall in the Frozen 
Northlands is a spectacular season. 

Vacation - what thoughts do you have when that word is mentioned? For me it's sandy beaches, palm trees, sun and surf. Since I've experienced that so rarely in my life, I'll blame media for that vision. Television and movies have cemented that experience into my brain as an "acceptable" vacation. But I would be fine just having an extended period of a week or two away from the shop. That would be ample "vacation" for me. I'm quite happy at home, and I need to do a major clean before my treadmill can be delivered and set up. 

When I Google "Summer Vacation" for images, almost 
every one features a beach and summer sun dancing on 
the waves. Almost 100% of the images. What? Summer 
doesn't exist in a small cabin in the Rocky Mountains? 
To experience Summer you have to be at a beach? Really? 

Speaking of the treadmill, I'll have to call her today. I haven't heard from her in a couple of days, and I still have no date for delivery. I haven't paid them yet either, so I'm fine with the delay. I also am quite sure I'm far from the only person who ordered equipment from them at the State Fair. Those booths are not inexpensive, and they can't afford to be there just to be a showcase for equipment. But, with Chickie's vacation coming up, I fear I may not actually have my new treadmill until the middle of next month. I comfort myself with the thought that I haven't had a functional treadmill for more than two years, so a few more weeks won't make a difference. But I really, really REALLY want my treadmill - LOL. 

I did call and get the ball rolling on a new phone system 
for the shop. Yesterday was filled with dealing with the 
paperwork and filling out form after form. I think the 
system I chose will work well for us, and it should actually 
save us quite a bit on our current monthly rate because 
we'll be dropping one carrier and going with a different 
one. Still hoops to jump through, but I got a good start 
on everything. 

So, since I'm not on a treadmill, I'm dressed for the swimming pool. It'll be a very busy Wednesday all around, so I'm going to wrap this up. Stories are due on Thursday, so I'll be posting voting information for all of you on Friday. Have a truly wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Ren Fest Has Now Ended - Fall is Officially Here - LOL

DH and I finished up Ren Fest yesterday. Chickie and Chickie Mama also came out to spend a bit of time at the Fest. The weather couldn't have been much better. It was too hot for many people, but I was loving all of the heat. I know that all too soon it will be gone. 

We ended up missing two weekends of Fest this 
year. It's unusual for us to miss any weekends, but 
it is what it is. Since we pre-buy our tickets at an 
excellent price, we certainly didn't waste our money 
unwisely. We did waste two days of parking fees, 
but those were only $10 since I pre-buy that as well. 

DH was in serious pain from having overdone things in the garden earlier in the week. He was also cranky because coming to Ren Fest meant that he had to miss the Ryder Cup. I brought it up on Peacock on my phone and voila - he was able to watch it, even if the USA didn't win this time. DH was moving VERY slowly, so we didn't even walk around the Festival grounds. I did swing over to the leathercrafting store where my friend is now part-owner to wish him and his wife a good year. They're local, and they do drop into the shop every now and again, but it's always good to see them. He's flying off to California for the northern California Ren Fest in a week or so, and she'll be here. 

This is the Front Gates of the Minnesota Renaissance 
Festival. One thing we'll miss when we move to our 
new location are the old-growth trees and the myriad 
of different buildings that the old grounds have offered 
to us over the decades. I'm not sure when we'll move 
to the new location, but I'm quite sure it won't be much 
longer - another year, maybe two. 

We've known them since before they were married, and their oldest, Duncan, is now 16 or so and working in the shop alongside them. It's crazy to realize how long we've all known each other, and we met at Ren Fest, when they were part of the Mayor's entourage. Many, many years ago. 

This is my friend Ben from several years ago, when he 
was just an employee of Stronghold Leather. Now he's 
a part owner and his wife Lizzie and son Duncan also 
work there. 

So DH walked the minimum amount, and after listening to the Court Revelers, we headed for the exit and home. We had purchased our tickets when we checked in that morning, so we're set for another year. The cost is low enough that if we go three times, we've paid for our tickets. But that special low cost is only offered on-site for the last two weekends of Fest. Since we didn't go last week, we had to go this week. And, you have to be present to purchase your ticket. You can't buy for someone else. Not for the special price. It's worth it, and it's why I dragged DH out there even though he would have been far happier staying home watching golf. 

This photo is from the early days of Stronghold Leather. Ben 
has been working for and with them for more than a decade 
now. He just bought into the company a month or two ago, 
and will now be travelling for them to other Festivals. 
Here in Minnesota, his wife Lizzie and son Duncan are 
often helping out in the shop along with him. It's been a good 
association for him over the years. 

So summer is wrapping up. We have one more day of heat today, a final farewell to the season. Then we'll finally be into a true Fall and sliding down into Winter. Although it's possible we'll have one more weather anomaly, it's doubtful. We'll be much colder from this point onward. *sigh* I hope all of you have a tremendously wonderful Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Day of Appointments, Decisions, and Deadlines - First Call-Out for Cards

DH has a rather full day today. He's got a 9:00 am appointment with our accountant - hopefully last year's taxes weren't messed up, but if they were, we need to get it fixed ASAP. Our broker actually caught this potential problem. We'll see who is right and who is wrong. 

We have a pretty good accountant and his mistakes 
have been minimal and rare. If he did mess up 
last year's taxes, he'll make good on it. But we need 
to get it resolved quickly, before we move into the 
end of the year and the time for filing our 2021 
taxes draws closer. 

At 3:00 pm, he's due at the dentist to get his crown cleaned and reattached. Hopefully they can just glue it back into position, but if there was any tooth degradation, it might create more of a problem. I got his e-information updated and sent off yesterday afternoon, so he should be good to go. 

While I was driving around town from here to 
there yesterday, I stopped to take some photos 
of the last of our Fall brilliance to share with 
all of you. So you're getting Autumn photos 
along with my text today. 

I am going to try to get to the store as early as possible because I'd like to finish the covers for my holiday cards and start making a final decision on how I want the interior to fit together. I've been thinking about this for days, so I took a quick break, found a product that I think will work, and got it ordered. By the time it arrives, I should be ready to use it. Hopefully it will have the correct texture and drape to be what I really need. The clock is ticking. 

This lovely golden tree was in front of one 
of the high schools in the area. I happen to 
pass it on my way to and from Whole 
Foods every week or two. 

DH was talking about getting a pre-cooked turkey for Thanksgiving (we won't have a new oven until sometime in December). I mentioned I would prefer a Thanksgiving buffet - that I wanted warm turkey for my holiday. He grumbled about microwaves. I said no, I really want a nice, hot turkey buffet for my Thanksgiving meal. I'm pretty sure I'll prevail. I'll also mention that I'll cook a turkey for Christmas this year with our new oven, and he might be mollified by that. At least I hope so because I would really prefer a buffet dinner on the holiday. 

The variety of the colors in this shot really attracted me. 
I was almost home when I saw this, pulled over, and took 
a quick pic. I just loved the full look, from green on
the left, to central colors, to almost empty on the far right. 

Of course there will be food choices over the holidays that I normally wouldn't eat. And the question will come up in my mind, "how many poor choices am I willing to make for a holiday?" It's a good question. I've proven to myself that I can pull away from strict food choices for an occasional this or that, but I also don't want it to become a habit. My habit should be good food choices, not hopping off the train for momentary excursions, barely catching the last car as it pulls back out of the station towards the next stop. 

I don't want to miss the train by getting used to poor 
food choices. I'm extremely happy with where I'm 
at now in terms of weight and body fat index. I do 
NOT want to fall off and mess myself back up.  

On that note, I have cards calling my name. So ... since they actually seem to be falling into place in my head, here's your FIRST CALLOUT FOR CARDS. Those of you new to my blog - I make a total of 50 total cards. I reserve one for my records, and I have a set number that go to old friends and my family. I allocate the remainder on a first come/first go basis, so if you want one of this year's card, comment below and send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE with your real name and address. I promise, that information does NOT get shared with anyone - your privacy remains intact and protected. 

Don't be late. I would hate to miss sending you a 
holiday card if you wanted one. Still, it's always 
first-come/first-serve for newcomers. There are 
always some slots open, so grab yours! 

So ... on that note, and with those warnings, I'm off. I have cards calling my name, a charged up audio player with my next book loaded and in process, and I'm more than ready to get moving on today's work. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Random Thoughts of Fall, Winter and Exercise - A Bit Blah, But That's Life Sometimes

It's Friday, and that makes me very happy. No really good reason, it just does. It's not that I won't have to work today and tomorrow, but the idea that I'm one day closer to Sunday - my day to sleep in a bit and work on things other than the shop - well, it's all good. LOL Today is also one of the final hot days of our summer. Tomorrow we start a quick slide into autumn temps, losing our high of low 80's today to a high of less than 60 on Monday. It's roller-coaster temperature time, with Winter lurking around the corner, held off by the brilliant colors of the Fall harvest. 

Winter is lurking. Right now, he's quite a ways 
down the hallway, behind a door or two. But like 
a bad memory, he's just waiting to spring out and 
frighten you. As he gets closer, I need to try and 
remember the small beauties of that season, not 
just the cold and the endless shoveling of the 
driveway. 

DH has been doing a 2X daily regime of prescription eardrops since Monday. It's a one week regiment, and I'm the one who has to drip four drops of the EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE medicine in every morning and night. I forgot yesterday morning - was out of the door a bit early to get to the bank and the store in the rain and get the bank out of the way as soon as possible. He wasn't extremely happy that he had to self-dose (and admittedly, it's a lot easier to have it done than to do it yourself). Now there's a sign on the door to the garage reminding me to do the eardrops before I leave. 

The structure of the ear lends itself to being
flat when trying to get drops into the 
ear canal. It's really hard to self-administer 
effectively. DH will need eardrops 2X a day 
until Monday morning. 

I had a real struggle to get my two miles in on the treadmill this morning. Normally I just lose myself in my audio book and before I know it, my distance is complete. Today I was fighting through every half mile - not really a lot of fun (although the treadmill is NOT my favorite in any case). My gym is resuming my 5:00 am opening time again on October 1st, and I'm so tempted. But I know I can't resume my activities there until we're either out of business or there is a vaccine that effective. I can't take the chance, just because I'd rather be in the water than on the treadmill. My time in the water will come again and my friends will still be there, or there will be new friends to make. 

I miss the pool and I miss my friends. I get a great all-over 
body workout in the pool, where I mostly exercise my legs 
on the treadmill. I'll start incorporating my Barre back 
into my workout routine again next week and see how 
my pinched nerve behaves. I miss my Barre days. 

So on this Friday, as I look ahead to a day filled with computer keyboarding work (sigh), I wish all of you a glorious day. Enjoy the day fully, do at least one thing that brings you happiness, and please, be kind, stay safe, and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

It Was A Lazy Sunday

Fall has certainly arrived here in the Frozen Northlands. Sunny autumn days are glorious, but we've been having the other kind we're likely to have - gloomy, drizzle or rain falling down, and cold. I'm almost ready to pull my parka out of the closet for the upcoming winter, just trying to hang on a bit longer. As long as my early morning temps hang in there and don't get much below 38 F (3.3 C), I can manage to stay warm enough with a hoodie and my leather bomber jacket. Taking the winter coat out of the closet is a commitment to the upcoming season. 

It's time to bring out the sweaters and put away the summer
clothes. Our heat of the summer is behind us and the cold
of winter looms ahead. 

My basic wardrobe doesn't change much for the colder weather. I switch to heavier skirt materials instead of the gauze skirts, and I often will wear one of my sweaters at the shop and a hoodie at home, but I wear long sleeves during the day no matter what season, so at least I don't have major shifts in such things. 

Yesterday, because it was cold and drizzly, was a "stay at home" day. We watched football and played "Lord of the Rings Online" all day, and I periodically found myself grateful that I wasn't out at Fest in this weather. It would have been a nasty end to the Renaissance season, so I'm very pleased that their last day was the previous week. 

DH's team, the Minnesota Vikings, aren't doing great this year.
Last year we did outstanding, but this year we've fallen flat. 

We are now five weeks into the football season and it's quite evident that neither my DH's team, nor my own, will be in the race for the Super Bowl this year. Both our teams are playing pathetically. It doesn't stop our being a fan - that's a long-term thing and disappointment for our teams is something we're well used to. It does stop our hoping that we'll have any type of vested interest in the Super Bowl next January. So it goes. It's still a fun game to watch or, in my case, to listen to. DH has the TV facing him, but I sit facing away in the next corner. I listen, and turn around to look for an especially good replay, but I don't actually "watch". 

My own team - the Denver Broncos - aren't doing really great
either, although we are slightly better than DH's Vikings. Neither
team will be in playoff contention this year. 

I'm hoping that our dreary autumn weather clears away so that I can take some photos for all of you. The colors are spectacular - brilliant scarlets, bright oranges, cheerful golds and dark greens. We usually peak this week, and I'd love to share some of our seasonal beauty with all of you. Think "No Rain" for me for a few days, OK? LOL 

I'm hoping for nice weather on Wednesday so that I can take some photos
of our fall colors to share. Right now, grey skies and rain are not
color-friendly and I'm too cold to enjoy driving around and catching
the fall colors. 

So, I'm calling this a wrap. I have to leave a bit earlier than usual today and get some gas on my way to the Chiropractor. Or I could pick gas up on my way back later this morning, but I do need to buy some today - getting low. It's Monday, many people will have the day off here in the USA to celebrate Columbus Day. I've always found it really hard to celebrate Columbus, so I'll ignore it. Have a wonderful day and I'll return tomorrow. 

Looking Opportunity In The Eye

Today is DH's last chance to work on the castle without totally freezing. He wants to re-do the steps so that they are at the correct heights and with treads that are slightly less deep. This will allow the last tread to be much closer to the level of the upper back yard and, hopefully, help control erosion when we get heavy rains or melts. He'll be putting sod on top of the very top step to help stabilize everything and get even more control over run-off.

This is an older photo, but it does show the steps. He'll be working on those
today, redoing them to decrease the slope at the very top right where they
meet the upper yard. That entails adding another step and resetting all of the
steps from top to bottom. It'll be a lot of work, but at least his temps will
be in the upper 50's to mid-60's. 

After today our temps will fall hard. By Thursday we'll be 20-30 degrees colder on average and that's probably the last hurrah for our Autumn and the first strides into our Winter. I'm ready, even though the thought of snow shoveling is appalling.

My Mom's black mink coat is quite similar to this, but
it's a bit shorter since she was several inches shorter
than I am. It's a lovely coat, though, and really toasty warm. 

I will have to keep my eyes open for my "Come and collect your fur coats" card from the local furrier. If you recall, last Spring I took the three coats I had inherited from the three women in my life, (my aunt, my mother-in-law and my mother) to the furrier for cleaning and repair. That was an expensive little visit, but I'm happy that the coats were able to be salvaged and that I have them to remember these amazing ladies with. I plan to actually wear the darned things this year - it's silly to waste them.

DH still drives my Mom's 1992 Saturn. It's certainly seen better days, and
it's creaky and has its quirks, but he basically only drives it to and from
work, so no great distances. We have a great repair place that has kept
everything running smoothly. 

Do any of you have things that you wear that were passed down to you from relatives? Do you actually wear them, or do you just keep them as a memorial to their memory? Most of what I have from my mother are items of jewelry that my Dad bought for her that I had remade into styles I enjoy more, and, of course, the black 3/4-length mink coat. The only thing I inherited from her that is used every day is her car - DH still drives it, although it's practically antique.

We're going to start getting cold now, but it's October and it's
the Frozen Northlands. Cold comes with the territory. 

Here's to an excellent Tuesday. Enjoy yourselves and stay warm.

Hiding From Myself - Catching Up with Miscellaneous Topics

Is there a handy hole I can hide in? I'm still not anywhere ready for Bead Shops Hop, but time moves on and the event starts today - ready or not. I have more beads to put out onto display, I haven't photographed the door prizes yet, and I need to compose and send an email of the Hop to my email customers along with pictures - like one of the door prizes. *sigh*  But, the day will progress whether I wish it or not, so I'm going to dive in, do what I can, and then hide at home - because despite the Hop, it's my day off and I'll be doing laundry, grocery shopping, and talking with Aearwen.

Resurrecting Richard III

Full Episode

September 24, 2014 | 0:54:41

Find out what the bones of King Richard III reveal about his fitness for battle. When a group of amateur historians set out to find the bones of Richard III under a parking lot in England, everyone thought they were mad. Until, a skeleton — hunchbacked and with an arrow in its spine — emerged. University of Leichester scientists ultimately confirmed the identity of the reviled king through DNA. A series of fascinating, new experiments are now underway, including startling new DNA matches, revelations about his fitness going into battle…and a lucky accident when scientists discover a War of the Roses re-enactor—with matching scoliosis — answering the question, could a king with such a deformed body fight ferociously in battle as the heroic accounts suggest?

Many of you commented on my Richard III post of yesterday. A few of you asked for more information about what show it was on so that you can try and find the episode on-line. It was an episode of Public Televisions's (TPT) "Secrets of the Dead" and was entitled "Resurrecting Richard III". In the US, you can watch on-line (follow the link) but I'm not sure if the download will work for my friends in other countries. Give it a try, though. It was a fascinating examination of this very controversial historical figure.

These wonderful retro cats-eye glasses were perfect for Sharon. Thanks
to her sister Cathy for taking such a great photo. 

As my regular readers know, my BFF Sharon came for her annual State Fair/Renaissance Festival trip near the end of August and we spent four very exhausting but wonderful days wandering these two venues. One of the many things we did at the State Fair was visit my favorite glasses shop who have a stand on the second floor of the Grandstand (as well as four actual locations around town). The Spectacle Shoppe is where I purchased my own custom glasses many years ago. Sharon was having contact lens issues so came with glasses for the trip and she was seeking new ones. She found the perfect pair and sent me this truly wonderful photo of her wearing her new frames. I highly approve! They are wonderful and so much fun!

Football stadiums today are massive buildings that seat 50,000 or more people
for each game. It's a far cry from the smaller stadiums that were in place
when the blackout rule was first instituted. 

For many years the National Football League has had a rule in place with the Federal Communications Commission called the Blackout Rule. Basically stated, if the home team does not sell a certain proportion of their seats for a game within a set number of hours before the game is played, the game will not be broadcast in the local area. This was meant as an incentive to get fans to buy tickets and watch the games in person instead of going to their local sports bar or their nearest TV. The FCC eliminated the Black-out Law yesterday and I'm delighted. As stadiums become larger and larger, accommodating 50,000+ people, not all games will be that popular. And not all of us enjoy the crowds and traffic, not to mention the expense, of seeing the game in person. Now we can watch the game on our own televisions without worrying about ticket sales. Freedom!

It's now October and you know what that means - ghosts and
ghouls and things that go bump in the night. Look at this lovely
carved pumpkin. Are you ready for your own carving party? It's not
too many days away now. Stock up on the candy and start
decorating the house. Halloween is only 30 days away!

Finally, after a wonderfully warm weekend, fall temperatures are back again. We're in the 40's-50's overnight and in the upper 50's to lower 70's for the days. This is the autumn I'm used to, and even though I loved indulging in the hot temps we had over the weekend, I'm just fine with allowing the seasons to move through their annual, cyclic dance.

Time to get hopping...

Well - I've got to get going. I have a Hop to finish the preparations for. (This is me, hopping away - LOL.) Have a wonderful Wednesday.

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!

Photo Blog - The Wonders of Autumn

Autumn is my favorite season, but I'm not really ready for cold yet. It will kick back to warm temperatures again soon, but right now it's going to be a chilly weekend. DH and I will be cold at Renaissance Festival this weekend while we celebrate our wedding anniversary with Wine and Chocolate weekend. Next week we'll celebrate our anniversary for real - 35 years. What can I say ... we're stubborn people - LOL. So here are pictures of what I love about autumn for all of you in a photo blog for a chilly Saturday. 

You thought I'd stick with the typical autumn foliage? Maybe later in the
post, but one of the things I remember from growing up was seeing huge
machines harvesting the ripe crops throughout the flatlands. The golden grains
of wheat and soybeans and the green stalks of corn would fall to the
massive machines, leaving their carcasses to be baled or harrowed back
into the furrows. Harvest time - one of the best times of the year. 

Fall vegetables - those are the best thing about autumn. I really
love the harvested squash and corn. It's comfort food. 

Halloween comes as one of the last celebrations of Autumn. This annual
celebration of candy, treats, ghosts and things and go bump in the
night has taken on a celebratory face. In olden times, it was a bit
more harrowing, a time when the walls between dimensions fell for one night. 

Of course I have to put a bit of autumn color in here. This pic is in the northeastern
part of the US, although it could just as easily come from any of Minnesota's
10,000+ lakes. 

The colors of autumn are what make me love this season. The abundance
of the harvest certainly doesn't hurt either. All in all - autumn just rocks! 

Have a wonderful weekend. While we shiver at Renaissance on Sunday, I'll be thinking about all of you who are warmer while we're shivering. 

The Seasons in Pictures

I saw my first patch of green grass yesterday as I dropped mail off at the post office. A real patch of green nestled among the melting snowbanks! *sigh* Spring is truly coming and even though it is likely we will see more snow this season, I have hope that my neverending views of dirty snowbanks will melt away to green leaves, blue skies and flowers - lots of flowers. I'm in a mood to look at seasons in pictures today, so here are four wonderful pictures to help you celebrate the seasons, no matter where you live.

Spring is my second favorite season - a time of renewal, promise and growth. The
bright colors of flowers, the intense yellow greens of new growth. I adore
spring and look forward to it every year. 

Summer is heat, growth, mosquitoes and kids on vacation, lazy days, hot
nights and sun-baked foliage. Although I like summer, it's only
my third favorite season. 

My absolute favorite season of the year is autumn. The colors, the
harvest, and joy of sharing the bounty of the season with loved ones.
Even though winter will come soon, the beauty of autumn almost makes
up for the cold white still to come. 

Winter is beautiful, but my least favorite season. I suspect that when
I retire, my opinions on winter will change. As long as I don't have
to go to work through the snow and only have one property instead of
four to care for, I suspect I'll love winter. After all, firing up my kiln
in the winter is a wonderful, warming experience. 

No matter where you are in the world, you also have a seasonal calendar. Here's hoping that your weekend is perfect and that you always look for the beauty in every scene and person. Happy Saturday!

What a Nice Weekend

OK, to be absolutely truthful, my weekend is from 5:00 p.m. on Saturday until Monday morning - so not really a full two days. But it was wonderful, nonetheless. Why? Read on...

I'm dancing for joy lately. I know that won't last, but it's
a great thing right now. 

Saturday at 4:00 p.m. was the second pick-up day at my Father-by-Marriage's house for items that had been sold on the on-line auction. Everything except the pool table and one person from out of town's items had been picked up by the time I dropped by to see DH there after I shut down the store Saturday night. I went through the house with him. The rooms are mostly empty. We still have clean-up to do, and there is trash to throw out, but there is no other way that we could have gotten so much out of the house so quickly. Even though I would have changed some things if I was doing this again, it was a good experience. We waited until my nephew arrived with a new toilet that he was installing in the downstairs bathroom, then left to grab some dinner and call it a night.

The easiest way? Have a relative do it for you! Yes, of course
we paid him - he is a trained plumber. But we didn't have
to try and do the darned thing ourselves. Yippee!

Sunday we woke, dressed and went to Renaissance Festival for the day. The weather was perfect. It was cold in the morning - mid 50's when we arrived. But the skies were blue - not a cloud in sight - and by the afternoon the temps were in the mid 70's and the fest was crowded with patrons. Next weekend is the final weekend of this year's Fest, so we'll be there rain or shine to wrap the season up. Another plus - the final two weeks of the season they run a special price on next year's season tickets, so we purchased next season's admissions yesterday and saved a bundle. Basically, during our fourth visit we start attending for free and since the season is seven weekends long, we go for free for half of the weekends. It's a great deal and we always grab it.

Twig the Fairy was in fine form at Fest yesterday. She started at the
Minnesota Renaissance Festival many years ago and is still'
one of our top street performers.

We had a nice, light dinner and DH grumped about how horribly his football team is playing this year (they were really pathetic in yesterday's loss). My team plays tonight, but I have high hopes for them. Go Broncos!

DH's Minnesota Vikings played horribly on Sunday. Hopefully my
own beloved Denver Broncos can do better tonight on Monday Night Football.

An on-line writing friend is coming to town for a wedding at the end of the week and we're trying to work out a RL meeting for Wednesday. I'll know more a bit later today or tomorrow, but it would be a wonderful thing. I always love to meet my on-line friends and acquaintances in RL when I can. Some of my best friends started out as text exchanges between keyboards and I cherish each one!

Meeting new friends is always such fun!

The final items from the on-line auction are being picked up this afternoon and at 6:15 pm tonight, and then we'll be done with this segment and ready to get the house on the market. We're running about a week later then I wanted on my mental schedule, but that's not too bad considering all we were trying to get accomplished. Fall is looking like it's going to be a great season!

And finally, an author I follow on-line made a custom cell-phone skin featuring one of her books and had the link. I decided that since it was very inexpensive, I could afford to change skins for the season, so I downloaded an autumnal pic and it's getting printed and shipped to me as we speak. If you're interested in making one for yourself, check them out at cellphoneshop.net .

I decided on a detailed look at that solitary autumnal tree that I used
in my celebration of fall post last week. It will be a wonderful
seasonal cellphone sink for my phone. 

Have a great Monday!

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.