It's Been Awhile!

It's Autumn. No question. The tempo picks up around here more than at any other time of year. I see a downturn in participation online in groups and blogs because so many folks are back in school (students, teachers & librarians), but parents are busier keeping the kids activities together along with their own.

I've always loved fall. I can remember the excitement of going back to school, but I love the crisp air as temperatures drop, the crunch of dried leaves underfoot. People start baking again (I think apples, pumpkin, and cinnamon are some of my favorite food smells...).

Knitters start working with wool again. Of course, some of us never stop, but new projects are just itching to get started! I start making Nana Sadie Rose bags with a vengeance - partly due to the September cat show, but also with an eye to the Christmas craft shows and gift orders I begin to receive...

Mostly I like this:

The sunsets of Autumn. As I drove home tonight, this was what I was driving into! It was so gorgeous, that I pulled off, rolled down the window, and took this shot.

It's a time of purples, russets, golds, black...some of my favorite colors. Hmmm...wonder what I have in stash that would work up into some cool bags for fall?
(((hugs)))

Eating Local & Updating The Kitchen...

My fall gift to myself is the toaster oven you see in the background below. I wanted one that was an Oster, as I'd heard good things from my big sister about hers. When I got to Tar-Jay, they only had the stainless steel and I despise cleaning stainless...I kept looking to see that I really had what I wanted and suddenly realized that there was a red one. RED? Really?

So here you go. I have a vegetable theme in my kitchen - colors of black, white, green, yellow and - ta da - RED! So it was delightful to find this! And it works so well (so far, anyway...).

In that shot you can also see the local produce I found on my farmer's market run on Saturday - the October beans are already in the freezer, one of the eggplants is in a vegetable stew in my crockpot crock in the fridge (to cook tomorrow), honey from a local farmer (goes well with the Bee Shawl I hope to knit someday soon), the rosemary sourdough from On The Rise bakery here in Roanoke (sorry, they don't have a website), and locally grown tomatoes, too...

I've been spending some of my "vacation" time, while the Bernina is undergoing annual maintenance, working to get a bit more settled in this new place (that I've been living in since March!!). I finally got a bit of the kitchen done, tho' there's enough left to do, that I won't share photos, yet.

I hope you're enjoying the harvest season!

This is soooooo true!

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?