Saturday, October 6, 2018

the yin and yang of fall

 We've had just a few sunny days in-between a ton of gloomy, rainy ones. On one of those rare, sunny days we took a hike in the nearby State Park.




The one thing we forgot is that the mosquitoes have been extra bad this year. We have a contract service that sprays for mosquitoes around our property every three weeks, so it was easy to forget that they'd be in abundance in the park. We had to walk with our shirts up around our necks to avoid the blood suckers. Other people passing us had their hoodies up over their heads, though with the sun beating down, it was hot. We were a sweaty mess by the time we got back to our car.


 This might've been a better idea to keep the skeeters off our heads.


I'm not big into mums, but I do buy one big bunch every fall for my front porch. I think they look pretty in this galvanized tub. I just plopped the entire pot down in there; I didn't replant them in the tub.


This big summer pot of annuals is still somehow going strong on my porch, too. Must be the combination of morning sun and all the rain we've had.


Otherwise, this is what the patio side of the house looks like right now: a tad dismal. We haven't been able to keep the patio furniture cushions out because of all the rain. Will we ever get to use the patio again before it's too cold? 🙁 It's been buried in wet leaves, too. This was after I used the leaf blower to clear off the patio and the furniture.


As I do every fall, I've been taking photos of the neighbor's glorious maple tree. A few days ago when we had a little bit of sun, the colors of the sky and tree were absolute perfection.


The gray, gloomy mornings call for candlelight on the mantel...


And little touches of fall around the house...I added some fall cheer to the small china cabinet in my kitchen by putting scrapbook paper on the back of the middle shelf.


I needed a new pillow for the living room couch. A trip to HomeGoods yielded this beauty. A saleslady who saw me looking at this pillow said it was her favorite - and the last one left. I love the colors and textures.


And it's reversible!


Homemade soups are back in my cooking repertoire again. A simple vegetable soup with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese hits the spot on cool days.


It's rainy here (surprise, surprise), so we went to the movies today to see A Star is Born. It was phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about this movie. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga blew me away. We were going to go to a fall fest tomorrow, but with all the rain, I'm sure it'll be cancelled. We need to do things like look for new eye glasses for Brian and check out washing machines and dishwashers (yes, we need both at once - ugh) at Home Depot.

Have a great weekend!





13 comments:

  1. Nothing worse than walking with bugs all around. Doesn't happen often here but at certain times of the year there are these little flies that will just constantly hover around your face. Very annoying. Soup is yummy and eaten all year around here, even when it's 120 degrees outside. :) Definitely looking like lovely Fall around your place.

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  2. I think if you had worn a giant cat head to the forest preserve, you would be nicely asked to never return.
    Owning a home stinks. We had to fix our stove AND dryer this week- 600 dollars later. Still not enough for brand new appliances but so much that I'll be broke for a while. Sigh.

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  3. Your home and gardens are so pretty! I love fall, wish it lasted longer! Your soup looks so good, inspires me for what to make for dinner!!

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  4. Oh bugs on a walk is like a nightmare to me! We have had some beautiful days here but way too hot for Oct! I want Fall weather. Your home is so lovely and I like the small touches of warmth that Fall decor brings. My Mom and I love soup and she mentioned yesterday it was getting to be soup weather! Yum!

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  5. It looks like the walk was beautiful well minus those pesky mosquitoes. We have them in abundance here and it is still so hot it is ridiculous.

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  6. We have had a bumper crop of mosquitoes here this year, too. They are so annoying! Glad you got a walk in-even if it was a hot one and required a hood.

    Your garden areas are lovely and, like you. mums don't call my name in fall. lol Just made butternut squash soup last night and I see SOMEONE got up and ate the leftover soup. lol

    Have a great Sunday- xo Diana

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  7. Do you know that mosquitoes light on me, but don't bite? I don't know why. Maybe it's a medication I take. You and Brian do so many wonderful things together. I do know there is a happily married couple in the world. Share some of those soup recipes!
    Brenda

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  8. Your soup looks delicious! Unfortunately, it is still hot and muggy where I live. It has been a very miserable summer and I am looking forward to fall. It is my very favorite time of the year. I am ready for all the insects to disappear. Didn't you buy a washing machine not too long ago? For some reason, I was thinking that you wrote about the type of machine you bought.

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  9. I just had to get a new dishwasher - highly recommend Kitchenaide. I bought it at Best Buy which matched Home Depot's lower price on it, & delivered it free 3 days later. My old house then required a new electrical outlet installed for it. The money spent on installation by my expert plumber + an electrician was less than the dishwasher cost, but not much. If my plumber had not been an electrician's son, he probably would have walked away, not knowing how to temporarily access the power for it. It's always something, as Roseanne Roseannadanna's father said! Good luck! Thanks, as always, for all the photos.

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  10. It's humid and hot here and not all all fall like...yet my plants are withering, so they look terrible. But that's ok, I'm not a fan of the frigid weather. I do however like sun and I hope you get some soon!!

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  11. Oy with the mosquitos! We've never had them like this. I love your mums in the tub. Galvanized makes everything look prettier!

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  12. Like you, I'm not really into mums, but I buy one big plant each year for the porch and then I plant them in the garden. Now that all my summer blooms are gone, my garden is full of mums. It has been nice because I haven't been able to work in the garden much. So, I have an entirely new appreciation of mums.

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  13. Why hasn't someone invented a lightweight mosquito proof bonnet, preferably with a little fan tucked in a peak? Your new pillow is so pretty, Melanie! And I'm like you, not crazy about mums but never can resist one for the front porch (although that didn't happen this year). Your plants still look healthy. Most of ours do too but dead leaves littering all over the garden do make our look bedraggled. I'm wondering if we'll even have color this year but remind myself that we normally don't get much here anymore until early November.

    I know you love sunshine but the candles on your mantel look so cozy and welcoming and your bowl of vegetable soup looks perfect for the day.

    I hope you find some good deals on appliances!

    Best to you,
    Dewena

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