the last few nice days

Two days ago - Monday - was probably the last nice (read: warm) day we'll have here

until next April. I decided to take advantage of it and go for a hike in a beautiful bog area

that's just an eight-minute drive from my house. If you've never walked on a boardwalk through

a bog, it's quite interesting. The path is a little shaky and wobbly since it's resting on top of 

water, so it's a little scary at first, but you get used to it. I had practically the whole place to

myself and I felt like I was transported into another world, walking through the tall grasses

and woods. I brought my new camera (the DSLR that Tim gave me) and decided to give

it a try using the automatic setting, not the manual. I previously tried the manual setting like

Tim suggested and let me tell you - my pictures were awful. I also have no idea what all those

buttons and dials and settings are for and how to use them, so I have a lot of learning to do.

And I do want to learn, because I love photography. I guess winter will be a good time to

use on-line tutorials and look at some books that I have.

At the end of my hike in a more open area, I came upon some gorgeous oak and maple

trees that still had their leaves. Most of the trees in my area - including the beautiful red

maple across the street at my neighbors house that I've showed you pictures of - have lost

all of their leaves already. 

I laid down on the grass under a big oak and daydreamed and let any stress

and worries just melt away. I almost fell asleep! How long has it been since you

laid under a tree? I highly recommend this free therapy.

This is what I don't recommend: moving furniture.

 

That was Sunday. I had the brilliant idea of trying to rearrange my living room.

I cleaned behind all the furniture while I was at it. The worst part was that once

I rearranged things, I didn't like how it looked, so everything needed to be moved

back to its original places. Good thing Brian was home from work by then because

I was worn out and my back was very sore. 

The daytime temperatures here are now in the 40's and 50's, but it goes down into

the low 30's at night. The extended forecast shows temps going down to 28 on Friday

night (poor kids and parents who will be trick-or-treating!) so yesterday we put my

rose bush to bed for the winter.

This photo was taken just five days ago. Yesterday, there were no blooms left at all.

Brian took dirt from our compost bin and mounded it under the bush. Next step will be

to cover it with leaves and put a wire or styrofoam cover over it. We still have a couple

of big planters with some flowers in them that are still somehow hanging on, but we

really need to dump them before we get a big freeze. I somehow feel like a plant murderer

when we have to do that. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

autumn goodness ~ dinners, friends, decor, and trees

Hello, friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I know some of you living

in southern California are still experiencing hot temperatures. I sure wish I could

usher some of our cool - okay, and downright cold a couple of nights this week -

air your way. It's now mainly in the 50's during the day with maybe a 60+ degree day

here and there. We're pulling up the down comforter at night and Zippo has started his

cold weather routine of sleeping under the covers all nestled between us for warmth.

This past Friday night, I traveled into Chicago to attend a friend's annual fall dinner

party. I didn't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic going down there, so I left early and

hung out in a little neighborhood by my friend's house. I took a nice walk and stopped 

in a couple of shops. My first stop was Gene's Sausage Shop. I didn't buy anything, but

it was fun to look around. It's two floors filled with a butcher shop, deli, bakery, and lots

of European gourmet specialty products.

They had a pretty impressive wine section, too.

I ended up spending the most time at The Book Cellar - a great little independent

book store where I explored some pretty cool cookbooks.

And then ~ an awesome fall candlelight dinner with seven amazing ladies.

The soup that my friend made was out of this world. It warmed me from my

heart to my toes. It tasted like a rich (but it's not - no cream! In fact, it's vegan

if you choose not to top with goat cheese) bowl of creamy, earthy veggies. I can't 

wait to make it at home. 

My friend shared the recipe with me and I am sharing with you:

Winter Vegetable Soup

Recipe created by Lulu Powers--Madonna’s caterer)

For 6 servings

3 T olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 cup peeled, cored and coarsely chopped Granny Smith apple

1 cup peeled and coarsely chopped turnip

1 cup peeled and chopped butternut squash (seeds discarded)

1 cup coarsely chopped carrot

1 cup peeled, chopped sweet potato

** I also add 1 cup golden beets, peeled and chopped

5 cups vegetable stock

¼ cup maple syrup (I use half of that)

cayenne pepper (I use 1/4 teaspoon)

 optional: 1 small baguette, 3 oz. goat cheese

optional: ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped and sprinkled on top of soup

 Heat oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent.

 Add apple, turnips, squash, carrot, beet, sweet potato and sauté 5-10 minutes. Add 

stock, bring to boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Add syrup and

 cayenne peepper. Cool slightly. Puree with handheld mixer or blender.

If desired, toast slices of baguette and spread with goat cheese to float on soup.

******************

I really do have the most awesome and talented friends. I've been adding touches

of fall decor around my house and when some of those things are handmade, they

add so much more to a home, don't they? This beautiful tea towel was made by Penny

from At Home in English Garden.

She also gifted me with three autumn pillowcases. One was supposed to be for Tim, 

but I forgot to send it back to school with him while he was home this weekend. Oops!

As you can see, my master bedroom is done in light blue (and that is definitely going to

change in the near future - it's the next room to work on), so fall colors don't really "go"

in this room, but that's OK. I think the colors add a little warmth and "oomph" to the 

pale decor and besides, anything made by a friend deserves a very special place in

my home whether it matches or not!

I found some old Halloween lights when I was digging through my box of fall

decor, so hung those up around the fireplace...and I also added a very special

little something on my ladder bookcase. Do you see it? 

It's the cutest fall banner made by none other than Judy from 20 North Ora!

Talented and crafty Judy also makes burlap runners like this pretty bird themed one 

on my buffet. She also makes a lot of different pillows. Check out her etsy shop here.

  

Moving on to the kitchen...the shelves now carry a couple of cute ghosts and a

long ago thrifted autumn covered dish...

and the china cabinet got a makeover with owls and other assorted fall

goodies. The only thing "new" in this cabinet are the two little blue bird

salt and pepper shakers on the bottom shelf.

Aren't they darling? My mom was at my house one day last week and we went

to the new vintage shop in my town. This was all I bought ($4). Funds are tight and

I'm trying not to bring so much stuff into my house anymore. But these spoke to me.

Or chirped or tweeted or something like that.

 

Outdoor beauty...the maple tree across the street changes every single day.

I've been trying to remember to take a photo of it every day to document its progress.

From looking back at last year's photos, this tree should be at the height of its color

peek by mid-October. It turns a brilliant red, but it only lasts a few days. Next thing

you know, all the leaves are on the ground. So I'm savoring its beauty for a short while.

This is how it looks today.

 

And taking a walk around my neighborhood, this is a tree by a charming little house

on the next block. Not sure what kind of tree this is though. Oh - and this house is for

sale. Anyone want to move to northern Illinois and be my neighbor?

 

A few doors down from the house for sale - this mighty, brilliant oak.

 

As always, thank you for your visit and your lovely comments. They are always

appreciated and I reply on this blog to every one of them. 

bad storms and the appreciation of electricity

We've been deluged with rain and thunderstorms here in northern Illinois for the past

two weeks. While it's been more of a nuisance than anything else (limited yard work due

to the constant rain, barrage of mosquitoes, and humidity so thick that you could cut

it with a knife), yesterday was a different story. It was mostly overcast but the sun came

out here and there. I helped a friend pack her kitchen items for her big move next

weekend and then we went out to a late lunch. When we got out to her car, we saw from

the raindrops on the car that it had obviously rained while we were in the restaurant. But

the sun was already out again. Again, passing storms - no big deal.

I got home and was busy doing things around the house, so I didn't notice that the

sky was turning black. Brian arrived home from work and told me there was a tornado

warning! We headed down to the basement and a minute later we could hear the torrential

rains and wind whipping everything around. We even heard a couple of loud crashes.

It was over in just 1/2 hour and we headed upstairs and outside to see what had

happened. Huge tree limbs were down all over neighbor's yards and the street.

 

Just two doors down and across the street, a massive tree fell on the power

lines.

My next-door neighbor's maple tree cracked and fell across his back yard. It just

missed his house.

 

The only damage in our yard was my overturned planter...

 

and more plants and my vintage window blown over.

 

The worst part was, the power went out. All us neighbors stayed outside talking

to each other late into the night until it was time to go to bed. However, my phone

was losing power and I needed to charge it up, so I got in my car and took a long

drive with my phone plugged into the car charger. It was almost midnight and very

foggy outside when my phone was still only at 38% power and I said to myself, 

"forget it" and went home and tried to sleep. With it being hot and sticky outside

and not even a fan to keep us cool, needless to say, we only caught bits and pieces

of sleep during the night.

This morning - still no power. Brian went off to work and I cleaned up fallen branches

all over the yard, swept off the porch and sidewalk, and bailed water out of the sump

pump. Neighbors gathered in the street again and one passed out bottles of cold water

while we all commiserated together (after all, misery loves company!) and watched

the work crew cut the fallen tree out of the electrical lines.

I then spent the rest of the day at my friend's air-conditioned house until I heard

our power was back on - almost 24 hours. I'm now back at home and Brian just got

home from work. We now have to go through our fridge and freezer and see if any

food can be salvaged. All in all, even though I'm exhausted, I am thankful that my

house didn't suffer any damage and that our basement didn't flood. We've been 

through that nightmare twice in the past few years and I never want to go through

it again! Onwards and upwards... 

patio time

I love this south side of our house where the patio is. We live on such a small plot of

land that this is the only semi-private space we have. And with all the neighbor's trees

on this side of our house, it stays shady until mid-afternoon. It's a great place to have

morning coffee.

On the double shepherd's hooks on this side of the house, I decided to go

with what I had instead of spending money on hanging baskets. 

Our patio set was given to us by some dear friends of ours who were down-
sizing. It's perfect for our space. The little table/ottoman and wicker stand are thrifted
 pieces that I've had for a long time. I'd like to find a large metal art piece - perhaps a

big sun? - to hang on the aluminum siding. I know they make vinyl siding hooks that

you can just slip under the siding, so I'm assuming they make ones for aluminum

siding, too. Or that you can use the ones made for the vinyl siding. 

The neighbor's trees that hang over the patio are the perfect place to hang

things such as wind chimes... 

and a candle holder that I use as a bird cage.

We're taking advantage of the beautiful weather before the mosquitoes

get too crazy and spending some relaxing time on the patio in the 

early evenings. The vintage colander ~ now planter ~ was a recent find at 

Goodwill. I lined the bottom with coffee filters so the dirt wouldn't fall out of the holes.

 Brian installed a new thermostat last night and no luck with either the AC or furnace

switching on. We're going to be calling a HVAC guy later today. Today it's 86

degrees but the humidity is only 28% which is really low for our area, so it

doesn't seem too hot in the house. Good thing we have a lot of fans!