Autumn

Day Sixteen - Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

On the drive to church today I saw some gorgeous Burning Bush shrubs (Euonymus alatus) still glowing red, while most trees are now bare of leave. The vibrant red looks so pretty in the now barren landscape. I love the colors of Autumn, burgundy, red, orange, gold, yellow. I'm grateful to live where there are four distinct seasons, each with their own delights. 

(I wish I could share photos, but my laptop is so old I can't update the operating system and I'm not able to post photos anymore.)   

Autumn Colors

Day Two - Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

My inadequate cameras can't capture the beauty of the colors of autumn, so I capture them in my mind and hold on to the precious memories. Yellow, gold, orange, red, burgundy against a bright blue sky, or sometimes lit by the setting sun against a dark gray cloud. Bright green is still visible in some trees, and the fir, pine and spruce are dark blue green. The weeds are yellow and brown, the grass a faded green. 

I love colors! I'm so grateful for this beautiful world of God's creation and for my eyes to see it.

We Survived the Plague and I Read A Lot

TopDad came home from a weekend working on the house we still own in Iowa and gave me a little kiss. I said, "Don't kiss me like we're married, kiss me like we're lovers!" So he did. And the next day he began having symptoms of Covid. And four days later so did I. (He was "vaccinated" last Spring so that they could go back to in person school. I did not get any shots.)

I went to the hospital first because I couldn't stop vomiting and had severe abdominal pain. I was dehydrated and spent three days and two nights in the hospital. I came home on a Thursday, and TopDad went to the hospital on Friday. He was there a bit longer because he got pneumonia. 

We are recovering, but this is a totally perverse disease and we keep having little flare ups that knock us back. 

I've been reading lots of books as that's about all I have strength for. So here's the list for September:

1. The Kalahari Typing school for Men by Alexander McCall Smith; continuing the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

2. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict; story of Hedy Lamar*

3. Anna's Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher; a fictional account of early Amish immigrants*

4. Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

5. Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith; a delightful collection of short stories inspired by antique photos.*

6. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

7. The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

8. Love's Faithful Promise by Susan Anne Mason* (I can't even remember what this was about.)

9. Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton; a look at why most of our giving does more harm than good.

10. Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

11. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith; next in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

12. These High Green Hills by Jan Karon

13. I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

14. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith; No. 1 Ladies etc.

15. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith; No. 1 Ladies etc.

So many of the books I read were old friends from the past. I just needed uplifting, encouraging, non-challenging reads while sick and recovering. *Only four out of the fifteen were books I'd not read before.

We've had gorgeous Autumn weather, warmer than usual, which is okay by me. The colors have been lovely too. I make an effort to enjoy each day and soak up as much sunshine as I can knowing it won't last forever. Last year on this date we had our first snowfall. I hope we don't get any snow until late November.

My pretty Oak tree.

Autumn Update

A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen!

Uncluttered counters leave room for food prep!

I took the white chair rail off the walls and like the look better. Eventually I'll remove all the wallpaper and paint the walls my favorite pale pink.

TopDad surprised me with a bouquet of gorgeous flowers!

Our first snowfall on October 14.

It began to look a lot like Christmas! And I'm not ready.

The cold, gloomy weather called for a pot of "Cowgirl Stew".

This image of the dining room ceiling is proof of why I can't just quickly paint. There is tons of prep work to do and I'm not sure of how solid the plaster underneath is. In other places the plaster is actually falling down!

The painted over wallpaper is cracking and separating from the wall. I had hoped to paint over it, but in the spots where I tested paint, it looks terrible so it must come off.

More cracks and separation in the dining room.

The living room is even worse!

No way I'm going to paint over this mess. It has to be removed.

More of the living room.

The walls are over nine feet tall, and the middle of the ceiling is almost eleven feet tall. It makes me tired just to look at it! I'm a slow worker so I'm not eager to tear into it and live in a mess for a year or two. I have to "gird up my loins, fresh courage take" and proceed! Anyone want to come over and help?

I love the space of this home. It is what I wanted for our family. Just have to get rid of the soul-sucking decor and paint it the colors that enliven my soul, put up my artwork and pretty plates, and then it will be as close to perfect as I'll get in this life.