Autumn

 

Hello, Dear Friends! 

Here we are, halfway through autumn, and I am 

just getting around to sharing my favorite season with you! 

Time is rushing by a little too quickly for me

and I am always hurrying to catch up. 

I've been busy with day-to-day life, 

something, I think, is so easily taken for granted. 

Many in this troubled world would be so grateful for 

the simple routines of daily living, 

and I am so very aware of how fortunate I am. 

xx

While I was clearing out my craft room upstairs to 

convert into a guest room, I found a stack of old 

phone books on a shelf filled with pressed leaves and flowers! 

I had completely forgotten about them! 

So, I decided to arrange them in a pretty window frame.

xx

The frame was a gift from my son, Dustin and wife, Jen

a few years ago.   

I made a little vignette with sunflowers, a candle from my daughter, Jennie,

 and a crow 'whirly-gig'

that my dear father made many years ago. 

My Dad has been gone 11 years now, but I still think of him 

nearly every day. 

xx

He was a kind, gentle, soft-spoken man, 

but strong, dependable and an incredibly hard worker. 

He would do anything for his family, 

but never demanded recognition, 

even as he was quick to give it to others. 

He loved to tell stories about his childhood, 

had twinkly, bright blue eyes, and a wonderful, self-deprecating

sense of humor.  

The last few years of his life, he suffered with Alzheimer's. 

It was incredibly hard, especially when he didn't 

recognize us anymore, but the very last time 

we saw him, he miraculously remembered, and the Mr. and I 

spent a wonderful afternoon watching him smile 

and squeeze our hands, as by then he had lost 

his ability to speak. 

It was one final gift. 

Sunshine on a beautiful fall day. 

Blue and gold are a combo I've never tried before,

but I like it! 

My old hutch. 

I haven't done too much fall decorating, just 

a few little touches here and there.

 I also changed some artwork. 

Some dear, fall gifts from my sweet Sis-in-law. 

xx

The wooden leaf was from my daughter, Heather. 

We bought a new refrigerator with a white enamel finish to match 

my vintage stove, but now my 'Kitchen Queen' cupboard looks rather 

dull next to its bright white finish. 

I might paint it, but want to research the colors 

of the 1930's, when the cupboard was built. 

I'm thinking a soft green, maybe. 

Any suggestions?

Vase, wicker ball, and basket was also from daughter, Heather. 

I gathered and dried a bunch of hydrangeas from my garden. 

They start out blue and with the cooler weather, 

they turn lovely shades of green and purple. 

I made my first fall soup; 

'Butternut squash'. 

So good with nutmeg and a dollop of sour cream. 

Here is the Recipe .

Some more gatherings from my garden. 

Allium and columbine seed-heads. 

The watercolor/ink prints are from the 50's, 

in their original frames. 

A lucky thrift store find. 

xx

The urn was a lovely gift from my family 

on my birthday quite a few years ago, 

from Pier One Imports. 

xx

Speaking of birthdays...

I recently celebrated mine. 

I am Scorpio with a Pisces moon sign. 

The phrase, "Still waters run deep"

perfectly describes Scorpio.

Scorpio gets a bad rap sometimes, and it's true, 

that if betrayed, we find it very hard to trust again. 

But we are true to our word and will stand by those we love, 

but don't dare lie to us, because we will 'know'. 

Just ask my kids.

Lol! 

xx

"We are born at a given moment, in a given place,

and like vintage years of wine, we have the

qualities of the year and of the season

in which we are born." 

- Carl Gustav Jung -

xx

What sign are you? 

A vignette on my mantel. 

The pottery bowl was crafted by my son, Gabe 

as a school boy. 

Speaking of loyal...

xx

Guest bath vignette. 

The pretty tray was a lovely gift from DIL, Erica. 

Library shelves. 

Don't you love looking at the books on people's shelves? 

I'm nosy that way. 

Lol! 

I inherited the beautiful, leather-bound books 

from my dear Mom. 

She was an avid reader and we used to share books. 

Our own little 'book club'.

 

The lower shelf holds children's books that

I loved as a child and shared with my own children. 

The green, matching set, are Louisa May Alcott's

'Little Women' series. 

Did you know that some vintage green books are poisonous? 

They contain arsenic!

You can read more about this 1800's poisonous dye, here.

I collected the gray urns, birds, frames and plaque over time. 

The plaque depicts 'The Three Graces' from Greek Mythology. 

Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia

personified

charm, grace and beauty. 

xx

More children's books, in pretty, fall colors.

Fall color on the deck. 

Sedum. 

Purple chrysanthemums. 

Winter Pansies.

You can see the faint outline of Mt. Rainier

amidst the misty skies. 

Barberry. 

I planted the golden Russian ash trees as saplings

years ago.

  

The cedar trees lose their needles and carpet the ground

this time of year. 

I spent a sunny afternoon harvesting the mini-pumpkins

in the barrels by the playhouse a couple of weeks ago. 

My faithful companions. 

xx

The 'harvest'. Lol! 

I planted some bulbs in the barrels for spring.

Daffodils and purple alliums. 

Two things that I know the deer won't eat! 

I harvested my tansy, too. 

Tansy in bloom - late summer. 

A nice harvest. 

After stripping the leaves and seed heads from 

the stems, (with gloves on) I ended up with two large baskets full. 

I brought them inside and dried the leaves 

right in the baskets. I 'fluffed' them twice a day, 

and they dried in 2 weeks. 

I will use the sharp, piney-scented tansy in moth-repellant sachets. 

I'm going to spread the seeds along the fence-line. 

Tansy is a drought and deer resistant perennial 

with yellow, 'button' flowers

in late summer. 

Tansy is not for internal consumption! 

Sunset illuminating the mist on the flanks of Mt. Rainier. 

Some local color. 

Full wolf moon. 

xx

Thank you for sharing the autumn beauty with me, dear friends,  

here in the Cascade mountains of Washington State. 

I hope that you are finding peace and comfort in the small pleasures 

of everyday life, as we struggle to make sense of this 

complicated world. 

xx

'The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken

and in heaps, is because man is disunited with himself."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson - 

"A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just."

- Pope Francis -

"If you want to change the world, start with yourself."

- Mahatma Gandhi -