The Seasonal Transition

Hello to Autumn! 

Each year when the ambient temperatures cool and frost appears, there is a sense of prepare for winter.

The little shovel and scrapers go into the vehicle. Deicer spray in the closet. A mat is put down for wet boots. Gloves are moved up to the small drawer by the door. 

Soup weather brain lights brighten. Hot chocolate mugs are lined up. The crockpot silently sits on the counter.

There may be hot weather before the trees are all bare, but pumpkin hunting and hot soup season is here. 

Half Way Done September

   Almost

Autumn is 4 days away! 

Leaves in the higher elevations are showing fall colors. It is still daylight at 6 PM EDT, but I need to turn on  the living room lamp. I can see the sun on the tree tops and shadow down to the ground. 

Have a Bright Weekend!

Make hot chocolate mix

Line up apple recipes

List local fall festivals

Shop fingerless gloves online

Read about barn history

Buy a warm scarf

Bake spinach quiche

Pray for reasonable rain

Day 261 of Week 38 September 2025

 All week has felt like a Saturday to me. Posting the day and week numbers on Thursday instead of the usual Friday, feels right. I hope it doesn’t throw anyone off.

What new things have I learned this week? 

The pumpkin version of Special K is pretty good (based on my limited ability to taste). 

A quarter pound of Genoa salami is an act of denial for me because there is rarely enough left the next day to make the picnic sandwich I bought it for. I know I need a half pound.

I need a book to keep recipes in that has paper thick enough to glue cut outs in. My menu is so bland and predictable, my interest in preparing meals is nearing zero. I need to use recipe files.

I learned that if you don’t like something a person publicly advocates for, then in America, saying you don’t like that person, might get you targeted for hate speech. That is very scary. 😱 

As for information I didn’t know, I remember listening and knowing the tips are new to me, but I forget what the tips are. They are something about hiking safety. 

Oh! One is to not run because that can trigger a bobcat’s chase instinct. Back away slowly, look bigger, do not run. 

What new have you learned this week?

Rainbow Cloud 18 September 2025

No Place To Go

 Have you ever felt an urge to just move someplace or change your life into something else but have no idea where or what? There must be a name for it. 

Ah! The word wanderlust just popped into my brain. The feeling is along those lines except you don’t feel like traveling a lot. It is similar to feeling burn out. 

Maybe I’m burned out being elderly!? Nah. I think with all the creative things I have to do, I need a hobby focused on self-improvement. I didn’t get far learning Chinese. Maybe trying Irish will help.

Catch Up In September

Recently. An appointment stress slowed me down on blogging. I am glad to report I found a way to manage the anxiety surge by having a spa day like attitude a few days before the appointment. The problem is afterward, I am so emotionally exhausted, I am very sleepy the rest of the day, even after a power nap. 

It’s always something.

Products. If I find a drink, for example, that doesn’t upset my system, give me an acid stomach then I will buy it in moderation until I read the ingredients. The same for packaged food except for cupcakes and such. I know they aren’t the best food but a rare treat is all right as long as rare means once a month or longer. 

Social Media. Jokes go around about too many hours spent watching video shorts, reels and such in Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram. 

From my experience, Instagram is the biggest time devouring monster!

Hours go by. The algorithm is good though because my interests are not assaulted with weird stuff like a sad story from a woman that looks like she fell out of a porn channel or a guy that thinks a bare chest is a hearing aid. Farmers and ranchers working in fields shirtless is task appropriate. 

Not much of note is going on in my life to blog about. The YouTube channel project is progressing well. The first episode is decided. The next step is to record with audio. 

Voice. We all have a variety of voices that sound different but still sound like us. My before coffee can be rugged. My after coffee cruises into bland land. My Bible reading voice is rather elegant. What my audio voice will be is surely going to feel weird. 

The soon to arrive end of summer weighs on my mind with a frosty edge. Stocking up on hot chocolate and broth are on my list. This year I’m making homemade hot chocolate mix to use up the cocoa (before it expires).

Are you preparing for frosty weather?Are you making homemade hot chocolate mix? 

Summer Photograph: Sandals

Sandals well worn into October feels like the report of the last day of skiing. On the day if the first frost, sandal season is officially over. I can wear them longer but it doesn’t count.

The Asters & the Bumble Bee

 Sitting on the porch for a while when I arrive home is what I like to do, no matter what the weather is like. I put the aster plant (i thought was a mum) on the chair beside me. I hear a buzzing going on. This is what I saw.

Common Eastern Bumble Bee

Make-up, Apples & Old Things

At the bottom of a make-up bag, there’s always ancient things I haven’t used in ages. Creams, masques, lipsticks and such have shelf life. If I can’t remember when I bought it or last used it, then in the trash it goes. 

My recent thrift store find is a lovely apple peeler gadget. Dutch apple pie is on my mind. I also want to freeze chopped apples to use instead of applesauce. 

I’ve had that paint scraper tool since early 1990s. I have others in various sizes. That one has an old friend vibe. 

Clearing out things brings with it a lot of memories. 

What is your oldest go to gadget? 

Day 255 of Week 37 September 2025

There is an abundance of news in broad subjects that we can separate into a positive group for each. If we narrow the range, then, I feel, the gathering of good news loses weight. 

A healthy balance, IMHO, requires that the bad news not be so obese that it pulls down our effort to nurture our lives with positive information. 

On day 255 of 2025, the negatives are overwhelming. How do we adjust life for better balance? 

Faith. 

If you have faith, be it with a religion, mindfulness or meditation, having a place to go to comfort your soul might be what you need. 

God Bless America

 

Shopping List Dropping

Shopping has taken a turn for the worse on prices.

I like the place mats from the local Dollar General store. They are easy to use and clean. For a dollar, they were a good purchase. 

This year, the price is $2.00 US dollars. I want the orange ones for fall decor. I am dropping them from my fall decor shopping list. 

On grocery shopping, my list is being adjusted. Condiments, (since my sense of taste is nearly wiped out by the 2022 covid booster), are very limited. Not buying ketchup is the new norm. I buy cream soups for easy recipes. If the cans are any smaller, then I will not buy them. I will make my own. 

To help prevent lost food in the back of the fridge. a plastic tray will be added for meats go until ready to cook. The difficult to get to fruit drawer will be used anyway. 

Small living adjustments don’t feel unreasonable. The issue is why so many are now necessary. I don’t recall ever dropping so many items off my shopping list as I do today. 

Meanwhile, learning to make bread is added to my to do list. 

Have you made a lot of adjustments to your shopping list?