Late September Morning -

The golden days of Autumn have arrived at last - just one cool night and there

is a difference in the morning air, the light, the colors, the feeling, and the view

from the window.

There is a beautiful spirit breathing now.

Its mellow richness on the clustered trees,

And from a beaker full of richest dyes,

Pouring new glory on the Autumn woods. . . . . .

From 'AUTUMN' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~ 1807-1882

Just after sunrise this morning at 7:10 am

September - the seventh month of the old Roman year. 

By the Julian arrangement it became the ninth month, but still

 retained its former name.

I love late September knowing my favorite month of October will soon be here!

The week that was -

 

I was up with the sun on Saturday. A mild morning with such a fiery sky it

 took my breath away for a few fleeting minutes. 

Followed by scattered bird songs from around the garden, I sat down

 to listen on the front porch, wrapped in a chunky cabled throw, coffee

 mug in hand, hoping this would be a good day.

I picked up a lovely bunch of mixed fresh cut greenery from a nearby 

garden center - today I will arrange it on the mantel and hopefully 

it will remain pretty through Christmastime.

Now it's already Sunday with a little rain from the night glistening 

on the shrubs and grass, but the sun breaking through and a pleasant

 day reaching 68F predicted. . . . . . .perfect for me!

Yesterday this bluebird was caught showering in one of the backyard

 baths - always a sweet bird to see.

Cooking this weekend included a tasty cauliflower soup - and although

 not shown here, I added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard noted in a French

 recipe, and it did give an extra flavor layer which was really tasty.

I also made that good spinach quiche again - it's delicious right out

of the oven but, for me, the leftover portions reheated gently are actually

 my favorite when the ingredients seem even more tasty.

At long last the city leaf collection truck showed up in our

 neighborhood on Friday - here they are working on our pile. 

Fortunately the leaves were dry and sucked up quickly - of course

 there are still more to come down but hopefully a second clean up

 will happen in January.

The 'Apple Blossom' amaryllis continues to bloom - four flowers

 open fully now, one more bud just beginning to open this morning.

This has been a stunner.  

The old bulbs are showing a bit more green but it will be 

some time before a stem and buds appear - if ever! Fingers are

 crossed for them, also for the Christmas cactus which hasn't 

done much despite my care in the year since I was gifted with it.

 

When it comes to Christmas mail, I love to discover envelopes

 with beautiful stamps waiting in the mailbox at the end of the

 driveway. So far, this year, my favorite is this one on my card

 from my family in France. It's not actually a Christmas stamp but

it's a lovely illustration of the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral.

All snail mail cards are so welcome, especially with the

exorbitant cost of postage for overseas mail.

I had a health scare last week which included having to return for a 

second (diagnostic 3-D) mammogram when my annual screening one

 showed an abnormality. Thankfully it was determined by the radiologist

not to be anything resembling cancer - and I walked away from the 

clinic feeling free and so grateful after several days of nervous thoughts.

Always have your annual check ups even if, like me, you are older. 

I was going to skip my annual due to COVID and having to go

 to a medical facility - thank goodness I didn't.

They can save your life!

Here's to a good week ahead for everyone.

Hope your 'different' plans for Christmas this year will go smoothly.  

Let them eat Autumn cake. . . . . . .but pasta first!

In the blink of an eye things changed. . . . . . .Autumn arrived this week
and I almost missed it! 
 Medical appointments led to a major medical procedure yesterday - all is well
 thankfully. This morning after my first full night of sound sleep in almost a week, 
I awoke to a cold soaking rain, the leaden sky sunless and threatening, fallen
 leaves - the fig tree now almost bare - and a little voice telling me I can eat real
 food again after a five day liquid diet and a 6 lb. weight loss due to it!

 Autumn and Winter are my favorite seasons to cook. . . . . and eat!
Last week the jar of pasta sauce caught my eye in HomeGoods - 
Pemberton being my mother's family name, her father bringing it to England
 from his birthplace in Canada.  A name far from sounding Italian,
however this delicious sauce is as Italian as pasta sauces come, and actually
 came from a gourmet food company in the New England state of Maine!

I tell you, the world is really getting to be a small place in more ways than one.

Sunday neighborhood walk. . . . .

On Sunday afternoon, with a much welcomed break from the downpours of 

 recent days, we took a long walk around the neighborhood.

Cool and sunless, but not cold, just a lightweight jacket, and for me 

a scarf as I love a warm neck, worked.

At the small park the trees are now dropping their leaves into the pond which is very high from so much rain.

There were just a few Canada geese and a pair of ducks swimming peacefully.

Have you noticed how walking through a carpet of fallen leaves always seems 

to recall childhood memories?

 Both Bob and I talked about this as we joyfully kicked the golden

 piles underfoot. It's really wonderful that aging continues to bring

 simple pleasures - I believe they are the best ones - and those childhood 

games, so important in our development, are imprinted on our minds forever.

Do you jump in the Autumn leaves?