Autumn Leaves

 Today seemed like the peak day of fall color on my street.  It started to rain in the late morning (just after I got home from running a couple errands) and that made the red leaves look that much redder.  I tried taking pictures but they just don't glow the way they did in person.  And yesterday was the perfect day to clean out the plants and garden because the yard waste guys came today and whisked it all away.  Just in time for the wind and rain to send more leaves flying off the trees, of course.

The landscaper came today, looked at what I want done, and named a price I can live with.  He's going to come back on Friday, I think, to trim the dogwoods, the forsythia, and the lilac, trim some overhanging branches, weed along the retaining wall, and add mulch.  I'm perfectly happy for him and his assistant to have to clamber up on top of the wall to yank out weeds.  I'm not doing that, nope, not this chicken.  This is working out much better than I thought it would.  Turns out what I want is called "fall clean-up."  Who knew?

I'm happy to report that my focus on getting my writing brain back into gear seems to be working.  I dug out a book of writing exercises I haven't used in years and am doing one a day.  Words are coming out!  I'm so relieved.

Tonight's sunset wasn't dramatic but when I looked out before closing the drapes I saw the peachy light at the horizon and decided it merited a photo.  I love the smooth blue of the sky blending into the sundown orange.  I don't love the streetlight pole that's right in the middle of my shot.

 

 

12 October--Barbara Malcolm, Better Than Mom's. 

            Brady checked that he’d locked the front door then turned off the oven and the burners before turning out the lights and locking the back door of the diner.  He missed Naomi.  She was in school but today John had come through the door looking for a job and been hired.  A few customers had groused that there weren’t biscuits, but the biscuit maker was gone.  Maybe Naomi could teach him how to make her biscuits, as if he didn’t have enough to do in the morning.  Maybe John knew how to make biscuits, he’d have to ask him tomorrow.  Brady couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so lonely.  It was a long drive home.

            John did know how to make biscuits, not quite as light and fluffy as Naomi’s, but adequate.  John’s friends and relatives started coming into Better Than Mom’s and over time John introduced a southwest flavor to the menu.  Brady let him make a pan of Chicken Enchilada Bake for the buffet as an experiment and it was gone in a flash.  “Do we have more of this Enchilada stuff?” Fay asked as she restocked the buffet.   

            John said, “No, ma’am, Miss Fay, I only made one pan.”   

            “Dang it,” she said, “I didn’t get a taste and it’s all gone.  People love it.  Make more next time.”  

            “Yes, ma’am.”

Today's toss was a drawer full of Mom's old costume jewelry.  I sorted through it all and only kept her silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace, earrings, and rings.  I don't know why I kept it except she treasured it so it seemed worth keeping.

My Zoom calendar filled up today.  We're trying to keep the knitting guild together and active in this time of being unable to meet in person so we're setting up a social knit night once a week for the next four weeks to see if anyone wants to come knit.  We have our regular monthly meeting this Thursday when we'll have a program about making sweaters that fit your body shape.  I'm looking forward to it and then we'll give the dates of the social knit nights.  I hope people play along.  There's a Packers game the night I'm supposed to host.  I suspect that I'll be knitting in the wind all by myself that night.  Time will tell.

--Barbara