Happy Halloween

We'll always have Paris

I don't know anyone who has been to Paris that hasn't fallen in love with the city of lights. When the skies are gray I'll always remember the boat ride down the Seine, walking up the steps to the scacre cour, and the Tour Eiffel at night. 

Time for reflection

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery."~ H. G. Wells

Time is changing. Dark is coming earlier each night as days grow shorter. This weekend the clocks will be set back. Time is such a relevant thing. Sometimes it goes so slow..like when you are sitting in an ICU waiting room. Other times it goes much faster than you want it...when you are on vacation. 

     We all want to live in the moment, seize the day, fill our cup. We have a lot of living to do. We strive to make each day count.  But the little things of the ordinary day can be appreciated as well as the milestones. You can find bliss in preparing a meal, folding the clothes, or hemming your pants. Any day that caused you to smile has been a good day. 

Pinterest tables

I spent the day in Erie today. My first stop was the plastic surgeon who gave me a good report on how well my skin graft is doing. Then I made quick stops at all my favorite stores as long as I was there. I didn't buy much. We needed some burlap to wrap some of our bushes. Last year the deer ate the male holly almost to the ground.  

  So here are some Pinterest pictures for your indulgence. Hope you like tablescapes as much as I do. 

Comfort food

Today was busy but I still made time to make a Dutch oven full of beef stew. My husband grew up with meat, gravy and potatoes and is not at all happy when week after week I try to feed him with healthy foods. To say the least he is not a health nut. In fact, quite the opposite. So he was thrilled when the beef stew came to his plate. I have to admit I rather enjoyed this dish too. Well, it did have veggies in it after all. I seasoned it with mccormack's beef stew seasoning mix and yum, yum!  Why does the forbidden stuff have all the best taste?

Last Tango in Halifax

Score another point for the ipad. At Literary Club I was talking to gal about books and tv and she was singing the praises of streaming movies and tv series on her ipad. I also had been doing that since I can stream Netflix movies and tv series. But she turned me on to streaming PBS MasterpieceTheater  programs. 

  The first one I found was Last Tango in Halifax. There are six episodes and I dearly loved it. Maybe because it was about two older people who found each other after many years. Here is the plot. 

From award-winning writer Sally Wainwright comes this uplifiting comedy drama about romance and second chances. Full of zesty humor, great characters and glorious dialogue, it’s about timeless love in a very modern setting.

Childhood sweethearts Alan and Celia, both widowed and in their 70s, fall for each other all over again when they are reunited on the internet after nearly 60 years. As their lives collide for a second time, the couple lament over what might have been as they take us on a life-affirming journey of what can still happen.

Their relationship is a celebratory tale of the power of love at any age. But this is also a story about family, and with family comes baggage.

Random Sunday thoughts

Hot cider or hot chocolate?

The hardest decision I have to make today is to have hot cider or hot chocolate. It's that kind of day. No agenda, no housekeeping, no places to go. A wonderful

 Cozy day to spend on myself. First I stayed in my Jammies and read and read until I finished GoneGirl. And now sipping hot cider while my French onion soup bubbles on the stove. There's a DVD for later and snuggling to be done. Who cares about the cold wind outside?

Roses

The white roses are from the bouquet linda sent to me. These stayed on after the colorful red and yellow ones passed by. There is something about the purity of a white rosé. Just looking at it makes you feel elevated. 

Bonnet of white

Tatiana is wearing a bonnet of  white this morning. It's our first snowfall of the  season. Time for warm sweaters and down comforters. It's all about the cozy now. 

What color are you?

Tongue in cheek is one of my favorite blogs. Cory amarato is an American living in France with a very handsome French husband. On her blog she challenged us to describe ourselves as a color. 

  I am Lake Superior Blue. That's the color Don recently painted on my front door. I think that fits my personality. It's not a run of the mill common blue. It's vibrant and noticeable it says I'm different. It's adaptable and can get along well with all the other colors. It can shine out in the darkness of the porch. It can serve in the background and be unobtrusive or can support any decorations put on it. 

    What color are you?

Fall 2013

Defending Jacob

I know there are a lot of readers out there so when I come across an excellent book I just have to share. My sister recommended Defending Jacob to me and I'm telling you girls...I couldn't put it down. It's been a while since I've hooked up with that kind of book. 

  Here is a review from Amazon

Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2012: A fast, compelling, and compulsively readable courtroom drama, Defending Jacob tells the story of a district attorney’s son who is accused of killing a classmate. As the father attempts to prove his son’s innocence, Landay explores uncomfortable territory: can a tendency toward violence be inherited? Is the capacity for murder a genetic disposition? The author, a former district attorney, gets the taut nuances just right, capturing the subtleties of a trial in a packed courtroom, where a small rustle or murmur can signify a lot. In the end Landay pulls off a clever plot device that doesn’t reveal itself until the final pages. --Neal Thompson

Something old, something new

Lets talk about decorating taste. It's such a personal thing. Mine's been evolving ever since I bought my first house. I was young and really didn't have style at all. We had a Scandinavian TV console, a brown couch, and end tables bought by my mother in law without my input. My attempt at style was to paper the spare bedroom with  blue toile paper. 

  Then we moved into our present home and I was into my country phase. Lots of crocks, nubby candles, and plaid couch...it was the seventies you know. I really thought I was in style with my duck themed kitchen.   

   I had a rose and blue Victorian phase that even included a pink rug...what was I thinking?

And now that the kids are grown up I have my pretties. I guess you could call my style traditional/garden. 

  All this leads up to my trip to Big Lots where I purchased this silver glass hammered plate. Is my taste evolving again into a more contemporary style I love it!

  How about you? What can you share about the way you decorate your home?

Nothing says fall like pumpkins

Are you a jack o lantern person?  Or are you like me and just put pumpkins all around?  As I drive down the road I spot that flash of orange sitting on a porch as all over people celebrate the season. 

Listen to the apples falling all around you

IIt was a gloomy, cloudy day but a trip to the local fruit market lifted my spirits. As I walked around the bins choosing two of these and one of those I reveled in the simple pleasure of picking out an apple. Eating the baked apple after dinner tonight was a delight I haven't had in a long time. It didn't matter about the rain outside. Or the dark. The sweetness of that simple apple was enough to light my soul with sunshine. 

Sorry I got the pictures of the peppers in this post. Using this ipad app I can't figure out how to delete. 

What makes you smile?

I love these paper lanterns from a festival in Australia. 

All buttoned up

Don and I finished the last of our outdoor chores by gathering up the rest of the summer things. We have a pile to put under a tarp for the winter. 

The courtyard is looking empty now. 

My one remaining impatience is still blooming since we have not had our first frost yet. 

Now all that is left is to put away the porch swing. It got a good workout this summer and was my favorite place to sit and read. 

It's time to sit for tea in front of the fire.