Preparing The Home For Fall And Winter

 This time of year we always get prepared for the fall and winter months.  The mountain weather can get beyond cold, and on days when it's raining and snowing, it can be hard to get into town.  We get the essentials that we need in case the roads are closed, and we like to have those comforts around the home that will sustain us.  Remember the honey roasted pecans - they were just right in my oatmeal one morning.

Look what I found in the bakery section at the grocery store - Girl Scouts Thin Mints mini cupcakes!  I've always loved the thin mint cookies, but never tried the cupcakes, so I had to put them in my cart.  They were amazing.

I wasn't a Girl Scout, but I was a Bluebird, and it made this girl very happy when someone in the neighborhood bought the goodies I sold.  Looking back, only a handful got out their checkbook or paid cash for these treats, and most of them knew my parents.  But I was excited when I made a sale.

I went into town and found a few things.  It was nice to run into my friend, P, and talk for a while.  I've had my eye on this cup, but never bought it because I thought it was too early.  But I went back for it before it was gone.  If you haven't figured out, I'm a cup lover.  I think I can write an essay on the perfect cup.☕  It has to be the right size and shape and feel.  I just gave away a cup that was too heavy.   You know, I've always loved red, white, and silver at Christmas, but I also love a little Pink thrown in, so when I saw this cup, it just spoke to me....it's feminine and pretty.

I thought these were the cutest dish towels with Snoopy wearing his fall sweater.

I drove through the coffee shop, and got my first specialty coffee of the season.  I ordered a peppermint mocha latte, and I asked her to make it extra hot.  She sure did, and it was one of the best coffees I've ever had.  This is a small village, so we ask for favors, we tell each other the new places that open up, and we look out for each other.  I sat and enjoyed my coffee for a few moments noticing the fall around me.

We are in "near peak" season right now.  Yes, there's such a thing.  *near peak: 50-75% color *peak: 75-100% color *past peak: 50% of leaves have dropped.

Here's a few pics of our autumn at this time.

I started driving off the main road; I guess I wanted to see Mount Shasta, it's been a while.  It looked like fog, but it was the clouds hovering over it.

I found myself at the creek.  This is my favorite country road in town.

The creek was wrapped in a blanket of warm colors of brown.  Earth tones cradled the moving water.

If anyone can identify these cream colored wildflowers - they were growing all over along the edges of the roads and very pretty.  

Driving home, I noticed something in the distance.  There she was, a lovely regal white horse.  

Put away all my summer clothes, and am washing my sweaters and winter clothes now.  I realized I need more fall clothes! - there's not a lot of places around here to shop, so I ordered a sweater on-line.  I love the scalloped neckline.  Only, I'm not a trendy, so I won't tuck it in.

A dear friend sent this to me, and it reminds me of my blog friends.

Charlotte found just the right pumpkin to take home.

Linger, sweet season of autumn, before the first frost fills the air.

Little Autumn Joys

 We're still seeing lots of autumn color here, and I am simply sitting with the beauty of it all before the long winter sleep.

My son cooked up a chicken dish, which was so delicious, with me enjoying two bowls of it that day.  It tasted a little frenchie, with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and squash.  It was such a comforting meal.

We watched the movie, Society of the Snow.  I really don't have the words to describe this movie and all the people involved in the plane crash - they were incredible.

Francesca took this spider web picture at her dad's work.  I thought it was fitting for October.

And speaking of spiders, she has a wooly spider wrapped around her.  Every time I see this spider at her house, it makes me cringe.  It looks very real. 😱 

*cute story.  Charlotte wanted to dress up as Woody this year.  Jess was going to dress up as a witch, because all the teachers planned to dress up as one.  One day, Charlotte asked Jess, "mama, what are you going to dress up as?"  She said, "probably a witch."  Charlotte paused for a moment and replied, "are you sure you don't want to dress up as Jessie?"  Jess felt bad, so decided to dress up as Jessie (from Toy Story).

I have been reading my devotional journal, and appreciate this gift very much.

I went to the vintage shop over the weekend, and they had a table set up with kitchen goodies in one room.  I noticed some orange honey which looked really good.  She said they get it from the city at the mill, which is about 50 minutes from here.  My son loves honey, so I thought it would be nice for a Christmas gift.  I bought the honey roasted pecans at the store to put in my oatmeal.

Tacos from leftover barbecue pork.  When I make tacos, I usually put in meat, taco seasoning, bell peppers, onions, lettuce or avocado, tomatoes, cheese, sometimes ranch dressing (whatever I have on hand).  I do make a mean taco.  ; )

Nel made these monster sliders for lunch. *chicken, lettuce, tomato, and pickles on a pretzel bun with a spicy mayo.  She said they were so good, and so cute!

I hope autumn begins to paint your world in its true colors over the coming days.

 

Apples In Autumn

It was such a lovely weekend morning, so it called me out to the still road, to seek out the burst of autumn's fleeting colors.  I found myself at the church - I wanted to say hello to the new Priest.  The grounds were bare, and all the flowers were gone, except for one wilted red rose.

Someone put pretty fall flowers on Saint Francis' stone home.

One of the most stunning trees in my town stands at an area you would least expect; yes, the cemetery.  You don't have to drive in the cemetery to see it, you can see it from the street.

I did a little shopping, and had a long talk with my friend, P.  She's the same age as I am, and she's really a robust lady living in the mountains.

I bought some Krispy Krunchy chicken to take home.  Now, if you have one of these eateries in your town, you must try it.  It's the best chicken ever.

This is my neighbor's house.  It's one of my favorites in the neighborhood - it's small and charming, with a big corner lot.

You know, I always wanted to live in the mountains later on in life; ever since I saw how my mother-in-law lived with such a peaceful setting around her home.  I'd like to tell you why I love the deer so much, and why I often photograph them.  I've lived in the suburbs my whole life.  My childhood home was in the suburbs, and then when I had my own children, we bought several houses that were also located in the suburbs.  When my kids were grown, they made their homes in the suburbs.  I only drove to the country and mountains when we took drives occasionally.  So now, when I see a deer in my neighbor's yard or even on my lawn, I get so surprised and thrilled!

Then, there were two.

Then, there were three. ; )

I bought a bag of Gala apples for $6, what a great deal.  Now, I have to do something creative with them.

I opened up my devotional journal that my dear friend gave me, and one of my favorite verses appeared.

Do you like Jess' birthday drink?

Warmth and spice came from the oven, baking a batch of gingerbread cookies.

Yep, I've already watched a Christmas movie - one of my favs, "Christmas on the Range."  It's a great show, leaving you in suspense as to why there was such a feud going on between the two ranch families years ago.  I like all the actors in it, and we can always tell it's going to be a good movie for us if we like the characters.

Nel and I have always thought it would be so neat to live on a ranch, with horses, cattle, and wide open spaces.

We're in for some cooler weather this week, and it's supposed to stay.  The heat/air guy came to check up on the heaters to make sure they have refrigerant in them.  It gets beyond cold here in the winter months.  They are good to go.  A happy October week to you.