Author: Rene

We still haven’t taken in the outdoor furniture and cushions. This unseasonably warm fall has done a favor, and quite frankly, is making me a tad nervous since we turned off the irrigation system to the desert here. Dragging hoses around all winter is not my favorite sport.

The squirrels are preparing for the inevitable so I am feeling the pull to do the same. Perhaps later today when the sun has set? I’m still in vampiric mode as my pre-cancerous facial treatment has me staying indoors until tomorrow.

You might think I’m accomplishing a lot being inside with a house in dire need of cleaning? So far I’m halfway through my novel and have managed to clean the microwave. Whoo hoo!

It’s necessary and just not much fun, whether it’s for your car or your face. Yes – the annual dermatology appointment. I should be done soon though! Hopefully those nasty little pre-cancers are gone and we can resume outdoor fun soon.

Heading out soon.

Truly…some nights the entertainment is just that – trying to find entertainment. Watching pre-recorded “Jeopardy” is only good for so much fun – especially since it’s about 15 minutes worth of show with 15 minutes of chatter and ads. Fast-forwarding allows you to get through three shows quickly, but who has three shows recorded?

Ah – that’s okay. Best to keep reading and plowing my way through the stack by my bedside. I’m currently reading, “Mrs. Dalloway” – Virginia Woolf, (never did get to that one in my studies) and “The Known World,” which keeps me wishing I could lie on the sofa and just read all day.

Both tomes are definitely better than wrangling the remote.

Yes, I had to borrow this because sometimes my brain is still waking up on Monday morning. So here’s my laugh to get me going and maybe you? The coffee is about to kick in, too, helping me realize that now I shall waken at 4:30 am for at least a week.

Happy Monday.

Finally, I figured out how to get rid of the title on my blog. For some bizarre reason, “romper room” has been hanging out ever since I published that post. I tried everything – except enlisting the support of my personal IT guy, “Pen.” I gave up, until yesterday.

It was a total accident because I hit the incorrect heading in my editing. Apparently I accidentally hit it on a previous episode of quirky and mundane, also.

Sometimes the easiest solutions are just that – the easiest.

The absolute best part of baking a pie from scratch is being able to enjoy it for breakfast the next day. It’s a pastry delicacy that I truly relish with my morning cup of joe.

Absolute pie perfection comes from my daughter’s exact measurements of the lattice top on a cherry pie. My pies scream “homemade” due to their slapped together, haphazard criss-crossing and imperfect pinching of the crust. I really should take a little more time and pride in the execution, but you know what? It all tastes the same.

The last piece of deliciousness awaits. (And my daughter will be providing the Thanksgiving pies so that they actually do look as beautiful as they taste.)

We used to carve jack-o-lanterns (tradition which originated with turnips in Ireland, by the way). We no longer do that fun and messy event. Why? Squirrels.

Whenever I would set my lovely artistic decoration outside it would be eaten by those nasty little imps. I assumed it was squirrels since the orange “fruit” was set high on the pillars of the porch. Deer couldn’t reach there and I didn’t think birds could gnaw that big of a hole. And squirrels? They are the bane of my existence.

Perhaps we shall renew that fun when the grands are older. I do miss making a mess – and I know “Pom” and I would still enjoy roasting those seeds!

Here’s hoping for a gentle Halloween night for the children and parents herding them round the ‘hoods. The week’s weather looks slightly promising.

One of the perks of sea level travel is that your food arrives hot to the table and remains hot for an extended period of time. You are not subjected to cold food within a minute of receiving it as you can be in the mile high city. And your coffee is hot without having to nuke it again! You can leave that mug and return a minute later to a still-hot serving. Amazing.

That’s just one of the advantages of visiting a lower altitude city. And if you are lucky to have some humidity with your visit, your skin feels so much better and your nose doesn’t run non-stop desperately trying to hydrate in the desert air.

Oh – along with the seasons I can also appreciate the various climate designations. I shall be returning soon to the mounds of pine needles to be raked and leaves to be mowed under. That’s just fine. Some of these things remind me to look ahead and prepare for life’s changes.

Fair thee well for I must leave thee, do not let my parting grieve thee,
but remember that the best of friends must part, must part.

Adieu, adieu, kind friends adieu, adieu, adieu,
I can no longer stay with you, stay with you
I’ll hang my hat on a weeping willow tree, 
And may the world go well with thee, well with thee!

Heading out to the tune of “There is a Tavern in the Town.” I’m assuming there will be one? Soon to be reporting from the heart of history. I expect to be blown away – much the same as what it sounds like will be happening here today.

Toodles.

Thus it begins. The process of winterizing the porch and deck commenced yesterday.

Every year I drag furniture and cushions in and out, storing them in the garage for another summer. It’s a slow process because I only do a couple of things at a time, hanging on to the last vestiges of outdoor comfort. Additionally, our weather is supposed to be gorgeous for the next week, raising hopes of sitting outside in the rockers and enjoying an early sunset.

Oh, it’s on the way though. One tree totally devoid of leaves greets me each day while the pear trees cling to their cloaks. And I, I sit with my cup of coffee wearing a thick sweater on these crisp mornings, relishing in the changing of the guard.