Almost Wordless Wednesday

What happened to October? It’s Nov 9 and I feel like October just swooshed past me like a semi on the freeway and left me rocking in it’s wake. And, because I’m still reeling from that blow, here are some pictures in lieu of a REAL post:

Mid-October we went to Tahoe. Beautiful, gorgeous, OMG-I-want-to-live-here-forever, Lake Tahoe.

We all contemplated the crystal blue waters in speculative silence.

We also went to a creek and saw a Kokanee salmon run. This is a spawning bed. After they spawn, they die. So it was both happy and sad. My oldest counted 56 dead fish. We made sure to illustrate the life cycle and how the dead fish are needed to feed other animals and provide more nutrients into the stream bed.

I also saw a Beyonce look alike. No, not THAT Beyonce, the Beyonce of the giant metal chicken variety. Naturally I had to take a picture with it.

And we took the kids horseback riding:

Then we left Lake Tahoe. I spent half the drive home in denial and curled into a fetal position whimpering. Very difficult position to drive in, I must say.

And then there was Halloween. Poof! Just like that. And we had fun decorating:

And we even had a pumpkin carving party with the neighborhood girls:

And I made ghosts on a stick for work and the girls helped me with the faces:

And my hubby taught them how to make pumpkin origami. At the end of the party they were stuffed with sweets and everybody went home with a carved pumpkin and a bunch of origami pumpkins:

And now it’s Nov 9. How in the world did that happen? Well, at least we’ve been having fun.

Side note – I do have blog post on my mind. Something I’ve been thinking about, mulling over, and I just need to marshal my thoughts and let them flow. Stay tuned.

Mwah!

Stef

I’m so ready for fall

Pumpkins. The color palette of red, yellow & orange as the backdrop of our days.

The falling leaves, and leaf piles for diving into and driving through.

Crispness in the air. Baked apple crisp. Wood-burning fireplace smoke.

Halloween. Decorating. Fun, themed festivities.

I took this picture yesterday evening. The colors are so gorgeous. It may have been 80 degrees at the time, but I  looked at this tree and I imagined Fall arriving and settling in all around me.

The tree is indicative of Summer at the top and Fall at the bottom; blue skies & greenery evolving to rich golds & reds. We’re in transition and so is this tree.

Pretty soon we’ll have to close our windows. We haven’t run the A/C in weeks. It’s been so nice. Such a confusing time of year for dressing. Hoodies or sweaters in the morning and shorts and t-shirts in the afternoon.

We need to start preparing for winter. We need to buy some firewood for our outdoor firepit and our indoor wood-burning stove. My car needs new tires so I’ll have good grip on the slippery, icy, snowy roads this winter.

We should pull out the winter coats and see who needs a new one.

Last Saturday was my birthday and every year it heralds the beginning of my favorite time of year.

My birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Love, merriment, gaiety, joy, thankfulness and gift-giving.

Yes.

Welcome to Fall.