On The First Day Of October . . .

"Days grow shorter now, the nights chillier. Crisp mornings call for buttermilk pancakes and maple syrup, with country sausage on the side; at supper the popovers are almost too hot to hold. The trees kindle with color, a few at a time: small flashes of scarlet appear in the swamp, and the sugar maples begin to glow, as the great wave of autumn glory slowly rises to full tide. Leaves start to fall; I pick one up. It is cool to the touch; a hint of pink lies under the gold. As it dries, the serrated edges curl inward and the leaf turns to tawny brown. I think, I am holding autumn in my hand."

- GLADYS TABER

Good afternoon, friends, and a warm welcome to the first day of October! Isn't this a lovely image? A sweet homestead in New Hampsthire taken a few years ago when my husband and went on an extended New England road trip. I fell in love with New Hampshire and would move there at a moment's notice, although I am certain I would miss my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains. I often reminisce about living for short periods of time in various places, even Washington D. C. and New York City, though I doubt they would hold my attention as long as the mountain villages and countryside homesteads that I prefer. Still, big cities hold their own enchantment, and to live for awhile in Washington D. C. and making weekly trips to the Cathedral, now that would be enchanting!

I'm writing today from my newly refurbished office/craft room. I've shared a few pictures over on Instagram, if you're interested.  I still have a few things to do, primarily painting and leveling my desk, but with all the rain we've experienced over the past week (which does not lend well to painting), I haven't been able to find the time.  That and acquiring some sort of rug for the cement floor and then this space will be pretty near perfect.  Even as it is, I'm enjoying a small space to seek quiet and solitude.

I've been enjoying reading a few of my favorite books by Gladys Taber in this season,* Stillmeadow Seasons and *Stillmeadow Calendar. Have you read any of her works? If you haven't and love stories and depict sweet images of home and cottage living I HIGHLY recommend them!  Knowing of my love for Taber, a friend suggested I read* Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Stevens. I downloaded the Kindle edition and I'm going to give it a try, It doesn't sound much like Taber, but several of the reviews were promising. Apparently for some it takes a bit to get into but you just might end up loving it, so we'll see. In my perusing I also discovered that there is a sequel, Cold Comfort Christmas, which might be fun during the season, depending on how I liked the first one. Have you read either of these books? If so, I'd love to hear back from you. 

I discovered in downloading Cold Comfort Farm that the November edition of Country Living UK is available, and I still need to peruse both the October and September issues.  Having access to these magazines with one click makes paying monthly for Kindle Unlimited worth every penny, at least for me. Like books, I would much prefer to hold an actual copy in my hand, but being a bit of a life-long magazine junkie, I simply can't afford the near $10 cover price for every publication I enjoy reading, so for now at least, Kindle Unlimited  is much more affordable. I've also found that reading them on my iPad rather than my phone is a far more enjoyable experience.

Aside from reading I've been busy cross stitching for my upcoming birthday in November and for Thanksgiving.  As usual, I'm getting a late start so I'm not completely sure I'll finish everything I hope to in time, but I'll do what I can. Every year I say I'm going to work on pieces a season ahead, the problem being I'm not much inspired to work on stitching pumpkins in June and July, and here I land again at the eleventh hour. Thankfully I plan to use most of the pieces for both occassions, so there's a chance I just might succeed.

I've also been playing around with some lovely diffuser scents and wanted to pass on a few of my recent favorites.

❊ FALL FARMHOUSE

- 4 drops pine

- 3 drops cinnamon bark

- 2 drops orange

- 1 drop peppermint

❊ PUMPKIN PATCH

- 2 drops cinnamon bark

- 2 drops ginger

- 1 drop cardamom

- 1 drop clove

- 1 drop blue spruce

- 1 drop nutmeg

I particularly like the Fall Farmhouse blend!

Before I close I want to direct you to a lovely blog that I've followed for a couple of years now, Inkberry Hill Cottage. She is hosting a lovely October series, Autumn Notes From Home. I've thoroughly enjoyed just about anything Elizabeth shares and particularly look forward to her annual October offerings, so be sure to click on the link and visit!

And now my friends I'm off. I've got a new recipe for Chicken Alfredo in the crock pot that I hope turns out nicely (I'll let you know!), and it's time to check on it!

Until then . . .

❊

* We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,

and this post contains affiliate links. When you click through and make a purchase

we receive a small commission from Amazon.

We appreciate your support