Bits and Pieces of Life

 

It is a crisp fall-like morning, with temperatures in the upper 50's. It was good to be a little chilly on the porch, a fine change from hot and humid. August has been a nice month overall, and the coolness of mornings and evenings is a good balance to the days when it's been in the upper 80's.

The leaves are turning yellow already and some are falling, making me think we might be in for an early autumn.

I planted mums and celosia yesterday, pulling out the spent summer flowers. I was surprised at how dry the soil in the planters was, even after a good rain the other night. Larry will be watering the gardens again today, even though there's really not much left out there--peppers, a few tomatoes, late carrots and lettuce and some struggling cucumbers and squash. It's been a great year though, so I am not complaining.

Today is applesauce-making day, I think. It's time to start getting it made for whenever we can get our guys together to make apple butter. I am hoping to do it over Labor Day, but we shall see how that goes.

A Pyrex coffeepot I listed the other day. Remember these?

There's ebay work to do too, getting more listings up. Ebay takes a back seat to canning and storytelling in the summer, but now I'm picking it back up and sales have been steady.I sure have plenty to list! Finding stuff is the fun part, listing not so much.

It's also time to get some storytelling promotion materials mailed to schools. I didn't do it last year, and it made a difference in how much work I got. So it's time to buckle down to it and get those mailings out.

I've been sad this week about the death of a friend I hadn't seen in at least 10 years. She died in a house fire and it's been hard to process. We weren't close; we met online through storytelling and over the years saw each other at conferences and kept in touch online for a while. Her life was devoted to stories, writing, and her children and she will be missed by many. My heart is heavy thinking of her children as they go through this tragedy. Life is so unpredictable, and sometimes cruel.

On Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands,
from my visit there in 2015

There is always something good that balances the bad though. We had not planned to travel this year, but both of us decided we needed a break, and we found cheap fares to Ireland, so we're heading overseas this fall. This time I want to spend our week on the west coast of the island. It will be good to walk the cliffs and watch the sea. Even if it rains.

Volunteer sunflower brightens the day

Have a good day, my friends. Stay safe and well.



Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.