getting our feet back under ourselves

After jet lag comes cleaning and setting things up for the cooler days ahead. Batman washed the floors, we rearranged the furniture and harvested beets, potatoes, apples and set onions to cure in the breezeway. A friend gifted us with his local plums, so we had roasted plums and plum cake and there are still a few in a bowl in the fridge. We have started to collect apples in buckets for the root cellar. Batman took a stab at making crabapple jelly and I think next year we will go full tilt with that project! We are removing screens bit by bit and washing windows as we go. We have been finding comfort in these small seasonal chores.

We set sunflowers by the front door to welcome three houseguests on Monday night, from two different places, and we all got along just fine. Far reaching conversations around the dining table, kindred spirits all. 

We talked about the relief we felt while we were in Tuscany, when we pledged to ignore the news. Yes, it's good to know about current events, but these days of 24/7 coverage, mostly of gloom and doom, a person can become mighty weary. The world was waiting for us as soon as we tuned back in. But I do it a lot less often and that feels really good. 

We've watched a few good films, and I thought you may have too. Tea With the Dames was wonderful. And On the Basis of Sex was a gem, too. Do you have suggestions for movies that are not depressing or difficult to watch? I'm not saying those sorts of films are not worth watching...I'm just saying that's not what I'm looking for right now. :-)

My word for 2019 is "productive". Come back tomorrow to see a quilt that took 10 years to finish (can you say "UFO")? And a collaborative project I did with an eight year old son of a friend.

xo