Brr... we woke up to very Autumn temperatures this morning!
Just 50 degrees as we went for our morning walk, then as the sun came up, it warmed to 52 degrees.
I changed out the writing on the mini chalkboard to reflect the weather changed. Previously, it had "Sunshine" printed on it.
Sunday, just inside the entrance doors to the church, some kindly soul had left a few boxes of juicy plums and a "Free" sign.
On the way out of the church, as we left for home, I bagged up a few plums, and also a few green beans that were offered as well.
My first thought was to dry the plums in the dehydrator, however, the plums were very ripe and clingstone, so I changed my mind and made a batch of plum jam.
On the island, is the middle section to a thrifted bakers rack that we bought at our favorite thrift store this past weekend.
I am giving the entire rack a makeover, including chalk painting this drawer section.
Enjoying cooler mornings, and evenings.
Peaceful country and meadow views.
Copper colored sunset skies.
The meadow is preparing for winters sleep.
How many more weeks will the hummingbirds be around? As the mornings become crisp and cool and the nights become longer the hummingbirds are feeding quite heavily. Around 10 hummingbirds feed all day at our two hummingbird feeders.
Classic movies are a favorite of mine, and I just ordered a few more for our collection. Bell, Book, and Candle with Jimmy Stewart. Some of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies are: It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, & Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation just to name a few.
All Around the Cottage this week :
~ Continue working on borders and cutting down perennials and pulling out leggy plants.
~ Cut and dry chives for winter use.
~Finish library book and return.
~Finish bakers rack
~Sand and paint the little chair
~ Start transitioning seasonal decor to Autumn decor
~Look for and buy two new recliners
~Sew up two toss pillows.
~Stain and seal old wooden ladder
Attitude of Gratitude:
~Thankful for my ol' toe healing. I knocked the toenail off when I ran the door over my foot. I learned to get my feet out of the way, but I still prefer to be barefoot, even though wearing shoes would be a much safer way for me to go!
~Feeling grateful for a full pantry and freezers. I feel that we're ready for Autumn and eventually winter.
~Thankful for the nearby Farmers Market. They even had a few pumpkins.. oh happy day!
Improving skies.
Much less smoky and murky skies these past few days, as some of the wildfires closest to us are becoming more contained.
Very thankful for all the incredibly hard working firefighters.
Very thankful for their families and the sacrifices that they make in order to let their loved ones go out and fight and contain these wildfires.
Once again, as the sun rises we can see the gorgeous mountain tops.
So much better!!
Driveway improvement.
On the bottom right portion of the above picture is the driveway.
It is much improved after spending a good amount of our weekend on it.
Powerwashed, primed with cement primer, then painted with an epoxy paint.
It is a much better-looking driveway now!
Some years ago, due to the frost, snow and salt damage that the cement had suffered, we resurfaced the driveway.
One winter was all it took to make the resurfacing crack and break.
Sans digging up the concrete, and pouring a new driveway, this is our attempt for getting a few more years out of the concrete.
We have a north facing home and live in Utah where we get LOTS of snow.
Concrete, snow, ice and ice melter make for a messy mix
If we ever have to repour the driveway, we will have low voltage warmers placed in the concrete, in order to melt off the winter snow and ice
My second attempt at bleaching out the pinecones resulted in a much lighter pinecone.
Still, these pinecones aren't as white as the ones that I've seen on magazine covers, Pinterest, etc.
I wonder if it is a certain brand of bleach that should be used, or have those photos of the super white pinecones been enhanced?
Still, I'm quite happy with these pinecones and the color that they are. I will absolutely use them in my Autumn decorating.
Today I will place the pinecones in a box, and add some cinnamon oil to them.
The very large frame that I bought at the thrift store is now a new chalkboard.
It is a more substantial size than the last chalkboard that I had in this location.
The other chalkboard was made from an old cupboard door, and I gifted it to our younger daughter in love.
She was tickled to have it.
I was happy that she wanted it.
Even without measuring, I knew when I spied this large frame that it would make a better chalkboard than the cupboard door chalkboard for this space.
Another thrifty shopper asked me if I was an artist and if that is why I had the frame in my cart... **smile**.
I told her 'nope, but I have big plans for this frame!'
This is the section of wall that is between the garage door and the laundry room door.
I'm so pleased with this new chalkboard, and it's generous size.
Attitude of gratitude:
~ Thankful to wake up to clearer skies. Grateful to have less smoky air.
~Grateful for sweet summer garden produce.
It's not a ton.. as we only have a few plants, but I'm thankful that I was able to pick a few squashes and a couple of peppers this morning; they'll be used for dinner.
