Autumn Archives - Life with Dee

Too Soon…

September 22, 2014 By Deanna Piercy 6 Comments

photo by Deanna Piercy

I want to paste these first fallen leaves back on the trees

and nudge the sun a bit higher in the sky.

I haven’t had enough suppers of sweet corn on the cob,

my salty fingertips slick with butter.

I never got around to making ice cream with juicy peaches

and the homegrown tomato season is never long enough.

Soon we will wrap our necks in colorful scarves,

fading tans hidden beneath cosy sweaters.

And I will mourn the barefoot days of summer.
by Deanna Piercy

Late summer melancholy

September 3, 2014 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

Photo by Deanna Piercy, taken on my parents’ land

My Facebook feed is full of people all excited about fall. They are sharing pumpkin latte recipes and talking about decorating for Halloween. My Pinterest feed is rife with knitted scarves, hearty soup recipes, and crafts made with fall leaves. I went to visit my parents’ a few days ago and my mom had taken fall decorating to a level rarely seen when temperatures are still frequently in the upper 90s.

I’m happy for everyone who is so eager to embrace their favorite season. Truly, I am. And it’s not that I don’t like fall. Early autumn is quite lovely when the sun begins to lower in the sky and bathes everything in a golden glow. And I do look forward to those first few mildly cool and rainy days because there is little I like better than curling up under a quilt with a steaming cup of tea and a good book and that’s the best weather for it.

However, there’s something about that first leaf I see flutter to the ground that fills me with sorrow and even a bit of dread because of the coming winter. I do my best to talk myself out of it but the truth is I am a summer girl. I was beginning to think I was alone in this until Melanie, a Facebook friend, shared this poem:

Absolute September

by Mary Jo Salter

How hard it is to take September

straight—not as a harbinger

of something harder.

Merely like suds in the air, cool scent

scrubbed clean of meaning—or innocent

of the cold thing coldly meant.

How hard the heart tugs at the end

of summer, and longs to haul it in

when it flies out of hand

at the prompting of the first mild breeze.

It leaves us by degrees

only, but for one who sees

summer as an absolute,

Pure State of Light and Heat, the height

to which one cannot raise a doubt,

as soon as one leaf’s off the tree

no day following can fall free

of the drift of melancholy.

And that, my friends, sums it up perfectly.

What I’m Into (October 2013 Edition)

November 6, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Autumn on Apple Tree Farm

I’m rather late with this but we just returned from our New Orleans trip late Monday night and I’m still recovering. David and I both started with some mild cold symptoms on our way home. So far we’ve kept the crud at bay with regular doses of “The Potion” (I’ll post the recipe at the bottom of this post) but it’s nipping at our heels and adding to our usual post-NOLA exhaustion.

When we left for New Orleans it was still October and the landscape was still mostly green. We came home to Apple Tree Farm swathed in hues of red and gold. It’s quite lovely but damp and cool. I did my best to enjoy the warm weather in New Orleans and even managed to get just the perfect amount of slightly-pink-sunburn on my shoulders one afternoon by the river. Unless we win the lottery and take a winter vacation to the tropics that will be the last dose of color my fair skin sees for months.

So, let’s take a look at what I was into for the month of October:

Trips and Fun Stuff

We took our usual 11 day trip to New Orleans which was an absolute blast. As always. I’ll have a post devoted to that probably tomorrow, complete with pictures. For now I’ll just say that we enjoyed beautiful weather, delicious food, incredible music, and best of all – good times with great friends.

Around My Home

David installed our new wood blinds in the family room and I decorated for Halloween/Autumn. You can see photos of my decorated house in the post, “Getting Cozy for Fall”.

I also did a post for a contest on Blogelina in which I shared photos of “My Blogging Space”.

Reading – Books and Blogs

Our local library’s annual book sale is always a favorite event for me. There’s nothing quite like a new stash of books. You can see a photo and a list of this year’s treasures on my post, “Library Book Sale Haul”.

I started reading “Forever Chic” by Tish Jett for our first book club selection on the French Chic Yahoo Group I help moderate. I was in New Orleans for Chapter Two but I’ll catch up this Friday. You can read my review of Chapter One here.

In addition to “Forever Chic”, I’ve been reading two books this past month:

Chazing Cezanne by Peter Mayle (author of “A Year in Provence”)
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work edited by Mason Currey

Watching – Movies, T.V. and YouTube

I’m not sure that we watched any movies this past month. I know we didn’t go to the movies and I really don’t think we watched any at home, either. We watched the first few episodes of The Big Bang Theory on Netflix but otherwise I can’t recall watching much of anything except The Daily Show which we usually watch while eating dinner.

Listening – Music

I’ve been listening to a lot of blues, both on Spotify and on the Bluesville station on XM Radio in the car. I discovered Solomon Burke on Spotify. I also listened to the new Avett Brothers album.

While in New Orleans we listened to live music every day. We saw John Boutté at d.b.a., as well as catching shows by our musician friends:

We also attended the first two nights of Voodoo Fest where we saw Macklemore, Pearl Jam (absolutely fabulous show!), Gaslight Anthem, Paramore and Nine Inch Nails.

Food – Recipes, Restaurants and Grocery Hauls

I made two lovely loaves of challah, one for World Communion Day at church and one for us. Yummy! The recipe is on my Breads and Rolls Pinterest board.

Since we would be out of town for eleven days I opted to skip the monthly big shopping trip with my daughter. I focused on using up perishables and made do with “A small grocery haul” from a local store.

As you might expect, we enjoyed some amazing food in New Orleans. Highlights included dinners at:

Adolfo’s
Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro – Toasted ravioli with crawfish cream sauce – best meal of the trip!
Rocky and Carlo’s
Coop’s Place

Lunches at:

Late night/early morning:

Clover Grill

And on our way home Monday night (yeah, that’s November but I’m including it here) we stopped at In-N-Out for burgers and fries. They are fairly new to this part of the country and we don’t have any in Oklahoma (yet!) so it’s a treat. Oh, and I also enjoyed raw oysters one evening – something I had been craving for weeks.

On This Blog

– I shared my thoughts about family and how we are called to care for one another in the post, “Living in Community”.

– For the 7th year in a row (since the very beginning) I participated in Blog Action Day. This year the topic was human rights. I chose to write about “Hunger in America“.

– I chose the important over the urgent and spent a little while “Soaking up the sunshine”.

I’m getting a late start but this month I’ll be doing NaNoWriMo. David has encouraged me to get serious about writing a book so I’m using this as a jump start of sorts. Because of that my posts here may be scanty. And if you follow me on Facebook you’ll find me less prolific there, as well. In fact, if you see me posting much please remind me I am supposed to be writing!

So, that’s what I’ve been into this past month. I’d love to hear what’s been going on in your life. Leave me a comment and if you have a blog, I’ll pay you a visit.

~~~~~

Check out other “What I’m Into” posts linked on Hopeful Leigh and if you blog you can add your own.

*The Potion:
1 oz. water
1 tbls. elderberry concentrate
1 dropper full of each:

olive leaf
colloidal silver

3 drops oil of oregano
1 packet Emergen-C

Mix all, adding Emergen-C last. Stir, shoot, chase with more water.

(The original recipe also includes echinacea which I don’t take because I’m allergic to ragweed and they are related, and goldenseal which I just don’t happen to have on hand. I also usually add a shot of vodka to my bedtime dose. I figure the alcohol might kill some germs and if nothing else, it will help me sleep.)

Getting Cozy for Fall

October 12, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

My POW (Project Of the Week) was to decorate for fall. I started yesterday and pretty much finished up today. I still have some things left in my fall decorating box which I may add in the coming days and I do want to get some more pumpkins and some gourds. But for the most part it’s done. Come with me as I take you on a little tour.

First up – the coffee table:

And here’s a close-up view (yes, I need some more candles!):

I put some Autumn potpourri in the little brass container but since I’ve had it a very long time it didn’t have much scent. I sprinkled several drops of clove essential oil over it to refresh the scent. And speaking of scent, before I started working today I cut up a couple of dried up oranges, put them in a pot of water, and added cinnamon and cloves. I then let it simmer all afternoon giving the house a nice, Autumn scent. The flowers in the vase (which is actually a pretty cobalt blue which doesn’t show up in this photo) are from our yard. I also had some blooming goldenrod in there yesterday but we now know what plant David is allergic to. Oops.

I added a cream colored throw to the back of the sofa. And aren’t my giraffe pillows adorable? I am ridiculously happy with them. Oh, and I have decided what color drapes I’m going to use in this room. I got some excellent advice from a guy in a bar the other night. Ha! I’ll tell you more about that later, after I order the drapes.

The most time-consuming thing I did today was to thoroughly dust the edges of the stairs. As you can see in this next photo, I display books and my lighthouse collection on the risers. Most of the time I just take a feather duster to them but a few times a year I remove everything and dust very carefully. That’s what I did today. I then wrapped the bannister in a fall garland.

As you may notice, we never have finished the skirtboard on the staircase. This is because we haven’t been able to decide what color to paint it. I think we have a plan, though. Maybe. And that huge, blank white wall? Still thinking about that. We’ve only lived here going on 16 years. Wouldn’t want to rush things. Oh, and do you see that ship wheel in the lower left corner of the picture? We won that in an auction in New Orleans and it’s going to be mounted on the fireplace. Someday.

David bought this antique oak table in this next photo for my 16th birthday. Here it is dressed for fall. You can’t see it very well in this photo but there are three stacks of books along the edge which backs up to the sofa. These are the books I bought at the library book sale (minus the cookbooks which are in the kitchen). It may sound a little silly but whenever I bring home new books I like to keep them out for awhile rather than putting them on bookshelves. It’s my way of welcoming them into our home. Okay, that does sound a little crazy unless you also think of books as friends.

In the background of the photo you can see a glimpse of the fireplace. I forgot to take a picture specifically of it, but it’s decorated with fall foliage and a cornucopia.

This is next photo shows one of my favorite areas to decorate seasonally. I covered the buffet with an antique lace tablecloth which had belonged to my grandmother. My Harry Potter book collection is on display (almost all are First Editions), plus one of my giraffes, as well as some skulls and a little pirate chest. The steamboat which is resting across the books was given to us by Kadi, our son’s girlfriend. She found it at a yard sale. It needs some small repairs and I want to set up a special display for it – perhaps on a display shelf along with one of the pictures I have taken of the steamboat in New Orleans. Be sure to note the TWO blooms on my peace plant. I’ve never had two at the same time before.

Here is our entry table. I put a fall tablecloth on it, as well as a vase of fall flowers. I need to buy some more candy for the little pumpkin-shaped crystal candy dish and I’ll probably also do a little display of mini pumpkins and gourds.

And finally, I put some Halloween clings on the front storm door. It’s really hard to get a picture of them because of the reflection but in addition the pumpkins you can see, there is also a little banner on top which says “Happy Halloween” and a few little bats scattered about.

And of course, Shiloh photo-bombed the picture. Isn’t he cute? He needs a Halloween bandana.

Chilly Saturday

October 5, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

We had some thunderstorms toward morning which meant that Shiloh was by my side of the bed panting from about 5:30 on. I think we need to buy him a Thunder Shirt. I took him out for a walk at a little after 7 and boy, oh boy, was it chilly! I had been too warm all night upstairs but this was ridiculous. We had planned to go to the Funky Art Fair in town but then it started raining again and the temperature dropped into the upper 40s. I am totally unprepared for such a dramatic change. Fortunately it’s supposed to be back into the 70s tomorrow and remain warm the rest of the week.

Since we had a change of plans David installed our new wood blinds in the family room. I had selected the color at Home Depot when we ordered them and I was going totally off of color memory. Apparently I am really good at that color thing because they match our wood ceiling precisely. David was duly impressed. Aren’t they nice (I adjusted that little gap toward the top after I saw the photos)?

I hung the framed New Orleans map to the left yesterday. I’m not impressed with the quality of the frame but it was cheap. I’ll look for something better. And I’m still trying to decide on curtains.

Tomorrow is World Communion Sunday and I was asked to bake one of the loaves of bread. At first I thought I’d use my sourdough starter but then I realized I should have started it yesterday. Instead, I opted for a lovely, braided challah, a special Jewish bread eaten on Sabbath and holidays.

I baked one for church and one for us. As soon as I took it out of the oven, and after taking this photo, David and I had to “test” it. Oh, my. It is absolutely delicious. Very soft and slightly sweet. I think it will be wonderful for breakfast. Yes, I did “pin” it. You can see it on my Breads and Rolls Pinterest board.

Keeping busy

October 3, 2013 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

First, how about an “Autumn on Apple Tree Farm” picture? I took this while walking Shiloh this morning:

So, what have we been up to the past several days? Well, it hasn’t been sleeping, that’s for certain. This past Thursday we went to see Mary Poppins at the McSwain Theater here in town (they show older movies for $5 including popcorn and a drink). That’s my all-time favorite Disney movie so I was delighted to get to see it on a big screen. Afterwards we went to the Statesman to help celebrate a friend’s birthday. Rowdy Folk provided the entertainment. I do believe it was the best performance I’ve heard from them. So much fun! By the way, they just completed the recording and mastering of their first EP. Can’t wait to hear it!

We had intended to just stay a little while since David had to go to work the next morning but I think it was nearly 2 a.m. when we got to sleep. When David got home from work Friday evening he caught a bit of a nap and then we headed out again, this time to hear Our Mother’s Martyr whose album is currently be mastered in France. The show was absolutely spectacular. They did a combination of originals and cover songs, including “The House of the Rising Sun” which they dedicated to “the pirates”.

Not only did we get to hear great music but Cane’s Meat Company, the ones who had the food truck at our Happyland Music Fest, provided some delicious food:

Including cake!

And there was even a pirate behind the bar part of the night:

That’s right. David applied for a bartender’s license a long time ago and he is getting to practice for fun. He says that when he retires he’s going to be a bartender in New Orleans. I have to say he seems well suited for it.

So, Friday night was another late one – about 3 or 3:30, I believe. We were supposed to then go to Oklahoma City on Saturday to see Our Mother’s Martyr perform up there and spend the night but the show was cancelled. So we decided to cancel our hotel reservations and stay home one night.

We needed to rest up a bit because on Sunday we flew to Kansas City. This was in the airport:

We thought it would be fun to go to the exhibit but unfortunately they are closed on Mondays. Oh, well, at least we got to see this:

That’s right. We got to see Nine Inch Nails! Oh, my goodness. What a show.

You can see a video I took at the concert on my Well-Groomed Hippie blog.

It was another late night but oh, so totally worth it. I flew home Tuesday and David is finishing out the week with a business trip. Poor guy had to get up at 4 a.m. this morning because a customer had a problem with some equipment. He’ll be home Friday and hopefully he can catch up on his sleep. Unless there’s something fun going on.

Here’s a picture I took of Oklahoma from the plane. The colors didn’t translate very well, but the red dirt was such a pretty contrast with the green fields. We are having a glorious Indian Summer!

There were several packages awaiting me when I got home last night (mostly stuff David had ordered for his bartending hobby – ha!) including these:

Aren’t they fabulous? In case you didn’t know, I have a thing for giraffes:

And that about wraps things up except for this little snippet I filmed of OMM playing “House of the Rising Sun” for us:

Geraniums and Pumpkins ~ On the Cusp of Change

September 23, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Today is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of Autumn, that perfect balance of light and dark. I’m truly a summer girl but Autumn certainly has its charms. Our temperatures are cooling but still nice and warm during the day. This coming week we should see highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s which is pretty darn near perfect.

Over the past couple of weeks as I’ve walked Shiloh I’ve been taking note of the changes. Some of the leaves are changing color, the Virginia Creeper has turned red, the goldenrod is in bloom and even a few leaves have fallen. The angle of light has changed and has a golden quality to it which is truly gorgeous. Of course the hours of light have lessened and that part isn’t quite so appealing to me but I’m trying to ignore that for now.

In recent years I have come to dread winter with a passion. I truly despise being cold and I dislike having to wear a lot of clothes. Or “real” shoes. However, I did some thinking about it and determined that it just isn’t a good idea to dislike approximately 1/4 of every year. Life is too short for anything less than embracing each and every day. That has really been brought home to me as we’ve attended several funerals in recent weeks, including one for an 18 year old yesterday.

Last year I did try to look on the bright side of the colder months and made myself an “Autumn Bucket List”. I didn’t complete everything on it so I’m pulling it out and giving it another try. One thing on the list was to buy a fire pit so we could enjoy the outdoors a bit longer. We finally bought one in June for David’s birthday party. It was just barely cool enough to use it for the party and we haven’t used it since. Tonight I’m hoping to talk David into building a little fire and enjoying a bit of stargazing before we go to bed. In fact, I’d like to make it a nightly ritual until it gets too cold.

Something I really do love about fall is pumpkin bread. I’ve got several cans of organic pumpkin in the pantry and I just might bake some this week. I’ve also got some sourdough starter on the counter which should be ready to start baking with in about a week. There’s nothing quite like home-baked breads and I intend to get back to baking all of ours again as the weather cools.

The other day I had to pick up something at the dollar store and happened to see a special hanger for scarves. I’ve got a pretty good sized collection and needed a better way to organize them. That’s something I hope to get around to this week. I’m also on the lookout for a couple of new ways to wear scarves. (If you have any how-to videos to recommend, please leave me a link in the comments.)

While I’m generally loathe to switch from summer to autumn decorations too soon, I did buy a couple of pumpkins for the porch and will probably pick up some mums soon. In the meantime I’m enjoying living on the cusp of seasonal change with my geraniums and pumpkins sharing space on the front porch. And that’s a bit how my life feels right now. I love where I am now but I have lots of plans for the future. I think it’s important to keep growing and changing and embracing new challenges throughout life. There are so many things I want to do and learn and experience. And I’m taking steps to make at least some of those happen. I’ve recently started taking piano lessons which I’m really excited about. I’m also taking an online philosophy course from Berkeley and looking for a good French course.

I’m embracing and celebrating change, not only in the seasons but in my life. It’s time to pull out the cozy sweaters and pretty scarves. Time to wash all the afghans and drape them over sofa backs, all softly scented and ready to warm chilled skin. Time to choose a puzzle to work on in spare moments. Time to stock up on hot chocolate and tea. Lots of tea. And it’s also time to take stock of my hopes and dreams and plans and ambitions. Some dreams will be tucked away for later like favorite summer sandals while others will be dusted off and polished up like favorite fall decorations.

Autumn is a perfect time for a change in routine. A renewed focus on what (and who!) is truly important. And a cool evening under a starry sky is the perfect setting for pondering these changes. Time to put on a hoodie, pour myself a glass of wine and do just that.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

Daisy Buchanan, The Great Gatsby

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 23 (belated)

November 25, 2012 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

I got behind on my thankfulness posts so I’m going to catch up today. I took this photo on our land the other morning while walking Shiloh. We’ve had a beautiful autumn – warm days, cool nights, and some of the prettiest fall color we’ve had the past few years. I am so thankful for the beauty of the earth.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

November 9, 2012 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

On this eighth “Day of Thankfulness” I am thankful for sunshine. As my regular readers know, I’m a summer girl. I need warmth and sunshine. I enjoy the occasional rainy afternoon but for the most part I like to see the sun. It’s been beautiful since we returned from New Orleans earlier this week (we aren’t talking about what lies ahead) and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

During our time in New Orleans the trees here turned the most glorious shades of red and gold. I’ve really been enjoying my walks with Shiloh as I admire the beauty of this season here on Apple Tree Farm.

See what I mean?:

Just look at the contrast against such a brilliant blue sky:

And there’s my old friend, Sol:

Are you seeing pretty fall colors where you live? What’s your favorite season?

31 Days of Autumn Nesting: Day 21 – Taking a break

October 23, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 1 Comment

When I started this series I hadn’t really considered the fact that we would be leaving for New Orleans on the 25th. And then I had this notion that I could write extra posts and schedule them to post each day while I’m gone. As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men…

I’ve been cleaning house all day today and tomorrow I’ll be packing and finishing up some last minute things before our trip. I’m not going to have time to finish any more posts for my “Autumn Nesting” series before we go. I hope to pick it back up when we return but in the meantime I thought I’d share some pictures I took this afternoon as I took Shiloh on a walk. The one at the top of this post is of one of my favorite trees out here on Apple Tree Farm. A picture doesn’t do it justice, especially when taken on a cloudy day, but when the sun is shining it positively glows.

More fall foliage:

The fallen leaves are getting thick in places:

When I went outside to take Shiloh on a walk, he and Steinbeck were curled up together in one of Shiloh’s holes. I didn’t realize when I took the picture that I captured Steinbeck with his tongue out:

Steinbeck in the hole Shiloh dig for him

He followed us on our walk. Here he is lying on the gravel driveway:

I decided to give Shiloh a good brushing after his walk because I’d spent much of the day vacuuming and mopping the floors. I think I could knit another dog from the fur I brushed out:

I brushed enough hair from Shiloh to make a small dog.

I’m not sure if I’ll have time to post anything before we leave but I hope to at least post a few pictures via my iPhone while we are in New Orleans. You might also want to keep an eye on my cooking blog, Dee’s Kitchen. There’s a good chance I’ll post pictures of some of the delicious food we’ll be eating. And of course, if you follow me on Twitter, Facebook (link to my personal page to which you can subscribe to my public posts), Instagram or Flickr you’re likely to see posts or pictures of our adventures. I can hardly wait!