thank you

at some point i introduced my friend, marg, and she in turn her daughter, megan, to a delightful site called parisbreakfasts (you're welcome to visit, too.) carol gillot does an amazing job of capturing small moments from daily life in paris in which macarons play a big part.
megan (bless her heart) was recently in las vegas when she ran across a bakery with a display of macarons!! and she (very thoughtfully) brought some back for us to enjoy.
when delivered to my house did I immediately think of my camera and the amazing photo op i'd just been handed???
mais, non!! i simply ate it.


it wasn't until the last bite was 1/2 way to my mouth that i thought i should chronicle the

appearance of a real live macaron in my humble abode, giving megan credit for her thoughtful generosity. sad but true.
it was delish!! thanks, megan!!

old things new

this little 'box' used to be a purse belonging to my mother.
it sits on a 'shelf' in my office that used to be
(well, technically still is)
a stereo speaker turned on its side.


it holds odds and ends of stationary for me.

today

i'm giving you an old colorado picture because i didn't take any pictures this past weekend and i know many people who really need a picture in every post....

for the last 5 (?? how is that possible??) years we have spent the 3rd weekend of september hiking in colorado with our daughter, son-in-law and eventually our grandson. due to aidan starting school this year we rearranged and went to wyoming in july. charlie and i did head north to the kahl's for the funeral of a dear woman, a family friend, on saturday.

left here before 7am friday. left there around 9am sunday.
i saw aidan's school. chuckled at the continuing saga of a boy who desperately wants to sleep with a dog who just as desperately doesn't....
visited with some old friends and enjoyed the companionship of family. but i missed seeing the aspens and elk.
we are home today with slashing rain, a north wind and 50 degrees. tim is in lincoln 'til thursday afternoon. we slept in this morning, i've already cleaned the freezer and bagged some pasta sauce. i have tomatoes simmering to go into the freezer after while, a closet project waiting for me and the siren song of several neglected books thrumming in the background.
when i realized tim was going to be gone i marked these dates to do the seasonal closet assessment. i've been looking forward to it. it needs to be done and i was excited to tackle the project. but who wants to spend a shivery day getting in and out of clothes for several hours?? so i'm modifying my plans. garments will be sorted and piled. adjectives applied and decisions made. there are things i don't need to try on to know that ,yes, this time they are going. i will take my dog, blankie and book and do some serious couch time. isn't that what rainy days are for??

last hurrah

the nights have been cooler. we're no longer using the fan and a light blanket feels good.

what i'm really enjoying, though, is the sudden brilliance of certain plants. so many are sad and simply need to be cleared away. but the honey suckle has put on new, intensely colorful blooms. butterflies hover in the vines all day.

have i mentioned

that charlie is never too far from my side??

here we are enjoying the morning view while catching up on my favorite blogs.

i wish i could show you the picture through the windows - the morning view - but it always comes out funny. i do keep trying though and some day will show you just why i love to sit here each day.

i spoke with aidan wednesday night about his first day of school - thursday - and he went on at quite some length about the container that would keep his hot food hot and cold food cold. i loved it. first days are soooo important.
yesterday was my 'first day' back in the fall routine of closing the library at 8 rather than 6:00. and like aidan food was a primary consideration...
what should i take for my supper??
as a general rule i don't do convenience foods. (we all know how 'general rules' work. there are exceptions. pre-cooked bacon?? bien sur!!) the schwan's man comes to the library every 2 weeks and my coworkers all order regularly. i smile and chat. until the day last spring when i fell for the idea of mashed potatoes on demand. tim and i don't eat enough potatoes to even keep 5 pounds in the house without spoiling/losing half of them so i just don't buy them. (he keeps a bag of shoestrings in the freezer for his potato fix)



my lunch bag, a container for my supper and the 'fixings' for a good batch of mashed potatoes. i find about 1/2 their recommended serving size is enough for me. i mix in a little cheese and enjoy!! yesterday i threw in a slice of roast beef and frozen peas (which stay crisp) and feasted on a hot meal!!

old things new

the arms of broken candelabra are draped with necklaces and bracelets

a long weekend

i find it helpful to spend a weekend operating in compatible ambition modes. long weekend?? essential. today's damp, overcast weather isn't helping an already lopsided situation.

tim has been very busy in the kitchen. yesterday it was fresh, home-grown basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme and tomatoes reduced to a thick and tasty sauce.


today he has short ribs simmering in an herbal barbeque bath.

i have a convertible crockpot system - 2,4 or 6 quart crocks giving us practical options. maybe this season it will get more use.

it is so damp that painting windows is out of the question which holds up my reassemble the kitchen and bedroom plans. and it's too wet to finish the yard projects that i started the other day. at this point i might as well go read my book ........

brrrrr

that may be a slight exaggeration but believe me fall is in the air!!

and my fall clothes are trapped here!! long pants, 3/4 sleeves, light sweaters all buried behind the pile of furniture that was moved to allow tim to replace the window in this bedroom. i never thought the weather would change this quickly or this soon. i also thought that tim would finish this room before tackling the kitchen. wrong on both accounts!! no doubt we'll have another round of warm days before fall starts in earnest but this morning it would have been so satisfying to rummage through the drawers pulling out favorites - comfortable, familiar, warm - for these next few days. this is my favorite time of year for dressing. i hate the survival mode of dressing that a hot nebraska summer forces on me. even a simple necklace seems like too much when its 90+ degrees. i want to wear clothes. i want to accessorize. i want to feel dressed.