Tougher every year

Greetings!   This Fall season is harder than last, and it gets worse every year.  It's the season my age shows more than any other.  After using the blower and raking, which I love to do for exercise, my damaged knees are killing me, arthritic hand doesn't close, and lower back is miserable.  Ah...Fall.  I hate it.

 

Because of the right hand stiffness, I'm not making much progress on Eliz.  I worked a little last evening and as you can see, found a length of threads that are the same shade throughout!  Got to use the loop and half cross sewing method in the dividing band.  Had to hold the stiff linen down with my pincushion.

 

About the Panera soup....a reader tried that recipe and said it wasn't as good so I searched for more and found another very similar here.  The Panera's website has recipes and I found one for curried pumpkin soup that is also similar (here) and I may add squash to it and give that one a try too.  I don't bother peeling and cubing the butternut squash.  I wash, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise and put them in a roaster at 425 until soft and scoop out the flesh.  If it has a lot of moisture I let it drain in a colander.  Most is mashed and put in baggies for the freezer.  You can buy it in the freezer section already to go too.

 

Today will be doing my floors and taking a break from outside work except for an attempt to clean up the mess from the tree cuttings.  Two of the 60' ash were at the edge of the woods and we told them to trim off the limbs, and then let the trunk fall since a thick hairy poison ivy vine was attached.  Well they didn't.  They let the entire tree fall and it is a mess with limbs sticking out everywhere and it killed everything in its path.  The second tree, without my permission, they cut down an oak and a maple to allow it to fall.  I am furious.  They should have asked me and if it would have cost more to do it differently, fine.  But to remove two large healthy trees at the wood line was uncalled for. We didn't realize it until all the bucket trucks and chippers were gone.  The small limbs/sticks from the other six trees were raked into the wood line edges on top of smaller trees and growth, killing them and making a real mess.  I will try to remove them in the next few days.  My husband is telling me to let it go since it is done and nothing can change it.  Not always easy for me to do, but good advice.

 

 

Did a little decorating... my heavy as heck new wheelbarrow.

 

Front porch mums.

My front door has no pumpkins or mums.  Empty tub, drab and dull, that's what I like!  I use a length of rebar, pound it into the ground a foot or more, and slide the tied bunch of stalks on.  After all those winds, it's still standing proud.

Did anyone take a look at those scissors?  I browsed a little more - they have a pair with a witch!  Several with a crucifix too.  Never saw those before.  I'm excited that Jane will be arriving soon, but I don't know why since she will just be put with the others I won't ever stitch.  You never know though!  Maybe one day I will tire of smaller simple projects, get an Ativan refill, and go at it.

 

On a sad note, one of the fawns that allowed me to get so close and came twice a day for their food, was killed on the highway yesterday.  I was hoping it wasn't mine, but only one came this morning with mama.

Hope your day is going well.

Thanks for visiting.

 

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