Just yesterday, while standing in line and waiting for an estate sale to open, the topic of how to get your orchids to rebloom came up.  It was a mixed camp with several who could and those who couldn’t.  I was taught that the trick to growing an orchid successfully was to never water it, but to add ice cubes periodically.  Since I switched to that method I have had total success with my orchids blooming repeatedly.  What I haven’t had success with is repotting an orchid, well actually I haven’t been brave enough to try yet.  But I am going to give it a try with the orchid I currently have once the blooms fall off.  So we will see how that goes.

Woke up this morning to the most wonderful overcast and cool day!  Such a relief after the heat.  The only thing that would make it nicer was if we had a bit of rain.  I miss the rain in the long sunny hot days of summer.  By the time the first rain arrives in the fall I am long past the cloudless sunny days.  With the cool weather, I headed out and began to cut back the overgrown raspberries and harvest a huge crop of herbs for drying.  Although I cannot seem to get a vegetable to grow, the herbs do splendidly.  Its rather silly that I grow so many as I just never seem to get around to harvesting them.  But this year I took the time and will dry and crush them.  I also deadheaded my coreopisis and put the spent blooms in the freezer until I am ready to mix up a dye batch.

Oh my stars, but I decided that since I had some time off before I head to my new job that it was time for a thorough cleaning and decluttering of closets and cupboards…so away I went.  I purged and cleared and organized and made it through all the bedroom closets, the linen cupboard, laundry room, both bathrooms, and the pantry before I totally pooped out.  What a job and it took most of the day…but what an accomplishment!  Next I tackled a bit of clean up in the sewing room; sorting out some bits here and there and tidying up.  It seems that clutter just always gets away from me.

Lastly I climbed up into the garage attic and organized the holiday decor and brought down all the boxes of Autumn decor.  It has been a few years since I went all out with decor and decided this was the year to do so again.  It takes a few days as it requires moving around furniture and boxing up current decor.  But with the start of the holiday seasons the decorating will go from Autumn to Halloween to Thanksgiving and into Christmas.  It is nice to be surrounded with all the decorations that I have so lovingly collected or made over the years.

It is amazing what one can accomplish in a few days if you put your mind to it!

Hoping to catch one last week end of yard and estate sales before the season ends. But I did catch a steal on the FB marketplace.  I nabbed these 6 older and large Hummels for $100 for all!  I have been hunting for the Stormy Weather piece and never saw it for less than $100 alone, so this is an absolute steal!!  The book was a wonderful surprise mail from my dear friend Wilma. It arrived at the perfect time; I found it in my mailbox on my return from placing my mother on hospice care.  It really is the little things and small acts of kindness that matter the most!

Due to my mom going onto hospice and her changing condition, I decided to skip my residency conference this term.  I will instead go up and spend a few more days with her before starting my job.  But that doesn’t stop the new term from starting! I have a heavy load this next 8 weeks with my next level research course added to the mix.  I am going into my second year so it is time to begin the process of my dissertation…and that is rather a scary thought!  But this journey has been so rewarding!  Every single thing I have learned in the Mind Body Medicine program has direct application to my personal life and betterment as well as to those I care for and work with in my field.  This term along with advanced research I am taking Mind Body Therapies and Practices.  I love that part of the course is personally engaging in practices and reflecting on their application. I have noted that it would have helped considerably to have had an undergrad class in A & P.  But I am learning the body physiology as I go along…although it is often a struggle for me.

Now is the time for longer walks in the cool air.  I just couldn’t bear those hot days and anything longer than a 30 minute walk was misery.  I don’t like heat at all and being out in it is not my cuppa in the least!  Now I feel like I can actually explore and extend my walks.  The dogs do much better in the cool weather as well.  I love discovering new neighborhoods and imagining living in those houses that just seem to pull at my heart strings.  You know the ones that just speak to you and are so perfectly in tune with your own ideals of what embodies a home.  It is the little things; a rambling garden full of cottage flowers, homey decor on porch, cozy window dressings, and of course a picket fence.  I adore the homes that the owners have utilized the yard area for veggies and fruit in lieu of an expanse of lawn.  It is not uncommon in this area to see front yards filled with raised beds chock full of veggies, fruit, and herbs and with fruit bearing trees surrounding the beds. I have not been brave enough to do that in my front yard yet.  But with the inability to grow in the back yard due to shade (even after spending a small fortune to trim back branches) this next year may indeed be the year I just take that leap.

This is one of my favorite gardens!

Today the husband and I went out to pick blackberries, but we were too late as they were all dried up.  So instead I suggested a run to Pier 1 for the newest harvest scents. I love their diffusers and at buy one get one 50% I couldn’t resist.

They also had a sale on candles so I grabbed 2.  I love the harvest scents so much and have been wanting to fill the house with the smell of spices.  And speaking of spices I rarely ever get lattes, but with all the cool weather and Autumn decor I just had to have a pumpkin spice latte.  It was no disappointment and I savored it over numerous hours.  As we were out we dumped a load at goodwill donation center.  My husband says I am a hoarder; and perhaps I am, but when the woman in front of us dropped off this canvas I said “hey I’ll buy that from you.”  She gave it to me..lol..lol.  I will remove it from the frame and set it up on a shelf at work or leave it framed and hang it in a hallway.

On the subject of fun and interesting finds; I found this silly monkey a few weeks back for .50.  I think he is just the cutest ever.  He will sit on my desk at work as a reminder to never take myself too serious and that life should be a huge part monkey business.

Not much new under knitting.  I have finished one of my September socks and then cast on a sock in a different yarn altogether and have it to the toe decrease already.  My cardigan and shawl are still languishing on needles.  I did cut out a cute doll that will be a Christmas gift.  I need to do some embroidery on the apron and face and then can get her sewn up.  I will post photos of all next week.

Well that is this weeks ramblings.  I must off to bed as another busy day tomorrow.

Happy Autumn Days!

Patricia