Another “25 Things” post – and there are sooooo many more than these 25. I really just hit the top 25: Leaves, apples, pumpkins, harvest, scarecrows, hay bales, barns, oaks, aspens, acorns, stew, Indian corn, sunflowers, bonfires, squirrels, pinecones, cider, burlap, Chinese lanterns & bittersweet, gourds, maple syrup, chill, mums in various colors on a front porch, feathers, and lanterns. Please observe that I did not mention Halloween or Thanksgiving, both of which are part

I love all color but Autumn colors the best. It is a slight variation from early season autumn : oranges, golds, reds, browns, dark olive greens, to strictly Halloween: browns and reds fade to the background and purple, black, lime green, & bright orange comes to the foreground. For November/Thanksgiving the deeper reds, browns, pine greens, golds and blue becomes a beautiful contrast. These are subtle variations on a theme but I have the décor to support it and I love it!

I’m not sure when I learned to look forward to the change of seasons but I sure do now. I think it has to do with my ADHD that I am rarely content with the colors and décor for very long. Just as I am getting bored it becomes time to change everything and that is a very good thing. Now that I have a garage & storage unit full of holiday decorations I am constantly finding things I’d forgotten about because it has been a while since the last time I got to see them, experience

​ It is difficult to say good –bye to a season that continues to hang on and hang on and hang on. Usually, here on the Left Coast – lower edge, it remains warm – okay, HOT – until long after the autumnal equinox. There have been several years where Halloween has been too hot to party in any costume other than a swim suit. September has also become known as high fire season, especially with a prolonged drought. Late summer, early fall is a time with no coastal eddy, no clouds,

There is so much to do at my house as we prep for the coming season. Like children, we love all seasons equally – NOT! Autumn is really special and pretty and seems to go with the house better than all the rest. The furniture and the décor are bent towards the fall colors. It is time to start putting away the bright, hot colors of summer. Huge containers of linens are switched around. Boxes and boxes of autumnal décor are moved forward for easier access. Boughs of leaves, pin

I like college football a lot. Although I live in Southern California, I did not attend a university that had a football team (rugby, la crosse, basketball, tennis – yes, but no football) so there is no cheering for “my” team. I have adopted another Catholic university’s team, Notre Dame, and follow them throughout the college football season. I used to have a job that I worked every Saturday afternoons and evenings & therefore couldn’t watch the games on TV. This season, whi

I always associate the new school year with new beginnings and setting a new calendar and starting over yet again. I did it for so many years of school (2 years of pre-school, Kindergarten, grades 1 -12, 4 years of college and one year of graduate school = 20 years!) it just seems the perfect time to mark those calendars and planners and begin again. January 1st becomes a breath and an afterthought. In the Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana, September 14th marks the beginning of

Today my Grandpa Barney would be very, very old if he hadn’t already passed. I hop e he and my grandmother are in heaven, sitting on the front porch, sipping a whisky sour. (Although I have all his barware so it must be a Red Cup!) Remembering him with a Happy Birthday. My friend, Vanessa, is still with us and celebrating yet another trip around the sun! She is healthy and happy and living in OC. She and I used to shop retail quite frequently. Our favorite adventure was the d

Labor Day is a time to remember all the jobs I’ve had – both volunteer and professionally. A sentimental journey through the resume is sometimes depressing but always worth a look back. I’ve worked in big banks and small community banks so I know how money works. I’ve worked in front offices and back offices. I can file, type, clean-up, analyze, bill, deposit, and answer phones. I know how to work in an office. I’ve worked in retail as a clerk, done inventory, purchased, disp