Keeping Up With The Cohens

Today, I'm Mrs. Weasley

Everyone at Starbucks is dressing up as a Harry Potter character today. I'm Mrs. Weasely. Come see us!

Happy Halloween!!

The View from Here

It's my favorite time of year. I adore the Fall, and even though it's been colder than normal (below freezing two nights!), it's still glorious when the sun shines through Autumn colored leaves. Here are two examples, taken from around our home. The top is a dogwood that just looks spectacular in its red foliage. Below is the view from our front porch, past our pine to the golden woods across the street. How's the Fall progressing in your neck of the woods?

What Season Is It, Anyway?

As I write this, it's just past 11pm Eastern time, and it's a brisk 34.3 degrees out, according to our thermometer.

Yeesh.

And this is what our bathroom now looks like, doing double duty as a greenhouse:

The cool temps have taken us by surprise. We usually have a little more mild weather before our first freeze. I got home tonight at about 7:30 and in the quickly falling dark, hurriedly brought in the tender plants we want to overwinter. I shut off and brought in the hoses. And I got to submerge my hands into icy water to remove the water plants from the ceramic containers, said containers having to be emptied of water and at least covered by a tarp until they can be brought in by Bradley, who is much stronger than me and can lift them.

Happy Autumn!

Is It October Already?

Check out the beginnings of the autumn color in these maples I spotted by the pet store in Knoxville. They remind me of candied Granny Smith apples somehow. The weather in East Tennessee is turning a bit chilly. It was 54 here in La Follette when I got home from work at 11:30 Thursday night. Good weather for sleeping under a warm blanket, bedroom windows open. I hope the weather is chilling out for my California friends, too. It's been a hot summer all over, and we all could use some brisk fall weather.

Happy October!

First Taste Of Fall Weather

The past few days have been nothing but rain. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. And gray skies. The rain was so bad yesterday in Knoxville, that it made work at Starbucks a challenge. I was working the drive-thru, and the rain was constantly pelting the microphone that customers use to order. They couldn't hear me, and I couldn't hear them. And of course, the drive-thru traffic was practically constant, since no one wanted to get out of their car to come inside, braving the deluge in their quest for coffee. Sigh. I was exhausted by the time I got home.

But, the rain had a gorgeous effect. Today dawned bright and sunny and COOL. A perfect 63 degrees awaited me when I took my coffee outside to the front porch. I just chatted briefly with Bradley, who's still on the road and will be for another week, and knitted some on a Slytherin scarf I'm knitting up for my friend Jimmy at work. All the cats are fed and watered, life is in order. Now, I must get ready for a glorious day at Starbucks. I still really do love my job!

I'll leave you with this photo I took last week, of the last of our meager veggie harvest. It was a small, but tasty, harvest. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I have been uninspired to write lately (I'm sure you can tell), mostly because it's been raining NONSTOP. For weeks. And although that's awesome for the grass and lake level, it's not so awesome for the vegetable garden. It's drowning. We've gotten a few maters, and one small watermelon and two small pumpkins are growing. I just hope the rain doesn't cause them to rot. I need to get in there with the hoe, which really does a good job of aerating the beds.

The butterfly garden WAS fully weeded just two weeks ago and again looks overrun by weeds. Ouch. More backbreaking weeding to be done once the ground is less than a mud puddle. We're going to cover it with mulch this time to help control the weeds. We didn't want to, but it looks like it is going to be necessary.

Meanwhile, to cheer me up, here's a photo I took a while back in the butterfly garden, of an oriental poppy that got in there thanks to a wildflower seed mix.

How's the weather where you are?

Why Yes, I DO Still Love My job!

Today is my 3-month anniversary of being a Starbucks barista. Woo hoo! I love it as much today as when I started, if not more. I work with amazing people, especially Molly, above. She is one of my shift managers and just rocks. We have the best time at work. The customers are wonderful, the work is fun, there's very little stress, our boss is terrific, and ... I am HAPPY.

At WORK.

Imagine that!

They say things happen for a reason. As tough as losing my job was, it was worth it to find something I enjoy this much. Things do happen for a reason.

An Unexpected Visitor

Isn't he cute? I spied him outside Wednesday morning as I was getting ready for work, and since we don't want him getting into our veggie garden and eating up the lettuce, I picked him up and moved him off into the woods.. downhill. I love that we get critters like this in our yard. Tonight on my way home I saw a fox! And there are deer as well. The deer and I get along just fine as long as they stay out of our vegetables. Oh, and I also saw a turkey vulture eating something on the side of the road.

I swear, it's like wild kingdom out here!

Firefly!

I saw my first firefly tonight! Summer must be here!

Also... snow balls are BACK!

This Is Where We Live

I had to take this picture when I was at the animal shelter the other day. Sometimes, I can't believe we live in a place this gorgeous. Could be rural England, no? But it's East Tennessee at it's finest. Although, you'd never know that there are rock quarries and coal mines near this pastoral oasis. But still, lovely.