Last Supper

Goodness, Golly, Joe! The weather forecast is calling for snow, tonight!

Honestly!

According to the weather, we ought to be going to get our Christmas tree!!!

We don't have our windows washed, yet, and I don't have any of my bulbs put in...

 I mean....

Holy succotash!!!

The ground is freezing and the wind is howling and moaning down off the hill!

The thing is, September came and it has rained or blustered right through till now - no Indian summer in October, at all, really. So, a few days before Hurricane Sandy was projected to blow through, I decided that, even though it was a bit nippy, we were going to have one last picnicky fling outside.

I just want to hang on for a very short moment more to the thought of the great outdoors being hospitable because, now, noses are nipped, long johns have permanently given me Raggedy Anne legs and my face turns to ice if I don't get mummified in my scarf when I go for my evening walk (...which, by the way, seems suspiciously like it should be afternoon to me since I have to leave by 3:30 to make it home before dark.)

...a sort of 'in memoriam' for the last eke of 'summer into autumn'...

Speaking of outdoor hospitality...

This summer, I had saved a spot in the corner of the newly dug garden border for a bench. It's sheltered under the lilacs and always cool and shady there and the view is through the garden and up and over the hill. The bench was definitely a far off dream - or so I thought. I would go and take my breaks from digging and weeding there - sitting on the soft grass in the spot. Tom surprised me with an actual bench in July, which was a tremendous vote of encouragement and support for me and all of my toil!!! Eventually, I want the plants to billow out around it so that it has the feel of a somewhat private nook.

This was the last day that I could sit out there.... one can only be so stubborn in the face of chilling breezes - even with a cup of tea to warm their fingers!

...frost on the now crinkled and brown blooms that were around the bench.... (where the hellebore are still flowering on.... =])

And my Men just LOVED the idea of 'the last gasp picnic'! They really did! They thought that picnicking in the cold was a brilliant idea - i.e. deep breaths in the bracing fresh air - I mean, really LIVING!!! ;-)

...and I set the table for six instead of five (silly me - because I wanted to take pictures of it) and my young friend from up the road, Kyrionna, just happened to show up to buy some eggs and was able to join us for dinner. It was perfect! =D

and to warm us, I made a new recipe - the most delicious chicken pot pie (with cheddar/scallion biscuits) EVER! Comfort food supreme! (And, oh joy! HERE is the recipe!!! It's a really, really good one!)

...and, now that I've got that out of my system... enough of the fresh air! ;-) It's time to come indoors and enjoy hearth and home - to breathe in the scent of apple cider simmering on the stove and to warm our toes by the fire!!!

And, since there never seems to be enough daylight hours and it's always getting dark on us, I'll end again with a beautiful twilit moonrise...

The autumn evening sky that I saw as I finished the last delicious bite.

xo


PS Hello to my new 'followers' and to those of you who leave comments - so many of you, wonderful friends, at this point - thank you! =] They are such a joy to me!!! I really ought to say it more often!