Welcome Fall

Yesterday was the first day of fall. Appropriately, it was chilly, and I wore pants for the first time in months. As I write this, I'm wearing sweatpants. It was like someone flipped a switch and temperatures plunged with the new season. 

Things will warm up starting with Jeff's birthday. This is my favorite time of the year.

Another Reason to Love...

September. 

I look at September as a month of opportunity. I like these ideas. While I don't pressure myself much about New Year's resolutions, September goals are easier. 

My main goal: return to a writing routine. 

I 💖 September

September is my favorite month. Last year, September was stressful--preparing for the move. This year, we're going away for five nights. two in Lewes, DE and three in Ocean City, MD. It took a while to find the right hotels online. I found three or four breweries and a winery in the area; we enjoy going for tastings. I've done a little research on restaurants and have a recommendation from our neighbors. Need to check out some nice stores. Looking forward to this getaway.

***

Labor Day Weekend is over, but summer isn't  But, I'm already seeing signs of fall--acorns along the walkways, leaves tracked into the entryways. (The latter is my least favorite sign of fall.) Despite a few early days with temperature in the nineties, the temperature has moderated. A few mornings have had temps in the 60's.

*** 

I've lost a lot of weight over the past four years (since Jace joined us, a coincidence or a cause?) Anyway, I finally got rid of a lot of clothes that I held onto. At one point, I realized I only had two long-sleeved blouses. Then I realized that I didn't have appropriate pants or skirt for a memorial service for our neighbor this Friday.. So, I went shopping today and luckily found something to wear. I never expected to need to get clothes because I was getting smaller, but that's what's been happening. 

Can't wait to our getaway.

Monday Miscellanea

Fall officially started yesterday. It was appropriately chilly in the morning and I appropriately used this Welcome Fall glass.

Yesterday, the Mets beat the Phillies 2-1 with a six out save by Edwin Diaz and won the series. Six more games in the regular season. Tomorrow the Mets begin a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. The Mets have two-game lead over the Braves. If they win two games, the Mets' will cinch a Wild Card berth. LGM!

I returned to the gym after a long, months-long break. I was conservative in how much weight I used in leg presses, pulldowns, chest presses, and abdominal crunches. Then I did a half-hour on the ellipitcal. My goal is go to the gym three times a week. Hopefully, writing this goal here will make me accountable.

Longing for Fall

It's the day after Labor Day. Most of the kids are back in school. Summer is unofficially over. 

But damn, it doesn't feel like it. We are in the middle of a six-day "heat wave" (in quotes because I don't think it's officially official, but I'm going on how hot it feels.)

Just under two weeks ago, I was happy to feel a touch of fall. I'm waiting for more. 

Here's another thought. 

Welcome September

I couldn't wait for July to end. But August wasn't memorable (but at least it wasn't so hot.) 

I always welcome September--it's my favorite month and autumn my favorite season. Our anniversary is in two weeks and Jeff's birthday follows that. 

Welcome September.

A Touch of Fall

I first noticed it one day last week: a slight chill in the air. It surprised me on Tuesday morning--temps had hit 90 the day before. For the first time in maybe three months, I put on jeans. I hope the 90-degree days are done for the season. Actually we've been lucky in this summer of weather hell. 

I welcome fall. Jeff doesn't share my enthusiasm for a long road trip, but we'll go away for a few days for our anniversary. On Saturday, I researched some places in Litchfield County. We really miss the old days of the Interlaken. I've got a list of five or six possibles, but want to check out other areas as well. I love fall getaways. 

Friday Miscellanea: Halloween, Housework, Ian, and the Mets

In recent walks with Jace, I've been checking out seasonal decorations and seen more general autumn than Halloween decor. You know pumpkins, scarecrows, artificial autumn leaves, gold and orange flowers (sorry, I don't know the names.) I've seen a handful of houses with specific Halloween decorations: one with inflatable figures. Surprisingly, the house up the street, that usually vomits inflatables on its lawn each year, is strangely bereft. So far, anyway. I'll see how long that lasts.

For the past few weeks, I've done minimum housework. The dishes and laundry have been completed, and the worst of the messes cleaned, but that leaves a lot to be desired. I've started...That's all I can say. Two days of rain, courtesy of Hurricane Ian, will keep me inside for a good part of the weekend. If not now, when?

The Mets are playing in their most important series of the regular season. As I write this, the Mets are down 1 to 3 in the 7th. Jacob deGrom gave up three homeruns; his ERA is now over 3. 

I don't feel so good. 

This Thursday's Thoughts

Jace has been with us for four weeks. He's been sweet and loving, but disruptive. We've taken care of his medical problems. Now we have to deal with his socialization, separation anxiety, and barking. We just confirmed a meeting for friends to meet Jace this weekend.

I wish I had posted about the Mets on Monday, They clinched a postseason berth and Max Scherzer won his 200th game. They won again the next night, their sixth in a row. That would have been a good time. I thought the streak would keep going. Yesterday I didn't have the heart to write after the Mets were shut out by rthe Brewers. On to Oakland.

Fall started about an hour ago. Sometimes fall is described as "arriving." I just started thinking--arriving from where? I know it was in the Southern Hemisphere for a few months. but where after that? (Cue suspenseful music.)

There's a lot to do in the next few days.

Don't Blink

I feel as if I blinked, and not only is summer over, but September too (well just about.) I guess it hit me when I realized that next week is October. 

I feel I should have done more this summer, but can't think of anything specific right now. I spent a lot of time walking Lola at Oyster Shell Park, or so it seems, watching egrets and baby swans. We did fun things such as DPF's, outside dining, listening to music, looking at art. I participated in a class reading of stories, have continued writing and made writing plans even if I haven't been very productive. 

In September, we went to a celebration of life and a memorial service (both postponed by Covid) visited with family, celebrated our anniversary with a mini-getaway, and celebrated Jeff's birthday yesterday. Jeff, Lola, and I went to the Biergarten at Nod Hill Brewery for lunch. Later we met friends at the grand opening of 314 Beer Garden. 314 was too loud and crowded, so we headed to Sedona Taphouse. 

Jeff and I were too full to eat a regular dinner, so we had salad and chocolate mousse cake. I had made vodka sauce Friday. Tonight's dinner will be penne a la vodka--to make it a birthday weekend.

September is almost over, but it's just the beginning of fall--my favorite season. I need to plan some fun things to do, make a list, and anticipate them. Don't blink; don't let the fall get away. 

Welcome Fall

It's been cool enough the last few mornings for me to have hot instead of iced coffee. 

It is now officially fall, as of 3:20 this afternoon. 

We don't have any specifically fall plans. I'll have to think about it.

Right now, we are planning for Jeff's birthday this Saturday. More to come. 

September

I can hardly believe that September is here; why is this year flying by? 

As I mentioned in my last post, we had a busy weekend. We also have three events next weekend (okay, things to do is more accurate than events.) 

The following Friday is our anniversary. We're returning to Interlaken Inn for probably the last time. We'll use our gift certificate from Christmas 2019. Unfortunately, I'm worried we might be sheltering-in-place again soon, so we better use it while we can. 

I'm disappointed that Interlaken is no longer offering its petaway package. Actually, there are no packages listed on the website. Morgan's Restaurant used to be a highlight of an Interlaken visit. It's gone downhill, and I don't know what to expect from the "light dinner menu" listed on its website. We will still enjoy our visit. 

Beach Days

Now that October is here, many of the local beaches are open to dogs. Alas, not Norwalk. (The exception is Bradley Beach in Rowayton--pets are allowed from November 1 through March 31--but I'm not sure if I'm ever allowed. I'm not a resident of 6TD.)

This month, we've taken Lola to Cove Island Beach in Stamford, and Compo and Sherwood Island Beaches in Westport. Today was our second visit to Sherwood Island, Connecticut's first state park that covers 235 acres (compared to Compo's 29 acres.)

Lola's been going to Sherwood Island for about two years. In a cold winter, I started going there because the access roads were always paved. This was after a few tough times getting around Oyster Shell and Taylor Farm parks in Norwalk. Plus Sherwood Island has many different areas for Lola to explore. 

It hit the 70's today; I know those days are numbered. We have to enjoy them when we can. 

September is Here

Besides the calendar, I can tell  it's September by seeing pumpkin flavored latte commercials. I've also started seeing Halloween candy, etc. in the stores last week. 

I love September. It's a new beginning of the school year, the start of autumn, Jeff's and my anniversary, and Jeff's birthday, among other family celebrations. September is especially welcome after two months of hot and humid weather, although we're not done with that quite yet. 

In a moment of hyperbolic melodrama, I could say that Covid-19 has stolen my spring and summer. It's true that I've missed out on many things, but they pale compared to what others have suffered. That's why I bitch about what I missed in my private journal. Technically, we still have three weeks in summer, though I don't think that I can make up for summer things missed in that time. 

Let's look to the future. In two weeks I'm starting another writing class with the instructor I've been working with for two years. I'm also starting an in-person collage and mixed media workshop, socially distant of course. I've also signed up for an online seminar about women's suffrage. I'm psyched for all of these things. 

Jeff and I are deciding how to celebrate our anniversary. We're not ready to go away anywhere, though we've been invited to visit Melissa and Karl in North Carolina. We're afraid of what would happen when we come home. We thought about going to Interlaken Inn, but we're not happy with their lack of packages and dining options. So. we'll stay close at home, as we've been doing since the beginning of the year. 

September is here, and we'll make sure we enjoy it. 

The End of the Road (Yellow Trail)

After I voted yesterday, I took Lola to Bradley Park in Wilton. We haven't been there in a while. My goal was to finish what I call the second yellow trail.

I think Lola was a bit impatient with me. She wanted to run down the trails. I was carefully stepping among the fallen leaves, tree roots, branches, and rocks. She slowed down when we were on flat terrain, and I could have sped up.

We started on the orange trail and went clockwise around the park. Lola started to turn down the first yellow trail. I pulled her back and continued to the second yellow trail on the bottom of this map. (If I count the yellow trails clockwise from the parking lot starting point, it is the fifth yellow trail.)

This was our third try, and we finally made it to Woodchuck Lane. It  had been too muddy on our previous attempts.

It was a lovely autumn walk.

Autumn Saturday with Haunted Happenings

We hadn't heard of Cherry Lane Park until we saw it on a map on the Wilton loop of The Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT.) Last week after we walked the NRVT, we drove by Cherry Lane Park.

This past Saturday afternoon, Jeff, Lola, and I headed to the park (here's the trail map on page two.) We started on the orange trail, but got off on the blue-white trail which was too short. Then we found the orange trail again and continued our hike.

I call it a hike because it wasn't a smooth path like the NRVT. We had to navigate tree roots and acorns, and go up and down hills. I'm serious about the acorns: there were so many in places that it was dicey walking downhill.

We hiked for an hour. It was a beautiful autumn day, and Lola loved exploring all the new scents.

***

We've gone to the Haunting on Mill Hill for the last three years. This year Jeff told me about Haunted Victorian Ghost Stories at Lockwood-Mathews mansion. I asked which one he wanted to do. In typical Jeff fashion, he said "Why not both?"

Lockwood-Mathews: Haunted Victorian Ghost Stories

This was our first haunting of the evening. We walked around the first floor of the darkened mansion.  Early in the tour, a volunteer was reading a story and the tour guide screamed in my face: I was standing next to her. I'm proud to say I didn't react at all.

The ghost stories were good, but they suffered because the volunteers were reading them--and holding flashlights to see their scripts. That took me out of the moment. I liked that volunteers were hiding in the shadows. I recognized one guy among the mannequins before he started talking. Some were lying on the floors calling out, and there was a good use of piano to punctuate some of the stories.

The stories also suffered by attempts to include descriptions of odd things that happened at the mansion itself. These weren't particularly scary such as there was a sound of footsteps upstairs, but no one was there.

Overall, I thought the event was a bit too hokey.

A Haunting at Mill Hill 

I wouldn't have been as critical of the Lockwood-Mathews event if I hadn't been to A Haunting at Mill Hill. This was our fourth Haunting.

At Mill Hill, actors perform the stories--and they do it with relish. We started inside hearing one story, then we split into two groups and walked through the cemetery to learn about other deaths. This year including a funny story about two socialite sisters who died together. I also learned something: the term lobsterback for British soldiers.

A Summery Start to Autumn

It's the first day of fall, and temperatures in Norwalk hit 90 degrees. This is especially weird because we had a few fall-like days over the past few weeks: I woke up to 45 degrees on Thursday.

Jeff, Lola, and I returned from our wedding getaway--mini-vacation last night around 6:30. We were away for five days. It may be our only getaway for the year. (We've talked about going away for Thanksgiving, but I'm not sure that will work.)

I want to write about many things we saw/did this weekend: a wedding, wineries, hiking. I'll probably spread these topics out over a few posts.

Today I took a writing class (want to write about that too) and had a tutoring appointment. Tomorrow is a trip to the dentist (not like Veronica's) and another tutoring appointment. Jeff's birthday is Wednesday. Thursday I'm meeting the buyer/mover of furniture for Jeff's mother's apartment and officially surrendering the unit. I need to firm up other tutoring appointments and revise my ACT manual. I have to get the bathtub drain unplugged and get my PC's internal mouse fixed. Then there's the usual: laundry, chores, and food shopping.

I'd like another getaway next week, please.

Fall Photos

Over the past four months I've made several visits to my mother in Redding driving through Wilton. I've loved the rose tint of leaves I've seen along the way.

I pulled off on a side road to take these pictures a few weeks ago. Good thing I finally snapped the photos when I did. The next day or so, the colors faded.

We're still a month away from winter, but it's been cold. I feel we've been cheated out of fall. At least I can look at these pictures.  

This Day

It's a cold, windy day. I even saw a few snow flurries around 1 PM. Too much, too soon.

I'm reminded that we had our Interlaken getaway over Veterans Day weekend last year; a weekend of record cold.

At least it's a little warmer than this Veterans Day weekend. But winter seems to be on a hurry to get here.

Road Trip

Today I proctored an ACT practice test in Guilford. I usually don't go that far to proctor (around 50 miles) but I haven't been working many hours, I was free, and I was hoping for a nice autumn afternoon. I thought of going to the beach or walking the labyrinth at Mercy Center.

Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. Rain had stopped by late morning, but winds picked up. I had to consciously grip the steering wheel on the drive home.

The 50ish miles to Guilford is the farthest I've driven the car in the 22 days I 've owned it. That could be the farthest anyone drove it. This 2010 Jetta had only 12,150 miles in eight years.

I am loving the car, though still learning about it. On Thursday, when temperatures were in the 70's, I accidentally turned on the seat warmer I didn't know I had. Just haven't gotten around to reading the owner's manual.

***

Jeff and I saw our super this afternoon. He is driving a 2002 car that a former tenant owned. When he got the car, it had only about 20,000 miles.

Thanks to all the little old ladies who don't drive much.