Mid-September Ruminations and Cogitations

My blog may have been a tad quiet lately, but my life hasn’t been. The minutes, hours, and days crank onward. Here’s a little mid-month update, in no particular order or designated importance. 

The hummingbirds are swarming the feeders in record numbers this year. To prepare for the fall migration, they are frantically drinking our offerings of sugary libations. Every now and then one will rest on top of the hanger, like the little female cutie in the above photo. (Don't forget to click to make the image bigger!)

Jim has been cleaning out our stockpile of old computer equipment. We’ve already dropped off the first load at Best Buy for recycling. We are officially and forever sworn off of any Microsoft Windows-based machines. What a relief! 

For a little fun and frivolity, we went to an antique show yesterday. Golly gee, the prices were frightful. But it was fun to look. I managed to purchase a rustic and tall child’s chair with chippy-white paint. It will reside in my studio room and comfortably hold a couple of artisan bears. After a lot of walking in the heat, we decided to treat ourselves at a restaurant a couple of miles down the road from the event. A lunch of fried chicken livers, pinto beans, and fried okra, washed down with a tall glass of iced tea, was decidedly refreshing. Gosh, it's been years since I've eaten chicken livers!

We had another job completed by the landscaping guys this week. The area underneath our deck has been a bit of a mess since the house was built, with a poorly-placed sprinkler head watering the foundation and too much shade to support grass. So we had them relocate the sprinkler, cordon off the area with decorative blocks, and fill the expanse with small landscaping rocks. It's much tidier now! We’ll pressure wash the brick next. Then we’ll move our heavy Charleston bench down there for a shady spot to sit and rest whenever there are backyard chores. 

Have you ever noticed how one project can accidentally lead to another? It’s funny how that works. While they were working, the landscaping guys discovered that one of the buried roof drain lines had collapsed. Apparently, the plastic pipe was buried too high when the house was built, and equipment probably crushed it when the lawn was extended last year. So the line had to be dug up and replaced, and the trench seeded. Now we have to keep the area watered for the new grass to grow. 

I bought a new camera a couple of weeks ago and I'm on a steep learning curve with it. I’ll keep and continue to use my old camera. Look for a post later on about my latest photographic learning path. 

Despite eating a healthy diet, I have managed to get myself anemic. So I have to remember to pop iron tablets twice a day and get rechecked in three months. Oh joy. Let’s hope that they perk me up a bit. I’m certainly tired of being tired. 

My fall decorating efforts haven’t gotten very far. We bought a couple of mum plants for the twig basket on the front porch. I also removed the light-colored summer quilt on the master bed and replaced it with a darker Amish quilt. Our colorful fall swag now hangs over the front door. It’s a start. And it may be the end too! Okay, okay. I’ll also put a pumpkin out on the front porch. Later. I almost forgot, we added a political campaign sign to our flowerbed this past week. That counts as fall decorating too, doesn’t it?! 

On a whim, we purchased a corn and apple block for the deer that live in the woods behind our cottage. Seasoned with molasses, the block has vitamins and minerals mixed in. It smells heavenly! Jim put it near the edge of the woods and directly across from our breakfast room. We’re looking forward to seeing how long it takes for them to discover it and whether they like it or not. 

Whew, this post is getting to be the length of a short novel. Enough is enough. Thanks for reading my ruminations and cogitations until the gory end!