The Weekend Rundown

Someday I'll get back to blogging and reading my favorites but today week month is not that day. Whew we have a busy month on tap. On the bright side though, we had a lovely low key weekend with nothing we absolutely had to take care of. We were overdue for one of those and it was much appreciated. 

Friday night we went with neighbors to a small local farm that had a BBQ truck and a favorite local musician playing on the property. 

We brought lawn chairs and ate pulled pork and watched the goats play and the guitarist too. 

The sunset was pretty in pink which is always a favorite. 

We dropped the neighbors off at their house when the show ended, and as we came around the corner from their street to ours two black bears ran in front of our car. Always a bit thrilling to see them up close. 

Saturday we drank coffee on the back deck, then made a second pot and drank more. We spent an inordinate amount of time sorting out our Halloween costumes for a neighborhood party and needed caffeine. We love a good costume and like to try and come up with something original. We think we have but I guess we'll see. 

Saturday afternoon we watched our Vols beat Auburn and that was exciting. I get super nervous so had my laptop out the entire time and worked on trying to figure out the where and the when and the route and accommodations we'll need for a trip we're taking in 2027. Accommodations are the tricky part because even though the trip isn't happening for a whole year lots of places are already fully booked. 

I also loaded a bunch of photos into a site my siblings and I have as we're putting together a slide show for a luncheon we're hosting in honor of my mom later this month. We've received our date from Arlington so will be trekking that way in a few weeks. Looking through decades of pictures is a rabbit hole like no other but it's been fun to see some I haven't seen in a long long time. 

I'd planned to cook Saturday night but changed my mind, so we had a frozen pizza. I did manage to make a salad to go with, then we watched Clemson get their clock cleaned by Miami. Painful. 

Sunday was church and I sent a spur of the moment message to our next door neighbors asking if they wanted to come for chili and cards that evening. They said it sounded like fun so that's what we did. Sometimes spontaneous invites work best. 

I made chili, cornbread in the iron skillet which is the only way in my opinion, and a pan of brownies. I wiped down bathrooms and hubs vacuumed so the house was put in order. It wasn't exactly cool outside, but it was a gray rainy day and chili felt right.  We had a nice time catching up and playing cards. 

I'm linking with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today for this not that interesting but really nice weekend. Hope you had a good one too. 

Share Your Shelf-September

Hello October. 

"I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"~L.M. Montgomery

That quote is from my favorite book and feels appropriate to post here today. It's October and I'm talking books. 

Anne of Green Gables for those not in the know. 

Since it's the first Thursday of the month it's time to share what we've read the month prior. Here's what my bookshelf looked like-

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

The novel follows Olivia Dumont, a memoir ghostwriter who has spent most of her adult life distancing herself from her father,  the celebrated horror novelist Vincent Taylor. When Vincent asks Olivia to write his memoir, circumstances force her to reconnect with the father she has worked so hard to leave behind. 

She soon realizes the memoir centers on the 1975 murders of Vincent's two siblings, a decades old cold case in which Vincent was once the prime suspect. As Olivia digs deeper into the conflicting evidence surrounding the murders, she must confront not only a 50 year old mystery, but also the complicated and fractured relationship she has with her father.  

I enjoyed this one very much. Four stars for me. 

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

This was my book club's September read and I found it a little disappointing. Not bad, but not great either. There's a very strange timeline presented, and I found it distracting and unnecessary. The author wanted to show the changes to the glass making trade over the course of centuries, while keeping the characters constant.  Centuries pass in the real world, but the characters age much more slowly. Once you get the rhythm of this unusual timing the book improves.  

The novel is set on the island of Murano off the coast of Venice and I've been there so was eager to read. I have a beautiful piece of Murano glass (a vase) and thought I'd love this story. It's a work of historical fiction and the plot follows a fictional female glassmaker named Orsola Rosso. We follow her life and work in different eras ranging from 1486 to the Covid pandemic, and read about key events in the history of Venice along the way. 

The Names by Florence Knapp

I really enjoyed this one, and thought the idea behind the story was clever. Cora Atkin is a young mother trapped in an abusive marriage, and the story begins with Cora preparing to register her son's birth. Feeling pressured to name him after his domineering father Gordon, Cora considers calling her son Julian or Bear as these are names that reflect her hopes for her newborn son. The story is told in three alternate narratives, each one based on the name Cora chooses. 

The tale spans 35 years and examines the profound impact of that single pivotal moment, the naming of her son, and how that single decision can alter the course of many lives. 

Please note the abuse is written in a way that makes you feel something visceral, or at least it did me. 

This Side of the Sky: 101 Poems for the Hungry, Hopeful, and Homesick by Laura Wifler 

There's more than one book with this title, so if you're googling be sure you have the correct author. I've followed Laura Wifler on Instagram for a long while now and love her voice. My daughter gave me her book for my birthday and it's one I'm savoring. Five stars for me. 

I'm posting the Goodreads summary here because I think it captures the essence of her writing and this book in particular. 

"Known for giving language to what many women feel but struggle to name, Laura Wifler's debut poetry collection is as riveting as it is relatable.

Written with her signature timbre of startling honesty and unfaltering hope, Laura offers listeners a new way to witness life in This Side of The Sky. Through poetry that is remarkably specific yet wildly universal, Laura explores what it means to grow older in a fallen body, tangles with complicated feelings about grief and suffering this side of Heaven and examines the aches of living in a world that feels both heavy and holy.

In these poems and Scriptures, you'll find

permission to be honest about the pain of life, without losing faith;

a tender awareness of God's nearness, even when life feels chaotic;

encouragement, joy, and comfort in your pursuit of Christ, fortifying your faith even in trials;

a reminder that Heaven is real, and it holds hope for you today.

A trusted and authentic voice for modern Christian women, Laura's poems grapple with the parts of us that know God is real but need reminders that He is moving in our lives, even now. Her compassionate words are ones to tape onto mirrors, tuck into Bibles, send to friends in crisis, and save for days when everyday life feels like too much. Like a hand beckoning, these poems invite us to notice the holy mystery woven through our ordinary days and trust that, even here on this side of the sky, we are held by a God who is both tender and present." 

You might think you don't like poetry (and in fact the book's intro has Laura informing the readers of her reluctance to call herself a poet),  but her poems read like stories and she has a genuine gift for the written word.  Five stars for me. 

If you've shared your recent reads hop over to our host blogs (Joanne at Slices Of Life and Dara at Not In Jersey) and add your link there. 

Climbing The Hodgepodge Mountain

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then go say hey to your neighbor there. Leave a comment too because comments make the blog world go round. Here we go...

1. When you think of autumn what sounds come to mind? 

a crackling fire, leaves crunching underfoot, geese honking overhead

2.  Is a trip to the mountains something you enjoy? What's your favorite mountain? 

A trip to the mountains is one of my favorite things and I can't possibly choose a favorite. I  live on a lake surrounded by the Blue Ridge. Boating under the bridge and seeing the main channel open up with the mountains as backdrop takes my breath away every single time. 

My grandparents had a Colorado farm with a view of the Rockies which was truly breathtaking. 

I'm  also really partial to the Great Smoky Mountains which is where hubs grew up, where we've spent a lot of time, and where we have family still. Lots of Smoky Mountain memories in my mind and heart. 

And then I've always been a little bit obsessed with Mt. Rainier. My daughter1 lived in Tacoma for several years when she was first married and you could see the mountain from her neighborhood. Swoon. 

We got up close to it on one of our trips there and she's a beauty. 

Wait. The Alps. I forgot the Alps. How did I forget the Alps? 

The village of Chamonix with Mt. Blanc looming large is pretty spectacular. 

Are all mountains spectacular? I'm going to say yes. Did you come here today to see my scrapbook of beautiful mountains? 

3. What's something that once felt like a mountain, but is now just a molehill? 

Retirement. There's so much to figure out and understand in the early days, and while there are still things to figure out, we've got this. It's no longer a mountain. 

4. Let's play this or that-fall foods edition. Yes you have to choose. 

• pumpkin spice latte or chai latte 
• apple cider or hot chocolate  
• stew or chili
• sweet potato casserole or green bean casserole 
• butternut squash soup or creamy mushroom soup 
• cranberry sauce or gravy 

Here are my choices-

chai latte 

apple cider but only if it's warm, if it's cold then I'll take the hot cocoa

chili, especially the first pot of the season-this meal says fall and football season have arrived 

sweet potato casserole-green beans are my favorite green veg, but not in casserole form

creamy mushroom soup

cranberry sauce 

5. Sum up your September in a sentence or two. 

Festive family birthdays, fun with friends, fierce football games, and fantastic mountain views.

Thirty days has September. Each one lasted approximately 2.4 seconds. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was with friends this past weekend and we spent an afternoon wandering around our old university. The campus is still so beautiful. 

Question-why are college kids so stressed out? They can literally take a slide from their dorm and grab Chick-fil-A in the student center. 

We were typing papers on actual typewriters for professors who literally measured the margins with a ruler. Then we'd go to Kinkos at 1 AM to make copies because copiers were rare and kind of expensive. Kinkos was open 24/7 for just such a purpose. 

Progress, right? 

But hey, I think the times helped make us strong and resourceful. 

Take Me To The Mountains

Good Monday morning friends. I hope you had a nice weekend and feel rested and ready for the week ahead. I'm linking with Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today for their regular Hello Monday hop. 

I had a really lovely weekend. Time spent with friends who've known you since you were eighteen is so good for the heart, mind, and soul. 

And that's what I had. 

Friday I drove to a friend's house in the nearby city, then we drove about two hours further into North Carolina, eventually making our way to her brother's mountain house. He generously lets us use this gorgeous home with a spectacular view for our reunions. 

We've had a few through the years, and three of them have been in this house, but it's been a number of years since our last mountain retreat. Our get togethers have been different combinations of girls and numbers, and this year there were ten of us staying in the house. 

We were all in the same sorority in college and whenever we're together it's like no time at all has passed. People ask what we do at the mountain house and the answer is talk. We talk. And we laugh a lot. A few tears are usually shed too, because we're all at an age where we're dealing with things and some of those things are hard. 

Being together is such a gift. 

Everyone trickled in on Friday and one of the girls brought BBQ from a place she likes near her Kentucky home. Others brought side dishes and cake because it's not a party without cake. I wish I had a picture but you should know (and are likely not surprised to learn) most of my pictures are of the view from the back deck. 

In fact we sat right there and had appetizers before dinner and it was hard to peel away from this beautiful spot. 

One friend also brought her college yearbooks, photo albums, and the scrapbook she made when she was a pledge which was really fun to see. We laughed and laughed at the memories some of the photos stirred up and we searched the internet for a few friends whose names came to mind who we haven't seen in a long long time. 

We stayed up way too late but we don't care. 

Saturday we woke to another gorgeous day. We had the pumpkin french toast I'd prepped the night before, along with quiche, fruit, yogurt, muffins, basically a breakfast buffet. It was delish. 

We eventually got ready for the day and loaded up into a couple of cars and made the drive down the mountain and in to Tennessee to meet a few more friends for lunch near our old university. When we were looking at dates for this get together one friend said she couldn't make the weekend because she had two weddings to attend. Then she surprised us by walking into the restaurant while we were having lunch. 

It turns out the route they were taking to the wedding brought them right past our dining spot so we all got to hug her neck and briefly catch up. So nice! 

After lunch we went over to campus and walked around. The campus is still so beautiful and we all agreed the weather was glorious. An absolutely picture perfect East Tennessee Day. 

College kids 4 decades later. 

Everyone made their way back to the mountain house, with our car making a quick pitstop on the way up  to grab some chicken and veggies from the market for the grill that night. We enjoyed more porch sitting before a delicious meal and then more cake, more laughter, more late night conversation. 

Sunday morning we awoke to yet another beautiful day. We enjoyed coffee and a very leisurely breakfast because nobody wanted to leave. We all agreed a couple more days on the mountain would be nice, but life calls and we answer. We finally packed up and with full hearts headed our separate ways.

I got home about four, unpacked, took a long shower, then blogged. Hubs made an omelet for dinner and we caught up on the weekend happenings. 

A lot of life has been lived since we girls first met. I'm not sure I could have imagined back when I was a fresh faced college student that more than 40 years later we'd still be drinking coffee together, sharing our burdens and our blessings face to face, laughing at our own hijinks, and supporting one another through every season of our lives. 

What a gift these girls have been. Continue to be. Will always be. 

"There is no greater remedy for the heart, nor sweeter comedy for the soul, 

than the company of an old friend." Bhuwan Thapaliya

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 673

Here are the questions to this week's Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (Sept 30) to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. When you think of autumn what sounds come to mind? 

2.  Is a trip to the mountains something you enjoy? What's your favorite mountain? 

3. What's something that once felt like a mountain, but is now just a molehill? 

4. Let's play this or that-fall foods edition. Yes you have to choose. 

• pumpkin spice latte or chai latte 
• apple cider or hot chocolate  
• stew or chili
• sweet potato casserole or green bean casserole 
• butternut squash soup or creamy mushroom soup 
• cranberry sauce or gravy 

5. Sum up your September in a sentence or two. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Friday Foto Dump

Pictures of random bits of life are piling up in my phone and while I'd love to think I might write whole entire too wordy posts about at least a handful of them I think we all know that's probably not going to happen. 

Let's do a little photo dump and see where it goes. 

I'm going to warn you where it goes is mostly the kitchen but that's okay. Somebody's gotta cook and I find baking therapeutic. I recently spent an afternoon baking cookies and it was lovely. 

It was actually two weeks ago, but recent enough. We'd been invited to dinner at our neighbor's house and she said not to bring anything, but I can't not bring anything so I baked cookies. Then we were invited to another friend's house the next day to watch the Ohio State - Texas game and I brought a tray of cookies there too. 

Snickerdoodles and a peanut butter jumble. 

It's been a long time since I had a leisurely few hours in the kitchen and baking cookies makes me think of my mama in a way that makes me smile. 

The pup went for a swim. It's pretty much his most favorite thing, but he's not in perfect health these days so doesn't happen as often as it used to. 

Hubs grilled the most delicious flank steak recently and we made a grilled romaine salad. Yum! So easy to do and definitely something we'll repeat. Raise your hand if you're happy we're back to eating lettuce. 

We're in our sports viewing era. 

Baseball and soccer and more baseball. 

We made Cubans with some left over pork tenderloin and they were delish. We use our panini maker which works great for these-

Sun coming up-

I take too many pictures of this every day phenomenon, but I can't help myself. 

I spent most of Tuesday in the kitchen and made a pot of pasta sauce, three kinds of quiche for the weekend, and some tortilla roll ups for hubs to take to a card night he had at a friends house this week. I love cooking when I can take my time. 

We went to a dockside concert on a random Monday afternoon because that's what you do when you're retired. There were four musicians on the dock and boaters pull up and people float and listen to music and chat with whoever happens to be floating nearby. The weather was perfection.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Linking with Erika and Andrea for today's Friday Favorites