Friday, October 18, 2013

Fall Fragments

Is the sky bright blue where you are, because wow our sky is super gorgeous today.  I love an October sky.

Actually I love pretty much everything about this season of the year, and while I'm always a little bit sad to see summer go, the color that gets splashed across my backyard definitely helps ease the transition.

God shows off with every turn of the calendar page, but never more so than in the month of October.


Do you see that ginormous hornets nest at the top of this very tall tree? There's no way to remove it, and I suppose when winter hits it will drop, but I pointed it out to hubs, and he thought maybe he could take it down with his air gun.

Have you ever heard that expression, "Madder than a hornet's nest"?
I think I know how it originated.  Ha!

I spent a couple of days at my moms this week, and on Wednesday I went with her to vote.  Her voting station is in my old elementary school, and I hadn't been inside the building since 1972. The polls were set up in the 'all-purpose' room, and it looked pretty much the same as it did forty years ago.

Forty?

That can't be right, can it?

I think schools now prefer the term multi-purpose or cafetorinasium or something similar, but I don't  hear them called all-purpose anymore. This truly was an all-purpose room. We had PE in there on rainy days, the lunch kids ate lunch there, and it was the place for programs and PTA.  Lots of things have changed in the elementary school I attended (you have to be buzzed in for one), but I was secretly happy to see this room looked exactly as I remembered.

My mom's washing machine wasn't working (it's always something isn't it?), and the repairman couldn't seem to figure out why, so I took her to the laundromat while I was in town. I haven't done laundry in a laundromat since college, and I remembered how much I dislike the whole experience. There were a couple of young moms in there doing laundry and my heart went out to them.  Plus, we're a long way from a quarter a load. Just sayin'.

I have two repairmen here this morning trying to fix my lower oven. It conveniently quit working when I had 35 people in my house for brunch last month. I don't need two ovens when its just the hubs and I eating here (I barely need one!), but the holidays are approaching, and I'm hosting Christmas so it needed to be fixed.  They're trying to get it back in the wall right now, and I think I heard a naughty word. I hope they know what they're doing.

Did I mention these are Friday Fragments?
Well they are.

I'm trying to go through my blog reader and clean it out, which essentially means marking as read. I hate to do it, but there is no way I can read the more than 500 posts sitting there. I haven't been a very good blog friend when it comes to visiting and commenting this month, but I guess there are seasons in everything, right?

If you ever make a trip to NYC and end up in Rockefeller Plaza, do yourself a favor and step inside here-

Teuscher's Chocolates. World's best. I'm not even kidding. Imported weekly from Zurich and so delicious. I bought a small sample of their biggest seller (champagne truffles) along with one delicious limoncello dark chocolate. Swoon!


Did I mention I love a fall day?

Enjoy your weekend everyone, and if you have fragments that need a place to land, hop over to Half-Past Kissin' Time and join the party.

Half-Past Kissin' Time

23 comments:

  1. Wow the house looks beautiful with the sky and those colors! Hope it still looks like that when I'm home next month!

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  2. What lovely autumnal colours. I do hope they manage to fix your oven, I have an intermittent fault on my oven which never appears whenever I call the repair people out to fix it!

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  3. The sky and the trees are so beautiful. How awesome that you got to go into your old school and then doing laundry at the laundromat, going back in time sounds like it was fun. We have two ovens and your right, I always use them for the Holidays. When I get to NY I will definitely try the chocolate. Your home looks beautiful and full of Fall......

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  4. Beautiful pictures. I love the fall colors too but not the cold air.
    I know what you mean about the schools of today. When I had to go back into my old grade school I was amazed at how "small" it was. hehehe
    Hope the guys got your oven fixed. Have a great day.

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  5. Thanks for the fall colors. I'm afraid blogs are the closest I'll get to them this year yet again.

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  6. Love your autumn pics,,, we just don't get the same color here in SC

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  7. You most certainly have been one busy lady this past week. Repairmen....I think I can take the 'nasty' words okay, but the Butt Cracks are another thing altogether. ;o)

    I love the colors of Autumn, and you most certainly have captured its beauty!!!

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  8. I love the one with the house and trees! That would make an awesome painting! The Littles in our extended family attend my grade school, the same where my kids also attended so I know the feeling of walking back in time whenever I enter there. I like it actually. Somehow it's a sign that life goes on and all will be well. :)
    I like Laundromats! Well, kind of. Ha. We've used them while on both of our sabbatical trips and they never failed us in the best people watching! In the States or abroad! :)

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  9. Some days I have to just hit that mark as read button too... & then feel like the pressure is off :)

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  10. Good to catch up with you, Joyce. The photo of your home is beyond lovely, with the fall colors showing off against that beautiful blue sky!

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  11. Geez. I wrote a long comment about the beautiful fall colors but I lost it. I enjoyed the pics. Sorry the words are plain.

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  12. Well then I am your favorite blogger this month because I've barely posted anything. :) Man do I want some chocolate now!

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  13. Hi Joyce! One of these days, I'm going to join your meme. Do you email the weekly questions? I always het too busy and forget.

    Your colors look much like ourswe had such an incredibly blue sky one day this week; I find the fall season to be a true gift.

    Thanks for linking up! Have a great weekend.


    My favorite chocolate comes from Noray, but I've never had the Swiss variety. It sounds like I'll have to add that to my bucket list!

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  14. Oh my such GORGEOUS pictures! Your right, the blue of the sky is soo blue it looks fake!, haha I had two ovens at my old house and it was honestly such a blessing, I used them ALL the time, but especially at the holidays. I miss it especially then. Enjoy your week-end!

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  15. I enjoyed seeing your beautiful fall pictures, leaves here are just beginning to change color.

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  16. Beautiful photos! At my kid's school they have what they call a Multi-Purpose room too. And they just started the buzzing people in this year. It's so sad they have to do that. You're making me hungry for chocolate. Have a great weekend!

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  17. I love each and every season and find special things in each. Peopke think winter is my fave - I think that's because I try to overcome other's winter whines by extolling its virtues.

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  18. Purty trees!

    I remember walking into our kids elementry school and being surprised that they all smell the same! Kind of a combination of kids, cleaning supplies and lunch. Took me right back!

    500!!! Mark ALL as read and start new, that's too much pressure!

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  19. Those fall leaves are gorgeous! Ours are still pretty much green down here in the south. And I'm adding the chocolate place to my list. I dream of when I get to return to NYC.

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  20. I love Fall too! Your pictures are gorgeous. How lucky for you to have that view right in your backyard. I live in Vegas and we don't see changing leaves too much here, unless you drive about 30 minutes to the mountains. That must have been an odd feeling being back in your elementary school. For me, it would be the old familiar smells that would make me feel nostalgic. Hope you have a good weekend!

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  21. Gorgeous pics. I can imagine that home looks beautiful in all seasons.

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  22. It's been such a gorgeous fall this year....your pictures are amazing! I love NJ in the fall! We are heading to NJ for Thanksgiving and going into NYC to the Union Sq. Christmas market amongst other things...might have to find this chocolate place! Happy Sunday!

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  23. I do agree that the fall colors are pretty. I just know that what follows next is not my favorite! I wish we had blue skies like that in Minnesota. It seems so gray here.
    Six weeks before we moved last (and right around our daughter's wedding) our washing machine died and I had to go to the laundry-mat several times a week. It sure wasn't cheap!
    I just might have to go to NYC just to get some of those chocolates. Yum. We made many many many trips in to chocolate shops when we visited Brugge, Belgium years ago. grin.

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