Everyday Images Mid-October

I'm joining Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee today for her Everyday Images link up. She posts new photo prompts every two weeks (on Thursdays) and leaves the link up for the whole two weeks, so lots of time to make it happen on your own blog. 

I got a new phone for my birthday a few weeks ago and the camera can do a lot. I need to spend some time learning all the bells and whistles but I enjoy these bi-weekly prompts to encourage and remind me to take more pictures. The most recent prompts are-

listen~matching~clock~current season (quarterly)~dishes~orange

I found a couple of these to be somewhat challenging, but that's part of the fun.  

Listen-

I've mentioned before that hubs and I are reading through the Bible this year, and we're actually listening as opposed to reading. We use the Bible app and we're in awe of the narrator and his ability to pronounce long lists of seemingly un-pronouncable names and places. 

After the daily reading we listen to Tara Leigh Cobble's podcast called The Bible Recap where she helps bring clarity to whatever was read that day. 

Every day looks different here and sometimes we sit with our coffee and listen. If we have somewhere to go that's a bit of a drive we'll listen in the car. I actually like that because there are fewer distractions. Last week we listened on our drive into the mountains. Day 284!! So happy we've stuck with it. 

Taking the word listen in a different direction...we are loving our backyard waterfall. 

The sound is bliss. 

Matching

I had a hard time with this one and resorted to taking a picture of two matching catalogs we got in the mail this week. They arrived on the same day too, and I have no idea why they're sending us two???  I have ordered from this company several times, but I never order via the catalog. 

Do you still get magazines? How about catalogs? Do you ever order from a catalog, or are you like me and you go straight to the website? I suppose the catalogs remind me of companies I don't think about on a regular basis and that's probably a good thing. I do enjoy browsing catalogs of all kinds and sometimes find gift inspiration there. 

In case you're wondering this company's Kringles are yummy. Not a paid endorsement, just an opinion. Carry on. 

Possibly a stretch here, but I also took a photograph at the restaurant we ate in last weekend, that I thought might work with this prompt. We ate at the bar and I liked the symmetry of the matching glass hangers on either side of the bar. 

I spy dishes on the counter, and now that I look at it, those bartenders kind of match too. 

Clock-

There's a clock in front of an old hotel downtown and while at the fall fest I snapped a picture as we walked by. Jogged by? The streets were packed with people and I was trying to keep up with hubs and friends who were on a mission to get to the next stage. (I wrote about the fall fest here-The Weekend Roundup)

Current season-dishes-orange-

I'm going to combine these three prompts because I feel like my pictures suggest that. For instance, is this our current season or is it orange? You decide-

Here's another-

We belong to a wine club that meets once a month and I snapped this picture at the October dinner-

I hit the trifecta with this next picture. These jars sit in a corner of my kitchen and I change them out seasonally. Right now they're saying fall. And orange. And dishes. 

I got this mug last year when I was Boo-ed by a neighbor. Does your neighborhood do this? You find a bag of fall/Halloween goodies on your front porch from an anonymous neighbor and you take the little ghost out of the bag and hang it on your mailbox so everyone knows you've already been hit. 

Then you put together a bag,  pick up a ghost from the neighbor who organizes it all, and leave the bag you made on one of your neighbor's porches. It has to be a neighbor who doesn't already have a ghost on their mailbox because the ghost is how you know who's been Boo-ed and who hasn't.  I love this mug and have my afternoon tea in it this time of year. 

Also, everyone has doorbell cameras so it's not as easy to be anonymous as it used to be lol. Still fun though. 

Happy fall y'all! 

A Freshly Painted Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you so the hop keeps hopping. Here we go-

 

1. Do you make an effort to see/hear live music? Last time you went somewhere for the live music? 

We love live music and I'd say we make some effort. Tickets to popular well known acts are ridiculously expensive these days so that's a factor in who we see perform live. We enjoy live music at several local venues where local artists play, some of whom are very talented. We have tickets to see one of my favorite bands in December and I'm looking forward to that. 

Last time we saw live music would be this past weekend. We went to the Fall Festival event in the nearby city which featured three days of all day music on five different stages. We heard some good bands. 

 2.According to HGTV the colors of the year for 2026 are mostly decided. Top paint companies declare a color of the year, and decorators will incorporate that into their new year home and room designs. Here's what's on tap in terms of paint trends for 2026 (check out the link here to see photos)

• Sherwin Williams-universal khaki (inspired by heavy canvas and outdoor gear)
• Behr-hidden gem (a confident shade of teal)
• Valspar-warm eucylyptus (a warm sliver tinted green)
• Dutch Boy-melodious ivory (a honey tinted beige)
• Glidden-warm mahogany (a classic brick red)
• Krylon-matte coffee bean
• Clark and Kensington -Hazelnut Crunch (warm reddish-brown)
• Graham and Brown-Divine Damson (cherry red with a subtle violet undertone)
• Dunn and Edwards-midnight garden (the green that works everywhere) 

First question-did you know there were so many different paint manufacturers? 

I'd heard of more than half of these companies, but two or three were new to me. 

Which color on the list most appeals to you in terms of your own decorating style? 

The walls in my house are mostly a soft neutral-Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan. It's very livable and we still like the color. We have a lot of windows and you see the lake out of most of them so we purposely chose a wall color that wouldn't compete with Mother Nature. The Universal Khaki is a little darker, but similar so maybe that one. I like the matte coffee bean too in terms of a neutral. 

I love dark dramatic paint but it doesn't feel right in this house. 

Do you have plans to do any painting in your home in the coming year, and if so might you choose a color from this list? 

We need to repaint some rooms more than others, but one room moves in to another then another and before you know it everything has to be painted or it looks funny. Maybe in the coming year. Maybe. Hubs says the exterior needs painting too and this would all be a huge project so we'll see. I see it as a two year project-interior one year, exterior the next. Hubs probably sees it more as a two-week project because once he gets hold of a home improvement project he's like a dog with a bone. I'm still recovering from the backyard re-do. 

Now, forget painting walls, which color name appeals to you most? 

Do the same people who come up with nail polish names also weigh in on paint. It seems so. I like the sound of warm eucalyptus. 

3. What's something in your life you have to do-watch-or participate in that's about as exciting as 'watching paint dry'? 

Taxes and insurance. Either and both. 

4 . Tuesday, October 14th is/was National Dessert day...did you/will you celebrate? Tell us how? What's your absolute favorite dessert. Yes, just one. I know!! 

I'm answering these questions on Tuesday morning and probably won't celebrate because I have book club Tuesday afternoon and play Mah Jong Tuesday evening. I did have dessert on Monday night at our wine club dinner...a very light cheesecake with a strawberry topping. It was yummy! 

I have a sweet tooth so choosing just one favorite is hard. I'm going with crème brûlée. 

We make it at home occasionally for dinner guests, and if I'm dining out and see it's on the menu I'll be ordering. 

5. Perhaps today is the day I will __________________________________. 

Organize that out of control cabinet in my laundry room. Except probably not because both my Tuesday and my Wednesday are already pretty full. The question did say 'perhaps'. If it doesn't happen Wednesday it's on my calendar for Friday so it will happen this week. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Are you familiar with something called a Day In The Life post? I've wanted to try one and I invite you to try it too. In a nutshell, you chronicle your thoughts, activities, and experiences throughout a single day. Any day. Nothing big needs to be happening, just everyday ordinary life from the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed. 

Most of the bloggers I've seen do this take a picture every hour or two and then add some words to go with. They're fun to read and you really see how, although our lives are our own, there is much we have in common. I'll be setting an alarm to remember to snap pictures on the day I choose, because that's usually my downfall. 

I'm going to host a link up for anyone who wants to play along on Thursday, November 13th, which is almost a month away. You can pick any day between now and then to blog about, then come back here and share your post on the 13th. See you there! 

And also here because like I said, it's a month away. 

Day Datin' Episode Two: Highlands NC

So good news. I've talked hubs into 52 dates in 52 weeks. More or less. Probably less but we're going to try. I'm going to try. I'm not sure I actually told him the exact number, but whatever...he'll go along with it because that's what you do when you're married a long time. You zig and he zigs with you. Something like that. 

Also he loves together time while I'm a person who craves space. 

See? Zigging and zagging. 

Let's define the word 'date'. We're retired so we naturally spend a lot of time together. We dine out at some point every week and I guess technically you'd call those 'dates'. Except we don't. We just call it grabbing lunch or dinner. I'm going to use the word date here in a more intentional way. As in, we're going to put a literal date on the calendar. We're going to plan ahead. 

Well probably I'll be the one planning but that's okay. I told him we'll snap a picture every week too, because it you don't snap a picture did it really happen? 

Not in 2025. Plus how do I make a 'date book' if we neglect to photograph it in some way? 

Date number 2...

We like to drive into our favorite nearby mountain town every fall and last Wednesday was the day. You might have thought I was kidding when I said we were going to write these dates on the calendar, but we had this one written on our calendars. 

There was a little bit of rain in the forecast but we woke to sunny skies, and ended up having lovely weather the whole day. We wound our way up the mountain to the charming town of Highlands NC for lunch and shopping, and we thought maybe a stop at the waterfall. Construction was ongoing there so we didn't get to hike. Western N. Carolina is still recovering from Helene in so many ways.

We remembered to snap a picture this time. 

That's  Old Edwards Inn behind us, a very well known beautiful hotel, spa, fab restaurant. We arrived close to lunchtime but visited a couple of shops before heading to our lunch spot. Which was not Old Edwards, but still is one of our favorites-Wild Thyme Gourmet. The cuisine is American with an Asian flair. 

We shared an order of their spring rolls to start, then we both had their crab cake sandwich. 

I've said before we're crab cake snobs and these were excellent. All crab, no filler. We didn't have dessert because a pastry shop that's on the way out of town was on my agenda. 

We spent a leisurely afternoon browsing shops, holding hands, designing our mountain house (kidding!) and enjoying the beautiful day. 

We left the town square and started for home around three, but first! pastry. 

I want to come back here when that hydrangea hedge is in full bloom. 

The pastries here are works of art and after we got home I googled the shop and learned the pastry chef, Oksana Shchelgachova, is on the current season of Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship. 

I haven't been watching but will tune in now.  

I'll vouch for her too because her pastries are delicious!

We finally made our selections and took our dessert and coffee out to the big front porch. They serve their coffee in real cups and get bonus points for that. 

Hubs had the key lime tart...

 and I had the pavlova. 

We brought the pumpkin home to have the next day.

On the ride back down the mountain we stopped for the requisite photo of the lake. Never fails to make you exhale and be grateful you live in a place with so much beauty all around....

...and your favorite date to share it with. 

Linking today with Joanne for her Talking About It Tuesdays blog hop. 

The Weekend Roundup

Good Monday morning friends. Stating for the record the weather here has been spectacular and I'll take more of it please. Seriously perfect. 

Today's the day we chat about our weekends, and if you'd like to add your link to the party hop over to Holly (Pink Lady) or Sarah's blog (Sunshine and Books). Here's how ours looked-

Did I mention the weather? Oh my, so pretty! In fact it was so bright and sunny the tiny handprints on my sliders were extra clear lol. I tried to snap a picture, but it truly does not do them justice. The kids stopped by Thursday afternoon and left their mark art. 

Friday was pretty low key. Hubs had a zoom call then washed his truck which is his new favorite hobby while I grocery shopped. We were home Friday evening and I cooked. Whoohoo! I have not been in the mood to cook lately and needed to shake things up.  I'd seen Ina Garten make a recipe online that looked good and it was (Chicken With Shallots).  Do I have a picture of said dinner? Nope. But if you want to see my grandkids handprints on the windows I've got that.  

Saturday we went into the nearby city for their fall fest.We didn't get there last year as we were in the UK, plus Helene made a mess of things, but we have been in years past and it's always a fun event. 

They close off the downtown streets and there are five big stages set up at various spots around the downtown with music on every stage beginning Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday afternoon too. We got to town about noon and stayed all day. 

So many great bands and the weather y'all! Did I mention the weather? 

There are bands playing on each stage simultaneously so you have to figure out which ones you want to see. We started with one that's a hometown group and they're terrific. I like a band that plays their own music, but mixes in some covers too because everybody wants to sing along. 

Besides music there are beer stations and food stalls galore. Almost all the local restaurants set up under tents and you have your pick of whatever kind of food you might want to sample. We got a taco and churros as we walked to the next stage, and both were really good. 

We watched a couple more bands before calling it a night. Because everyone is eating from the stalls the restaurants aren't as busy as they normally would be on a Saturday night. Before heading home we popped into one of our absolute favorite Italian restaurants that you can rarely drop in on without a reservation. 

We ate at the bar and we each had pasta. Hubs had the Fusilli al Nero de Sepia which was lobster, black truffles, sundried tomatoes, and breadcrumbs-scrumptious! 

I had their spaghetti with garlic, roasted tomatoes, basil, and grana padana-also scrumptious! 

Plus our server was so personable, a local college student, and hubs told him to call him when he started his job hunt and he'd offer him some resume and interview coaching. 

Sunday we went to church then to Waffle House for breakfast after. Are you pro or no on Waffle House? I couldn't eat it every day, but every now and then it's just right. We were seated beside a veteran and hubs quietly bought his breakfast which made me so happy. 

We came home and I worked on my blog and tried to finish up my book for book club happening on Tuesday. Hubs met up with friends to watch the Steelers game and I went back to church for the evening program-week two of our study on C.S. Lewis's book Mere Christianity.

And that was the weekend. Hope yours was full of fun and sunshine too. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 624

Here are the questions to this week's random fun aka The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here on Wednesday (of course!) October 15th, to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Do you make an effort to see/hear live music? Last time you went somewhere for the live music? 

2.According to HGTV the colors of the year for 2026 are mostly decided. Top paint companies declare a color of the year, and decorators will incorporate that into their new year home and room designs. Here's what's on tap in terms of paint trends for 2026 (check out the link here to see photos)

• Sherwin Williams-universal khaki (inspired by heavy canvas and outdoor gear)
• Behr-hidden gem (a confident shade of teal)
• Valspar-warm eucylyptus (a warm sliver tinted green)
• Dutch Boy-melodious ivory (a honey tinted beige)
• Glidden-warm mahogany (a classic brick red)
• Krylon-matte coffee bean
• Clark and Kensington -Hazelnut Crunch (warm reddish-brown)
• Graham and Brown-Divine Damson (cherry red with a subtle violet undertone)
• Dunn and Edwards-midnight garden (the green that works everywhere) 

First question-did you know there were so many different paint manufacturers? Which color on the list most appeals to you in terms of your own decorating style? Do you have plans to do any painting in your home in the coming year, and if so might you choose a color from this list? 

Now, forget painting walls, which color name appeals to you most? 

3. What's something in your life you have to do-watch-or participate in that's about as exciting as 'watching paint dry'? 

4 . Tuesday, October 14th is/was National Dessert day...did you/will you celebrate? Tell us how? What's your absolute favorite dessert. Yes, just one. I know!! 

5. Perhaps today is the day I will __________________________________. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Caramel Colored Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions, add your link at the end of my post. We've had some new bloggers participating in recent weeks, so be sure you visit your neighbor on the list and leave a comment. That's what keeps the blog world spinnin'! Here we go-

1. 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made? 

The saying rings pretty true both directions here. I'm a lot like my momma, and I see myself in my girls too. They're each uniquely their own person of course, but we're also alike in many ways. 

We've always said Daughter2 is my mini because she looks so much like me, but it's more than that. I wrote a post (linked here-And The Seasons They Go Round and Round) on her 30th birthday about some of the other ways we're similar. 

I wrote about my own momma too (linked here-One Of These Things Is A Lot Like The Other). 

Hmmm...I guess daughter1 never got a post of her own in this department, so I'm going to think about that and write one soon. I've always said she's a lot like me only better...softer, gentler, wiser, and definitely more coordinated-ha! 

2. Something you're nuts about these days? How about something that's driving you nuts? 

I'll reverse the questions and say what bugs first. I could write a long list of things relating to our current political climate, but let's go with people texting, face timing, or in general driving distracted.  

Something I'm nuts about these days? The weather for one. 

October skies might be my favorite and the temperature has been just right too. I love nature's gem tones and this is their season to shine. 

3. What does abundance mean to you? 

As a christian this term makes me think of the goodness of God. I love the lyrics to the song Reckless Love by Cory Asbury. '....Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the 99, I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still..You give yourself away... Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God...'

Here's a link to the whole song if you'd like to listen-Reckless Love 

4. Caramel apple-caramel cake-caramel corn-caramel sundae-caramel macchiatto...what's your caramel treat of choice? 

I prefer an apple dipped in caramel rather than an apple on a stick. I feel like I might lose a filling with that one. I like a bite of a caramel cake, but the icing is usually a little too sweet for me so I don't need a whole piece. I don't like flavored coffee drinks and while a sundae would be good I'm going with caramel corn. I love the mix you can buy that has half caramel corn and half cheese popcorn. The salty sweet combo is so good! 

5. What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall? 

I'm not sure there's one single memory, but more of a feeling I have when the leaves begin to turn. I think you'd call it nostalgia. When fall rolls around I think of back to school days, my dad raking piles of leaves in the yard, trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, and my favorite holiday-Thanksgiving. 

6. Insert. your own random thought here. 

Our camellia is loaded with blooms and so pretty...

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Day Datin'

Retirement is funny. We should have all this time to figure out fun places to go and new things to see, but between home maintenance-cleaning-improvement tasks that need doing, grandchildren that need grand-ing, appointments that need attending, and our various hobbies and volunteer commitments, the days fly right on by. 

Most weeks Wednesdays are a day we're both pretty free so I've declared it date day (hi hubs!). I'm trying to put a few things on the calendar for us to do together, even if it's just lunch someplace new. 

I was determined to find some fall last week so we drove about an hour from the lake to an apple orchard everyone talks about that we've never visited. When we lived in New Jersey we had a lot of orchards around us and apple picking happened every fall. I miss that so last week we made it happen. 

For starters, the day could not have been more beautiful. The sky was a bright blue, with some puffy clouds and a nice temperature for being out of doors. The orchard was just across the state line in the 'other Carolina', and sits atop a mountain, hence the name-Sky Top. 

We thought we might pick the apples ourselves, but when we stepped into their little shop and saw it loaded with bags and bags of freshly picked apples we decided to buy instead. 

We walked out into the orchard though, and wandered the property to see what all was there. 

For starters there was an apple cannon. 

We saw it in action and it was powerful. They gave you earphones to wear because it was also loud. 

There was a duck pond, some play spaces for kids to run and climb, picnic tables, and donuts right out of the cooker. There are few things better on a fall day than a warm cider donut. 

Just ask this guy. 

We bought apples, apple butter, apple cider, and some peanut brittle to take home, then headed in to the nearby town of Flat Rock for lunch. 

We'd never been to Flat Rock so relied on the internet for a lunch recommendation. We ended up at the Highland Lake Inn and Resort's restaurant- Seasons. 

The property has a long history dating back to the late 1700's, and over the years it evolved from a grist mill and private estate into a summer retreat for wealthy families. Throughout the 20th century it served as a school, camp, and Catholic retreat center and in 1985 was transformed into an inn and conference center. Today the focus is hospitality, dining, and preserving its historic charm. 

Hubs and I both had a cup of their homemade butternut squash soup and a salad, and both were delish.

Did I take a picture of my date? Nope. Just lunch lol. 

After lunch we drove about a mile down the road to check out Carl Sandburg's home. Through the years, on our treks north and south, we'd see the historic marker signs on the interstate, but we never took the time to get off the highway and see what it was all about.

The house sits above the town, and it's a little bit of a hike to get to it. There may be closer parking if you approach another way, but we were in town so parked at the bottom. 

Sandburg spent much of his life in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan but moved to Flat Rock in 1945 for the more temperate climate and a better environment for his wife's prize winning goats. You can tour the house (called Connemara) which sits on more than 250 acres along with the goat farm, sheds, two small lakes, several ponds, gardens, an apple orchard and 5 miles of hiking trails. 

We started the hike up and ran into a short detour due to a bridge being out. A year later and remnants of Helene are still evident in this area. 

We got about halfway up the trail when a man walking his dog let us know the house was closed due to the government shutdown. Sigh. Next time. 

Sidebar-that's the most I've walked since May. May!! I did go back to the ortho and have a new plan for the next couple of weeks in hopes of getting on top of this. 

Anyhoo, we had a really nice day and since I didn't take a single picture of us together, or even separately, you'll have to take my word for it. 

Also I never say anyhoo in person but for some reason it comes out of my mouth here. Stay tuned for more retirement shenanigans happening every Wednesday for the next 51(ish) weeks. Dream big, right? 

Linking today with Joanne for Talking About It Tuesdays