The Weekend Edit

Hello friends. I hope you had a fun fall weekend and are ready for the week ahead. Here's how ours looked-

Thursday was a gorgeous day and hubs and I went into tiny town that evening for the weekly Jazz On The Alley thing happening there. We haven't made it to a single one all summer, and with only two or three left on this year's calendar we were determined to get to at least one. 

The town closes off the main street and sets up a big stage for bands to play. There are tables in the road and you can order food from the local restaurants or from one of the food trucks there and listen to music and chat with your friends. 

The weather was perfect and we saw lots of people we know which is always fun. 

Also our little town puts out an amazing Christmas light display and they're already at work doing the set up. I'm sure it's quite a job. 

68 days y'all. 

I've decided I might be that annoying person who wants to keep giving you a countdown. I didn't set out to be but somehow Christmas keeps popping up on my blog, and then I go check to see how many days until it's here and then I need to share. 

Back to October...Friday hubs and I started the day at the grocery store as he has a fun getaway coming up later this week and needed a long list of things to bring. Once that was done and organized we spent the rest of the afternoon at home. 

It might have been 86 degrees but I was sipping my afternoon hot tea on the patio anyway. Sometimes fall needs a nudge. 

Which apparently I provided, because we went to the neighbors that evening to play cards and while we were sitting on their back patio, fall rolled right on in. The temperature dropped at least fifteen degrees and it felt wonderful. 

The geese have been arriving which is a sure sign of the times. 

Saturday was chilly and we went to our middle grandson's baseball game one town over. Perfect viewing weather and I wore a sweatshirt the entire game. 

Meanwhile on the bleachers...

Best baseball sister ever has her own little entertainment set up. 

We stopped for lunch on the way home then settled in to watch our favorite Tennessee Volunteers BEAT Alabama on a picture perfect fall day. Lots of upsets in the world of college football this weekend and our game was one of them. 

At halftime we made the short ride over to another tiny town for their annual Oktoberfest celebration. They had televisions in the beer tent and it was fun to be in a crowd for the end of the game. Unless you actually went to Alabama you were cheering for Tennessee. 

This particular Oktoberfest is kind of like a small town fair with German beer and an oompah band. As the evening goes on other local bands play, and the whole thing is capped off with a fireworks display.

 Daughter1 and her family were there too and the kids had fun riding all the rides. We had brats and apple dumplings and hung out with friends. 

We love small town life. 

Also, we wore coats for the first time this season. And jeans and boots and I wouldn't have minded some mittens, but left those at home. 

Sunday morning hubs and I went to church, then once home I worked on a little project I need to complete before Tuesday. Hubs went to a friend's house to watch football and I might have had a nap on the couch while he was out. Golden Autumn Sundays are made for napping. 

Hubs grilled salmon for dinner and I finished some laundry and got a few things ready for the week ahead, which is going to be full. Very very full. 

Hope you filled your tank this weekend with the people and things you love too. Happy Monday! 

Linking with Holly (Pink Lady blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) for today's Hello Monday hop

The Weekend

In a word drenched. 

But Friday was beautiful. Sometimes the day before a storm has some of the best weather. Actually let's back up to Thursday since that's the weekend on my blog. 

The whole week was busy but it's a month for ticking things off the to-do list I suppose. On Monday (because I guess I'm backing all the way up to Monday now) I had labs done in preparation for my yearly physical. Since I was in the city I made a stop at Costco and picked up a few essentials. It was crowded and I made a mental note to avoid shopping there whenever possible until after the holidays. 

Hubs sent me this picture he snapped on the way to a friend's house Monday evening. October has the best skies. 

Tuesday I did the regular grocery shopping and played mah jong that evening. Then on Wednesday hubs and I both had appointments with the eye doctor. I'd like to go somewhere else, but options are limited. I don't mind the care, but they book far too many appointments at the same time and I spent more time there than I should have.  

Thursday I spent a fair chunk of the day taking care of some paperwork and then booking lodging for the third leg of our trip west next year. It's not happening until later in 2027, but we have all our accommodations booked and getting that done has me feeling a little bit excited for the trip. Hubs and I are doing a week on our own, then meeting up with two more couples for the second half of the holiday. 

Thursday night I went with a few women from my bookclub to hear an author talk about her new book. The author's name is Katherine Reay and she's written quite a few books, half on the lighter side, and then several more recent books that would fall under the genre of historical fiction/spy novels. 

Her debut novel was called  Dear Mr. Knightley, and came out about ten years ago or so, but I haven't read anything else by her since. Her newest book is The Undercover Bookshop and is set in a Cotswold village in 1950. 

She had me at Cotswold Village. 

I enjoy hearing an author discuss their writing and she was a wonderful speaker. We all felt like we'd had a little history lesson as she talked about what was going on in the world and particularly the UK at the end of the war.  I'm looking forward to reading this one soon. 

Another pretty sky on the ride home-

There might not be many faces on my blog these days, but there are still plenty of sky shots. 

Friday was a nice day. My next door neighbor has a granddaughter the same age as our Little Miss, although Little Miss lives here and my neighbor's grand lives about two hours away. She was in town visiting this week so my daughter1 invited everyone to lunch and a playdate. 

They were positively adorable playing together and the moms and grandmoms all had a nice time chatting. 

I'd made a meatloaf that morning so we had that for dinner. Hubs and I pulled all the porch cushions inside since nasty rain and windy weather were predicted, and we watched a movie before calling it a night. 

Saturday we woke up to gray skies and all day rain. We had plans to go into the city to a Fall Festival, where they close off the streets and there are lots of bands and food trucks, and it's just a fun day out. The event ended up getting cancelled due to weather so we had a Saturday to fill. 

We decided to go to breakfast somewhere because we wanted to get out of the house for a bit. Afterwards we stopped in a newish little market near the house and they have so many yummy things to buy. Snacks, sandwiches, coffee, ice cream, meat from a local farm, homemade bread and more. And it's close! When you live out of town having something like this nearby is such a treat. 

Once home hubs spent the rest of the morning on a project he has going on in the lower level and I worked out then washed my hair which takes a couple of hours,  so it was a good day for it. Our treadmill is in the lower level garage and even though it was pouring down rain I opened up the door and enjoyed the breeze and the view, even on this dismal day. 

I did some prep for my book club meeting happening this week (we read The Calamity Club) and then made a big pot of Ina Garten's Minestrone to have for dinner and leftovers this week. Her recipe is excellent. 

Even though I declared it a no laundry day hubs had a pile of towels from his project so I ended up doing a load of wash. It's just the two of us here but I feel like I am always doing laundry. 

After that it was football time in Tennessee so we watched the game. A win~yay! 

Sunday morning we had coffee on the screened porch and watched the sunrise for a quick spectacular minute. 

We went to church then pretty much lounged the rest of the afternoon. We have a lot going on in this second half of October and a day of r and r is probably necessary. 

So how was your weekend? If you blogged about it hop over to our host blogs - Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books)-and add your link to their Hello Monday hop. 

The Weekend Rundown

Note:  oops. Forgot to post this week’s Hodgepodge questions. They will be up later today. 

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. 

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

Hello MondayTuesday

It's been a whirlwind here for the past many weeks and I'm going to try to do some catching up on the blog. There's always a lot going on here in September, this year more than usual, but I haven't had much time for writing about it all. 

Since we have to start somewhere let's discuss the weekend. That feels do-able. 

Also, it's Tuesday, not Monday and I don't know why a holiday Monday throws the whole week off when we're retired and everyday is Saturday. 

Backing up to Thursday...

Hubs birthday always lands somewhere near the Labor Day weekend and this year we had plans to spend it in Tennessee. My sister-in-law's sister offered us her Vol tickets and they happened to be playing my girl's teeny tiny university so we said yes. 

Teeny tiny compared to the University of Tennessee anyway. A game in Neyland Stadium is always a good time, no matter who is on the field. 

Getting to the Knoxville area from the lake has been a bit of a challenge these past few years, courtesy of the ever on-going road works, insane amounts of traffic, and Hurricane Helene (yes, they're still repairing the damage). 

We decided to take the longer way around to avoid Asheville, and the long way is beautiful and winding and if you're not in a hurry a lovely drive. We end up going through the town of Cherokee, and over the mountains near Gatlinburg, and the road hugs a stream a fair amount of the way. Truly spectacular. 

I'd packed sandwiches and we pulled over and had a truck bed picnic and let the pup get out and sniff and stretch and we all thoroughly enjoyed the stop. We dined right beside this mountain stream which is so much better than fast food off the highway. 

We got to hub's brother's house about 3:30 and sat on their deck for a while before changing for dinner. There's a restaurant we've wanted to try called RT Lodge, that sits on the campus of Maryville College. Tucked in the woods behind it actually and we've never been able to get a reservation when we've been in town, but managed to snag one Thursday evening. 

Two college friends who live in Knoxville joined hubs and I and hubs brother and sister-in-law for a fabulous night out. RT Lodge was once a private home, and later was acquired by Ruby Tuesdays and used as their training center. These days its a boutique hotel, spa, and fine dining restaurant. I'd love to stay there sometime...the vibe is swoon-y. 

We had drinks before dinner in one of their sitting areas, and then moved upstairs to dine. Hubs had the roasted oysters to start and I had a delicious peach and blackberry salad made with arugala, Benton's ham, goat cheese, and pistachio. Yum! 

Our mains were all so good and we shared three desserts-a coconut mousse, blackberry cobbler, and a salted caramel corn profiterole. It's definitely a place to return to! 

Friday morning hubs and I took his mom to brunch. We went to First Watch and we all had breakfast. It was nice to have some in-person time with her, and bonus she brought me her homemade spicy pickles and a jar of okra too. 

After brunch hubs and I stopped at the most charming little shop near my sister-in-law's home, and ended up having a bit of a shopping spree. I bought a cute pillow for the porch, three bracelets to layer, two packages of cocktail napkins for something hubs is hosting next month, a new clear bag to take to sporting events, and a new diffuser and reeds for my powder room. Oh, and a fish to sit in the outdoor dining space. 

We went back to their house and played cards for a while before getting ready to head to dinner with more friends. The same six of us from Thursday night, plus two more couples we know from university. One couple has just recently moved back to Tennessee after many years away, and it will be fun to see more of them when we're in town.  

We went to Chophouse and then afterwards back to one friend's home where it was easier to talk. She'd made a super delicious ice cream cake to celebrate hubs birthday and he was touched by the gesture. 

Also, he loves ice cream. 

Saturday was game day.  Also, a million degrees, but GO VOLS! One of hubs fraternity brothers hosts a big tailgate with a tent (and cooling fans, that's important!) and we were going to hang out there before the game. But first! 

One of my 'blog friends' (Maria from Memorable Moments and Modest Missives) has a daughter working in ministry at UT and she saw I was going to the game so texted asking if it might work out to meet her daughter who was also going to the game. 

I love it. My sister-in-law was all in and as luck would have it we were passing her tailgate location en route to ours. Did I mention the heat? Whew. It was a scorcher. 

Hubs took a photo of the two of us together, but I'm never sure if I should post a photo of someone on my blog who I don't know well? I saw the picture on Maria's blog so am adding it here too. 

Suffice it to say she was super sweet and it was fun meeting her in person. I told her I felt like her mom would want me to give her a hug, so I did. I've met her mom in person too and I love the way the internet, the blog world especially, can make connections like these happen. 

We went on to the tailgate and caught up with our hosts who we went to uni with and more friends who were at the tailgate trying to stay cool too. 

Some young alums from hubs fraternity had pictures on their phones of some long ago parties and social events as they're looking to do some planning, and lo and behold hubs was in them. Not so surprising if you know him, but the pictures are more than 40 years old so were fun to see. 

I wore my straw hat which helped some, but there's only so much you can do when you're squished in with 100,000 fans and temps are in the 90's and the sun is absolutely beating down on you. 

We made our way in to the stadium and our great seats. The shade hit our section late first quarter, which was such a relief. Still not cool, but also not quite melting anymore either. 

A member of the band passed out on the field and I cannot imagine being in one of those uniforms on a day like Saturday. 

The band did a sweet tribute to Dolly as she is loved everywhere, but no where more so than East Tennessee. She grew up in the next county over and has given back in more ways than I can name here. 

We were winning by a comfortable margin so peeled out of there in the third quarter. Literally peeled as we were pretty much glued to our chairs. We got back to the house and showered, ate pizza for dinner, then watch Clemson get crushed by LSU. I kind of hate what college football has become, in terms of kids hopping teams, making millions, etc. but here we are. 

Also, we will never root for a Lane Kiffen win.

Hubs and I got on the road back home Sunday morning, and again we took the long way which felt extra long and extra wind-y. We stopped at a couple of overlooks because how could we not? So much beauty in the Smoky Mountain National Park. 

Hubs grew up here, but the views and the scenery and the mountains never get old. 

I've got several things on the calendar this week, including hosting book club Tuesday afternoon, so was glad to be home with some time to regroup. And hubs would say recover from the drive too, because man that route is not for the weak of stomach. 

It was a gray Labor Day Monday but we got some things done here. I unpacked, did the laundry, prepped for book club, made a meal plan for the week, and then hubs grilled us a burger for dinner. It was a really nice weekend. I think hubs has been well celebrated, the Vols won, and hey, we've still got two more weeks of summer. 

Linking with Holly and Sarah for this week's Hello Monday on a Tuesday.