The Joy of Autumn

I don't know about you, but I think autumn is a wonderful time of year.  It's as if all through the spring & summer I am in a cocoon or something, just going through the motions of life ... but at the first sign of leaves changing color & dropping to the earth, cooler temperatures, & the kids going back to school, I become a new person.  I am happier & more content.  I smile all the time.  I immerse myself in baking pumpkin bread & making homemade soups & stews.  I almost squeal with delight when I walk out the door & have to go back inside the house to get a sweater   : )

I know that January 1st is the start of the new year, but I have always felt as if the first day of school was the start of the new year.  A new year filled with promise.  And of course winter is not too far off, & you know that I am positively giddy when the snow begins to fall!

My back has been improving with the help of 3-year-old muscle relaxants & one of the best purchases I have ever made ... a wheat filled wrap that you place in the microwave with a cup of water for 3 minutes & heat to pain relieving perfection   : )   Thanks to all of you who have prayed & sent me good wishes for a speedy recovery.  I deeply appreciate it.  John is hoping that I have learned to not pick up heavy things when he is not here but to rather wait for him to do it.  I hope I have learned that too.

I had a lot of plans for this week which had to be shelved as I either spent my time bent over whilst shuffling from one part of the house to another, or sitting with the heated wheat filled wrap whilst working on my crochet.  I have tried various ways of making granny squares (a few of them shown below ... I have attempted more since this photo was taken) & have settled on what I think is my favorite way of making them.

I have two shawl WIPs which I am knitting along with a pair of fingerless mitts & two pair of socks. I find it rather puzzling that I can't for the life of me have more than one cross stitch project going at a time, but multiple knitting & crochet projects don't bother me in the least.  

Today I am going to venture out into the world to pick up a few groceries & to purchase a few plastic bins.  Did you know that wool yarns should be stored in plastic bins?  I didn't.  I thought they were supposed to be able to "breathe," but yesterday I found out differently.  Apparently you are to keep them in sealed plastic bags or in plastic bins with tight fitting lids ... or in sealed plastic bags inside plastic bins with tight fitting lids ... to keep various vermin from munching on them.  Definitely news to me.  I have been keeping my wool yarns in an old steamer trunk with a few lavender sachets tossed in for good measure.  So far they are okay, but I don't want to tempt fate.

This is kind of a rambling blog post today, isn't it ... lol!  I will end here, get myself ready to head out to do my shopping before the Saturday crowds begin to form (don't worry ... John is coming with me to lift & carry things), & maybe come home & bake something.  Sounds good to me   : )