a wonderful day

I've been feeling sorry for myself, and spent most of my day in a ball of misery yesterday - feverish, rashes, blazing pain - and the weather - it was frigid, ugly, and nasty enough to match my outer whiner self!

Today I woke slowly, grumpily, still in the thick of it, but outside was almost too perfect - the kind of autumn day imagined and portrayed in a Hallmark movie, but realistically just out of reach because it's a actually a movie set -

only it wasn't!!

The sun was shining, the air dry, crisp, warm, but not too - the leaves glowing, just beginning to turn orange, red, and golden. Porches are displaying pumpkins, and young families were out walking their dogs and strollers. It would have been thought hokey if it hadn't been what was really going on.

I was bound and determined to get myself out into the world. I haven't really been able to do that in a number of weeks, other than for doctor appts, and with autumn being my favorite season - as it is for many - I had to experience it. I've especially missed my favorite Farmers Markets, so my husband and I decided to make it our destination.

I did the things I gotta do if I'm going to leave the house for any length of time, and off we went to Rye's Farmers Market, where we stocked

up on plenty of fresh everything!

Continuing the Hallmarkesque vibe, Rye was celebrating it's 57th Annual Halloween Window Painting celebration, and the sidewalks were filled with families cheerfully painting ghoulish scenes!!

The main street was blocked off, and there was a band playing Beatles music while the young artists painted and others wandered, chatted, and enjoyed the fall air. There couldn't have been a better day to drag my gloomy self out for cheering up!

Watching all these creative budding artists work

on their autumn ritual was the best!

Last week we completed our biggest autumn ritual -

the migration of our plants, from outdoors to in.

It's repeated in reverse each spring, which is much easier.

It's all pretty easy for me - I mostly point,

this poor guy here does the hard work,

suffering the thorns and arrows...

Coming back indoors means removing many pine needles, spiders, mealy bugs,

and discovering a few surprise volunteers that I rush to protect!!

(those are sunflowers in the pot below on the right-

helpful squirrels? or messy birds?!)

We could call it, The Great (mostly) Cacti Migration...

and now they've all found their places, like pieces to a puzzle,

we somehow find the room to fit them all,

even as they grow and multiply!

and let's not forget that it's harvest time...

yup, pepper picking time.

This time we had two generations of peppers in one salad.

The pepper story started here but has all it's chapters scattered through these posts. We're coming up on the two year birthday of this happy fertile plant, my miracle plant, and it's busting all over with blossoms, ready to put forth a whole new bunch of sweet eatin's!

As you can see, I am typing, which is progress!! My hand has been improving. I still have difficulty gripping and can't write or do my art making quite yet. I start physical therapy tomorrow, for an added complication - frozen shoulder (or adhesive capsulitis), three times a week. It's also on my right arm, which helps put a damper to my creative expressions, but the therapy should keep me busy and help get me moving hand to paper soon again.

Thanks for your continued support and patience as I chug along!