Honestly, the colors, in my mind, are absolutely gorgeous this fall. Plus, we have had weeks it seems, of perfect weather. Bluer than blue skies, sunshine, autumn leaves, and gentle temperatures. All are conducive to getting outside for those last days of perfect weather. The dogs and I have walked every day and loved every minute of it. We have been sticking close to home and walking at Colby-Sawyer College on their Morris Trail as I just didn’t feel like driving to the Rail Trail in Andover. It’s not that far, about 15 minutes each way, but it adds an extra half hour onto my walk time and I am spending it in the car. I’d rather be outside.

Something Fun

Our town, New London, goes nuts for Halloween. Every year they decorate the town with “The Pumpkin People” – often there is a theme but it can be pretty much anything. This year I participated in the Garden Club display for the first time. I actually learned how to use a glue gun. Where has that tool been all my life? At one point the nose fell off my pumpkin head and my friend Sally had a repair needed on hers so we sat on the sidewalk with the glue gun plugged into the back of a truck and glued the pieces back on. Not something I would have thought I would be doing on a Saturday afternoon in October. The displays are so creative and they pop up over the weeks leading up to the big Halloween night. It is usually the Sunday afternoon closest to Halloween. The town closes down Main Street, the stores stay open, candy is supplied to all and the children and families roam freely up and down the street Trick or Treating. What could be more fun than that? Not going to tell you which of the above is mine but suffice it to say it is a very amateur effort for a first timer. Plus it was a lot of fun.

Update on the Asheville Family

They are HOME! After three weeks in Beaufort, SC, they were able to return to their house on Saturday. Here are Margot’s own words:

“We felt it, lived it, fled it. Leaving AVL was one of the toughest things we had to do after Helene. However, with two littles it was the right thing at the time. Arriving in Beaufort, SC a community we had visited for many years definitely didn’t feel like home until the community rallied behind us. Immediately we had friends from Dataw, new neighbors, and so many people offering toys, food, and childcare. They lined up to help us out of the goodness of their hearts. Talk about grateful….Beaufort, we will always remember and promise to pay it forward as you did for us!
We are now ready to face our new reality and help rebuild our city. AVLStrong!”

I couldn’t express it on their behalf. We are delighted they are home and so very grateful to our friends in Dataw and Beaufort who took care of our family. Thank you!

Cooking With John

It wasn’t me! John made a super delicious shrimp dish for us this week. I am just not the cook in this household but I will claim to be the cleaning guru. All that energy has to go somewhere. My new favorite person is Clean That Up and believe it or not I am learning some neat tricks to cleaning things quickly and a slight bit more easily. I’m getting really good at glass shower doors!!! Actually they are the bain of my existence but now I have discovered squeegees for windows things are much better.

Here is the recipe:

Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Garlic Bisque from Natasha’s Kitchen