THE COLORS OF AUTUMN

"O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief,

Hearts not adverse to being beguiled."

Robert Frost

"October"

The colors are pure perfection.  The vibrant oranges and rusts, the dark reds, mixed in with the mellow tinges of gold, some so lightly touched by the hand of nature, you hardly see any change at all.

Let me take you to a place which I love.

A place that signifies all that is beautiful in this world, and after we have gotten our fill of what it has to offer, we can understand a little better the wonder of it all...that place is Autumn.

A beautiful Monarch butterfly, itself dressed in an Autumn pallet, tasting the nectar of a last lingering bloom.

A front row seat in Mother Nature's theater.

A pot of tea and a beautiful bouquet awaits.

Soft, but brilliant colors, against a canvas of green.

A rusted iron fence guarding a stately mansion.

A cushion of mums perfuming the air with their spicy scent.

Pieces of natural granite, by the side of the road, as if waiting to provide a seat for a weary passerby.

A soft glow as seen from a lace covered window.

A warm welcome to all who enter.

A fragrant rose, the last of the season.

A remarkable gathering of clouds.

Beautiful berries suspended through the branches of a cedar tree.

A golden chrysanthemum worshiping at the foot of the crepe myrtle tree, dressed in her fall finery.

A few Chinese Lanterns mixed with some wheat, accompanied by a paper cabbage.

A fantasy pumpkin to celebrate the season.

A waning Autumn sunset in the Sierra sky.

I hope you enjoyed the colors of Autumn and will take the time to rejoice in this beautiful season.

Soon the winds and rain will come and all that is Autumn will be put to rest until next year, but before that happens....

....I trust the path that you take will lead you to a place of solitude and quiet so you can hear the last rustling of the autumn leaves....Judy

"And they were canopied by the blue sky,/

So cloudless, clear and purely beautiful."

Lord Byron, "The Dream"

I was fortunate to find these lovely "PINK" dishes at an antique sidewalk sale in town this past weekend. There were 5 and I paid $20 for all. I thought $4 per dish was a good deal, but even if it wasn't, I'm glad I found them.

Bramble by Wedgewood, England

I am sharing with these parties this week:

Wow Us Wednesday

Home

What's It Wednesday

Home Sweet Home

Home and Garden Thursday

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Rustic Restoration Weekend

WHEN WITCHES COME TO TEA

When Witches Come To Tea...

The witches are arriving

It's a wonderful sight to see

How about you?

Will you be ready?

When the witches come to tea.

They come from all directions

You can hear them from afar

They park their brooms

But you can't tell

Exactly where they are.

They swoop down at your table

Never knocking at the door

You'd never know they'd been there

As they've never come before.

They are very still and quiet

Not scary in the least

Their manners are impeccable

And they thoroughly enjoy the feast.

So do what you are able

Stoke the fire

 and fill the pot

'Cause when witches come to tea

They like it nice and hot.

...Judy...

The Cottage Witch

October, 2012

Is your kettle on?

All china and tea pot from HomeGoods

Napkins and napkin rings from Pier One

Witches made by The Cottage Witch

The witches are sharing tea with:

Witches Tea Party at A Fanciful Twist

Be brave.

  Drop by and share a cup

 with the other witches.

 Put a little magic in your day.

Thank you,

 Vanessa, 

for conjuring up

 this delectable occasion.

SETTLING IN...

Autumn is here and winter is fast approaching the foothills.  The days and nights are becoming much cooler and it is the time of year for "settling in".

The leaves are starting to turn the brilliant colors that Mother Nature intended and her schedule is right on time.

The fires have been lit and are warming the darkest edges of the Cottage.

Maggie is loudly purring now that her place of honor has been restored.

Buddy has his own warm coat but occasionally he needs to lay on another layer.

Outside, the woodland creatures are beginning to replenish their coffers...

...taking notes from their garden role models.

October is an exciting month at the Cottage.  It is a time of celebration.

We celebrate the fact that it is a more comfortable time as far as the weather is concerned...

We celebrate the fact that Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year...

We celebrate the fact that it is time for ghosts and goblins and left-over Halloween candy...

We celebrate the fact that October 8 was our wedding anniversary...

In celebration, wedding cards we received, our parent's announcement and a crystal tray, a gift for our 25th anniversary.

So to my husband of 52 years, I would like to say:

Thank You...

For two beautiful children, and because of that, one wonderful son-in-law and one loving grandson.

Anniversary flowers from Tim, Tami, and Jake.

They are beautiful, thank you, loves, so much.

For the comfort of our Cottage.

For letting me be all that I want to be.

For sitting through all those Lifetime movies.

For loving In-N-Out Burgers

For making lunch each day and letting me have the last half of sandwich.

For being the best "Captain" of our ship...

I sincerely hope I have given you as much and I think, after all these years, we are 'settling in'.

I Love You....Judy

Find The Cure

I'm sharing the celebration with:

A Cozy Place Called Home

What's It Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Home and Garden Thursday

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell Friday

SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT

Randolph Caldecott, "Sing a Song for Sixpence", 1880

Sing a song for sixpence

A pocket full of rye,

Four and twenty blackbirds,

Baked in a pie...

Postage Stamp quilt 

Pieced together by my great-grandmother, Sarah,

Late 1800's

When the pie was opened,

The birds began to sing

Wasn't that a dainty dish

To set before the King?

The King was in his counting house

Counting out his money;

The Queen was in the parlour

Eating bread and honey...

The maid was in the garden,

Hanging out the clothes;

When down came a blackbird

And pecked off her nose...

There was such a commotion

That little Jenny Wren

Flew down into the garden

And put it back again.

Fisher-Price Nursery Bird

Bluebird Music Box, 1968

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I have something to crow about....

Remember this lamp in the kitchen?

Yesterday, between playing in PicMonkey, making a pattern for this lampshade, pulling hot glue from my fingers, and picking coffee sack burlap out of every nook and cranny in the Cottage...I didn't get out of my PJ's all day. I think I'm happy with it but it was a lot of work and I can't afford to have too many days like this. I used to do a lot of crafts but now I think I would rather spend my money on something that someone else has crafted and my time on playing with my camera and my toys.

I think, from now on, I will just live vicariously through your crafting, because you all do it so well....Judy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GOT PINK?

Update on Buddy:  He had his vet appointment and she was very happy with him this time. His lungs are sounding good and he seems to be on the road to recovery. He still has to finish the antibiotics and his exercise is still limited but it sounds all good. Thank you everyone for sending such good thoughts his way.

I sharing this week with:

Seasonal Sunday

Make It Pretty Monday