{ Weekend Ramble }

This week we have been graced with the most glorious autumn weather: Sun-drenched days of snappy cold, wispy clouds, and the occasional nighttime rainshower. My dahlias and I are loving it. Remember my babies? I know dahlias are late summer/autumn flowers, but the fact that they are blooming fast and furious in mid-October? I am awestruck!

Granted, this is not normal fall weather for the Seattle area. We are usually ushering in the rainy/dark/insert-dismal-descriptor-of-your-choice time of year. {This seasons ends in July or August of the following calendar year.} "Normal" autumn means day after bleak, grey day of rain, with dusk seeming to fall noticeably earlier by the week. To see the sun and enjoy dry weather for a prolonged period of time is wildly, deliriously wonderful.

To be fair, the "summer" of 2010 was day after bleak, grey day of rain and cloudy skies, so I may be unfairly biased {read: jaded} regarding our weather patterns.

Nonetheless, my dahlias and I are rejoicing! Their riotous yellow blooms brighten several corners of our home. I'm anticipating a day soon when I'll have to untie these leggy plants from the balcony railing which currently supports them, bringing them inside each evening when the temperature dips below freezing. Mike nearly had a conniption fit when I told him this. He does not think plants belong inside, or that they are worthy of such an honor. *sigh* I don't think he quite appreciates the joy these flowers give me. Pray it doesn't freeze soon, k?

Be it known: Yesterday I shredded chicken for the first time.


Yesterday Mike and I had to take care of some banking. We were in the car, driving away from the bank, when I scratched the back of my knee. And felt a large, soft, malleable mass almost as big as my fist in the crook of my knee. Enter freak-out mode. "What's wrong with my knee? There's something in my pants!" I yelled. "Something" was a dirty sock. I felt like a moron. I must've looked like I had a growth on the back of my knee for two hours before realizing the sock was there. Garsh!

Last weekend I painted the hallway. Here are the before-and-after shots:

~before~

~before~

~after~

~after~

~closeup~

The new color is Hot Spring Stones by Benjamin Moore. It's a lovely, rich color--more taupe in some lights, greyish in others; very rich and complex. I like it so much that I'm repainting Mike's bedside table the same color. {I'll let you know how that venture turns out. The interweb is full of contradictory information about the viability of painting Ikea furniture.} On a related note, you know that the contractor used the cheapest paint possible when you're washing a wall, pre-painting, and actually scrub off the original paint, revealing a different color underneath--see below:

All right folks, it's nearly time for brunch, and blueberry waffles are calling my name. I'll be back soon!