a long and gracious fall by david budbill

i shared this poem last fall as well, but came across it today and it just felt so perfect i thought i'd share it again:

A long and gracious fall this year.

The leaves are down. Gardens: emptied,

manured, tilled, smooth, waiting.

Mower and tiller serviced and put away.

Smoker put away, as is the summer table.

Prayer flags, windsocks , and their poles: down.

Twenty-foot homemade badminton poles,

peace flag at the top of one, store-bought net-

all down and put away for another year. No more

outdoor summer chores.

Fall planting-- peonies and tiger lilies-- done. 

Summer flower stocks removed, beds mulched,

a blanket for the cold. Fall pruning done.

Woodshed roof hammered down and sealed again.

Cellar closed. Drive staked and flagged so the

snowplow knows where to go.

What else is there to do? Finally, for once, we are ready

for the snow. Ready to come inside. Time now for

words and music, poems and shakuhachi. Time now

to light some incense, sit and stare at the candlelight.

Recipes.

I thought I'd share a few tasty recipes we've made lately.

Last weekend we had friends over for dinner-- a fabulous opportunity to play in the kitchen, enjoy some of our wedding-gifted kitchen & dining items, and feel like grown ups. I love a good dinner party.

I kept the meal simple and made dishes that could be done in advance. What's better than having everything staying warm in the oven when your guests arrive, instead of scrambling to finish cooking?

We had butternut squash roll-ups, salad & garlic bread. As one must do with all weight-watchers recipes, I basically doubled the cheese and added sausage :).

For dessert, vanilla ice cream and soft monster cookies. Baked with toffee bits, m&ms, and chocolate chips. So easy, and so good.

We're well into soup season in Vermont. Yesterday I tried out this crock pot minestrone soup. B says he had never had minestrone (how is that possible?), and he loved every bite. It was super easy and made plenty for leftovers, too.

What have you been enjoying lately?

The New Basement Tapes

the basement tapes, which are unreleased songs by bob dylan & the band,  have been ever present the last few weeks. dad & i caught a fun show in burlington that was the basement tapes project by howard fishman. it happened to be the same week that the basement tapes were re-released.



this week i discovered the new basement tapes- an allstar group of artists covering the songs (and making a showtime show or something like that). so far this is my favorite track, though i haven't listened to them all yet.

sweet, sweet summer.

i love each season for a dozen unique reasons, but summer consistently trumps the others. this little video highlights what a delightful and special summer we had this year. fresh veggies, bike rides, cape trips, weddings, amazing concerts, and fun with friends. yes, yes, and yes. 

lately.

life lately? making new friends, cherishing time with the oldest of friends, snuggling in for winter, cooking squashes galore, hunting for houses, enjoying a musical date night with dad, loving my little town, watching downton abbey with mom, and appreciating the little things. 

blue, blue everywhere.

baby steps.

kings of the hill.

fancy new chair, i'm in love.

mamas working it.

sunday morning brunch date.