In My Home This Week: The Last Quarter

In my home this week...

It is the first week of October, the start of the last quarter of this year and the last sane month before holiday pops and fizzles and fires start up.  This month is really a sort of planning month for me.  It will also be a DO-ing month as well as any other, as you know if you've read my goals list for this month.  But it's also true that it's a month to plan for the holidays ahead, to begin to gather figures and ideas to tentatively set aside for the first of the coming year.  Because like it or not, when October rolls around we must begin to look ahead to the next year if we're to be at all prepared.  Or so say I.

In years past October was a month of vacation for us.  John would take off two weeks of work and with the two weeks he'd normally be off, we'd spend the bulk of the month in play.  I miss those days.  We didn't always get a chance to travel far afield, but we went to the fair, sometimes we might make it to St. Augustine, and sometimes we simply did little day trips here and there in the nearby areas, an hour or so from home.  We'd take picnics and visit places and travel into the foothills to shop for groceries on the first chilly cold day.  In years past, we would also visit the kids in Athens or Kingsland.  But that long month of holiday changed two years ago when John's shifts moved from 1 week on 1 week off to 1 day on 3 days off.  Not nearly so much fun, let me assure you.  Even if he does take vacation days it's not the same as having a full month to play about in.  So now October is business as usual.



This month is shaping up to be moderately busy.  Not too busy, but busy enough. We will go to the newcomer's breakfast next Sunday and to a home study at the church we're attending.  I am looking forward to new flooring, to Sam's being here for his training sessions in Macon.  I am looking forward to cooler weather, and the intro of those hearty warming meals I enjoy most. I'm looking forward to the changes my home will manifest once the flooring is done and we start trying to put things back into place.  I wonder how many of those places will change, how many objects will simply not feel right?  I am looking forward to watching Mama settle into her new home and make it her own.   I am looking forward...and that seems a bit odd as we enter the last quarter of this year.  It's generally about here that I start to look back at a year but this year it's not true at all.  I can only seem to look ahead.  And that's one of the most surprising changes of all.

...I plan my work:

This week I will start to move out as much of the little pieces of furniture, the unnecessary ones, as we possibly can.  It will make it far easier to move the bigger ones later if all the little stuff is out of the way, I think.  I've plenty of space to stash little things.  Where the big stuff goes is dependent upon the fellows with the muscle.

Make sure the guest room stays inhabitable.  Sam isn't coming in until next week but if it gets too out of hand now it won't be fit for company.

Plan what work I might do and where when the flooring is being done.  It is a small house.  How shall I stay out of the way and be comfortable and productive?  It's supposed to be only for two days next week...

I plan to plant bulbs in pots this year, not in the ground.  This is meant to give me a mass of bloom in my porch flower bed.  So I'll try to get those bulbs potted and then I'll have room to put pansies atop them when it's truly cool enough to plant those.

Pot up some basil and mint for the kitchen windowsill.

Get that hydrangea planted so it will winter over.

Sometime this week I mean to go pick up some more landscape blocks to finish that one flower bed.  That is a job all by itself what with loading them into the buggy and unloading into the car and then unloading from the car and placing about the flower bed.  Loads of work and I mean that sincerely.

 Figure out my cursor problem.  It's not the mouse, it's definitely the cursor...I loathe updates that screw with things that have nothing to do with computer operations per se.

...I plan meals:

Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Souffle,  Green Beans, Apple Pie

Shepherd's Pie, Salad

Tuna Rice Casserole,  Steamed Broccoli, Fruit Salad

Chicken Enchiladas, Green Salad, Baked Apples

Easy Cheesy Southwestern Breakfast Casserole, Muffins, Salad with Apples and  Walnuts

Corn Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream, Corn Muffins, Apple Pie

on my own


...I plan my leisure:

Spa day.

Genealogy notebooks.

Continue to read and enjoy the vintage October women's magazines.

Hand sewing.