Coffee Chat: Nearly Autumn



Hello dears.  I've just taken cookies from the oven.  They are chocolate chip and quite warm so you must quickly take one up...I think as good as chocolate chip cookies are, there's nothing like a warm one filled with melt-y chips.  I almost always choose the largest one on the pan first, but then I think better of it and put it back, opting instead for the one with the most chocolate chips showing.  Does anyone else do that?  Have some coffee and a seat and let's talk for a bit.  It's too  full of gnats outdoors to be pleasant to sit outside on the porch as I'd like.  I've been out three times already trying and without a breeze to shoo the gnats away it's a botheration to be out there. 

And there goes the second reason I've no desire to outdoors...John is mowing the lawn.  It's slowed it's growth finally but not to the point of waiting more than 10 days to cut again.  You see his funny hat to keep sun off his ears and neck and the sunglasses?  Maddie runs and hides when she sees him.  We thought it was the mower that upset her but it seems it's John in his mowing garb.  Such a silly doggy!



Silly or not, she's quite good at predicting weather.  Last night I hurried out to take pillows I'd been airing from the line and there she was in her dog house.  She always looks so apologetic for having been IN the dog house but I know her well.  I scanned the skies and there was nothing to indicate weather coming in.  I listened hard and heard nothing.  But I promise you I hadn't been indoors five minutes when the heavens opened and rain poured down for the next 45 minutes.  Not one of the weather folks predicted that shower...

We've had a lovely time during John's days off.  Mostly we've just been at home, but we did make a trip over to the mountain last week and we enjoyed that a great deal, including the part where we got lost.   And over the weekend we went to Katie's where Matt grilled steaks and we watched Taylor dance and prompt the characters in her favorite movie to say their next lines.  I was able to admire the many things Katie has done to her downstairs.  It's lovely, truly lovely and her work was worthwhile.

Mostly though, we've been at home.  We rested and relaxed and though we did push hard a few days to do lots at home and in the yard we also spent a few days doing much of nothing.  Meals have been hap hazard and mostly consist of leftovers presented in a new way or not eating much of anything at all, because we haven't been hungry.

The trip up to the mountain and to Katie's which is a 3 hour drive for us, presented many trees showing the first beginning changes of color.  We'd noted this in early August when we went down to Sam's, that trees were beginning to be tipped with color down South of us in the wet areas.   So we weren't really surprised to see those changes north of us, not as subtle as they'd been in August in the southern part of the state.   However, this week we've looked at our trees about our land and the Turkey foot oak is sporting many red leaves, the Ginkgo which always changes early on our place is green gold and the Pecan and Sweet Gum sport gold leaves amongst their greenery.   We see the signs of a changing season all about us.  The mornings are cool and glistening with dew that takes hours to dry out.  These are autumn mornings here.  In summer months we seldom have heavy dews.

I am ready for autumn this year.  Ready to see summer end.  Looking back I see no real hardship to make me feel so glad to have it go.  It was hot but not excessively so.  It was humid but nothing out of the ordinary.  We had rain enough and that was pleasant though it meant more mowing of the lawn.  But for some reason, summer felt like it was terribly hard.  

I could blame John's work.  The stress of not knowing until the last possible moment if there would be a job was burdensome.  And then the strain of there being no change on too many fronts where change was needed and the getting used to the new schedule, the waiting to see if finances worked out.  There was no raise again this year, but we're getting used to that, sad to say.  In the last 23 years of service I doubt we had a raise half of those years.  The new schedule is tougher but we no longer have that one short pay period that always  left us struggling to make ends meet until  the larger pay period.  Now the two checks each month are the same amount and that's a help and a sort of raise, I suppose, though John must work the mandatory overtime that makes up the increase.

But it wasn't all the job, either.  Some family issues, some sorrow, misunderstandings...and that one big sorrowful thing.  There were illnesses among the family but nothing lasting though some were more worrying than others.   There was no family day but we visited and were visited by the two children within the state.  I heard from Amie and JD.  I  got first day of school photos of JD's children.  Yes,  those things happened.  We've had worse seasons where family is concerned.  

I can't say just why I felt so strained and worn down in August, really I can't.  But I can tell you that this rest time has been wonderful, just what I personally needed.   It's also  been a time of insight for me as well, which  I hadn't thought would happen.  Some of those insights were humbling experiences that sort of took the wind out of my sails for a bit, but I see the benefit of the revelations.  In a funny sort of way, having those insights come at the time they did, helped me to relax a little and stop pressuring myself over things I am not called to.

So yes, I've benefited from this time off and I could tell Monday morning that I was back in my stride, ready to begin the new season that is so evident about me.

I'd noted at Katie's that she'd put up an autumn wreath and had a few touches in each room of the house.  That pleased me because I'd been thinking with all the trees changing that I was ready to put a few touches in my home.  I don't start my decorating with blatantly fall looking things but I try to add hints of the season.  Colors here come on slowly.  Autumn is a time of blooming here in the South.  Mallow blooms pink and lovely, and goldenrod waves.  There are yellow flowering weeds and white blooms and here and there some purple flowers,  not to mention all the tall grasses that come into maturity.  It's like a second spring, really.  The leaves on the trees start to show their bit of color but not until all the flowers are done and the first frosts have come do we get the rich brilliant colors of autumn.

So I wanted subtle colors mixed with rusty looking greens and barely tinted leaves.  I think I achieved the look I wanted rather well.  Later in the season, when it's well and truly autumn, I'll bring out my pumpkins,  remove the greens from the floral displays and wreaths, and add richer, deeper colors.

I'm anxious to spruce up the potted plants.  The petunias are done and the snapdragons died back.   The baskets of impatiens and salvias look bedraggled.  The herbs look pitiful and the mint died.  It's time to add new plants.  I hope this week or next there will be autumn blooming plants in the market.  I'd like to have some asters this year.  I haven't had asters in years, not since I planted my very first flowers as a newly married young bride 40 years ago.  Funny, I haven't even thought of that first little flower bed until just now!  Oh my gracious...

I promised myself this year that I would find a good source of flower seeds and begin to plant some of those old flowers, the ones I grew up with, the ones I first grew when I planted my first flower gardens.  All these years I've meant to do this, and haven't.  Lately it seems I must do those things I've pushed aside too often.  I must make the effort to listen to the music that thrills my soul and have the flowers I crave to see in my yard.

And more...One of the insights I had this past week was that I want to do more of those things which I'd intended to do, those things that are simple enough, the good intentions sorts of things.  I'm telling myself, "Just do it..."  And so far, I have.  The soul satisfaction of doing something is so much greater than the thought of merely doing can ever be.

I won't share the deepest most personal insights with you because I've mixed those up into Coffee Chats in the past and they don't 'fit'.  Really these chats are not meant to be heavy things.  They are meant to be a neighborly sort of break in the day and so I'll keep those deeper more personal things for sharing at another time, when it's heart to heart time,  but I will share those insights which deal with my home and work and finances in these coffee chats.

For one thing there's the insight that my wardrobe is a mess.   Over late winter and through early summer, I indiscriminately purchased the cheapest items in my size that I could find.  Not one nice piece among them and I do mean I spent very little.  I took a small portion of some money gifted me in Spring and bought accessories meant to pull together the motley lot of things I'd purchased because I found way back then that I had nothing much to wear.   I've realized since that what I've ended up with at the end of this summer is pretty much what I had at the end of last autumn.    The shirts I bought from Walmart, which were about $4 each,  either shrank badly or didn't wear well for one reason or another.  The things I'd ordered from Zulily that looked nice online were too snug or didn't fit at all and the fabric was often weird in some way.  I ended up giving all of them away.  ALL.

The only piece I have left from all my purchases over the last 7 months is a white t-shirt I picked up at Ross for Less.  Fortunately that was a better quality piece.  Every other piece of clothing is gone and done.  I realized this week I might have taken the same amount of money spent on all those so cheap pieces and had perhaps two more decent shirts, such as that white t-shirt.

Fortunately I have some money set aside to purchase new clothes with and I have been thinking long and hard about what I shall try to purchase.   I need to basically start fresh.  I have a nice pair of skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, a denim jacket and a blouse I truly love wearing in a sheer Navy print.  There's  a deep V-neck charcoal gray t-shirt that I can wear over a tank top and the white jeans I've had for two or three years now can still be worn.   I have a black trench coat that works very well for me.  Those are the things I can use through the fall that are in my closet, at present.  I have a pair of boot leg jeans but I'm not keen on them.  They fit just fine, perfectly in every way really,  but I loathe that awkward flare of the boot leg.  I don't feel it suits my figure very well and I'd prefer to relegate those jeans to wearing about the house in future if I can replace them.

I got quite frustrated Sunday morning in trying to dress for church.  I usually wear jeans to church.  That wasn't the problem, it was finding a top that would look nice with the skinny jeans because I'd worn the others to Katie's the day before and sat in something on the porch bench that necessitated their being washed.  I'd bought several tops that were meant to be loose and more tunic length which I think looks best with the skinny jeans.  I put on one of those Zulily shirts and it was so ill fitting I nearly ripped it off.  That was the day it really came home to me that I had nothing to wear of all those things I'd purchased this year.  Shame on me for wasting my funds and shame on me for thinking I could get by with things I hadn't tried on or shame for buying things that were lesser quality.

I normally wear jeans to church as does most of the pastoral staff, but I'd like the option of wearing something that aren't jeans now and then.  I don't need a lot of dressy clothes, but I need some.  I'd noted when I dressed for Jason's funeral that the black pants I'd had in the closet were looking well worn.  I don't own a dress and haven't a skirt that fits.  My life is a casual life for the most part and I don't desire to dress for  the life I don't have.  But let's face it...some occasions call for something just a bit nicer than jeans, even if they are a dark wash!

I want very much to assemble a wardrobe that works hard and does whatever duty it's called to do. I have some knowledge about how to go about it...but I'm still a little nervous about this upcoming shopping.  For one thing, I'll be buying more than I normally do in a season.  I've never really had to start with so little before.  I plan to try to establish a base color with accents.  I can't say just yet what that base color will be because I haven't been out to see what is available.  I don't want black though I think black pants are versatile, dressing up or down.  I want a blazer or jacket of some sort, besides the denim one.  Not a jacket for outdoors.   I like black but it can be very oppressive looking with my black hair.  So I'm not really thinking I'd want to have a black base to my wardrobe.  I like navy.  But will I find anything in Navy that will work?   It's hard to find basic neutrals in this day and age when clothes are seemingly meant to be worn for a season and then  done away with.

And in the meantime, the few things that I have in my closet that won't do for wear outside have made the house clothes drawer overfull.  Sigh...

Well, enough chatter I think.  It's good to take time to sit down and talk again after time away.  It's good to be home!

14 comments:

Margie from Toronto said...

You might like to take a look at the blog thevivviennefiles.com She offers very sensible and diverse advice on pulling together a wardrobe that works - and it's not all about the money or being a size 2. I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago and had to start from scratch and I found this a very useful site.

I am trying to get myself into more of a routine now that I;m retired. I'm tired of doing laundry on 3 days a week, grocery shopping 2 or 3 times and cleaning - whenever. I think I'm going to take a look at the week ahead each Sunday, choose one day to stay home (it can vary from week to week) and that will be the day to do laundry, clean and cook. Then I'll be better prepared to fill the rest of my week without worrying about fitting all those things in. It's just me so I can pretty much suit myself - just want to feel as though I'm accomplishing something and not wasting this time I've been given. I will be going back to work part-time so want to enjoy this time now instead of frittering it away.

Good luck with the clothes shopping - I hope you enjoy it.

Anonymous said...

When we were married I moved away from any of my family but near his. When we visited we often heard them say with stars in their eyes,.. 'some day' I plan to move to,,'some day' I want to visit' next year I.... Later we thought of all those dreams. Ones mentioned over and over and realized none were accomplished. How sad. Now we too find ourselves realizing many of the things we thought we would get to do etc will never happen. Yet there are things we still can and as you said now is the time to start on that list. I will ponder now what I keep putting off cause other things at the moment crowd out the dreams. There will never be a 'perfect' time so we better get it done ....now. Thank you for making me realize this.
I have found myself stumped several times when I had to go to a funeral or other place and not certain how others we don't know well would dress for it. We too lead a very casual life. Growing up we had play clothe{very old worn out school clothes} and dressy clothes {later designated to school clothes if somehow they got worn out before getting too little for us or the next kid on the today pole. :) } It seems odd even to me now to basically only have work at home and garden clothes and going to town clothes. No dresses, skirts or special clothes. I found two nice blouses lately but need a pair of navy good slacks which I have not been able to find yet. I wear pretty much exclusively blue tones. I didn't realize this till my husband told me to look in my closet and find another color!! I had two blouses with pink in them that I never wear and the rest blues!! Now a friend has the two pink ones and she loves them. I have been blessed to find a good brand of things that always fit me. I have to get them used though as the original cost is too much for our budget. But for the slacks I am going to have to go shopping at regular stores. To be honest I haven't a clue. We are only in a mall maybe two times a year and that is to go in ..buy one thing and out. So this will be an adventure!! Before I was married I shopped so easily. Knowing my body and sizes and brands etc. I was so confident. Not now. I just realized this IS one of those 'someday' things for me... I need to get out to the real shopping world again. To explore and look again how the better cloths are constructed and learn how to use my money for the best made clothes possible.
About your wider legged jeans...can you open the side seams and cut them straight and ten resew. If they have the welted seams it is harder to stitch but a #16 needle will work. Tons of years back I used to cut down slacks and record them completely...in a whole other life. I am glad I did so much of everything back then cause now I wonder how I possibly did it!!
I am finding myself in a very melancholy way lately. The quote that life is wasted on the young echoing in my head, Life goes way too fast. Like when was the last day you walked all over and felt no pain or strain? For a while I went to a chiropractor and twice during the time I found myself getting out of the car and starting to walk to a store. I was astounded to note that I felt like a teen again for a short time. No pain..almost wait less walking. Like a miracle and of course I thanked God for the 'glance' to experience this again. It happened twice and I will never forget it. So totally wonderful. You forget how you took things like that for granted. And I also think..someday this year will be in the past and what will I wish I had done or felt now that would have changed my life in later years??? Enough of this! Sarah

Louise said...

I do enjoy the coffee chats.. I feel like I am sitting right there eith you. I never have much to say but I'm a great listener. LOL. Oh and I didn't mean to eat all those cookies.. but they were so delicious.

Rhonda said...

Hello,
I do enjoy your stories about Maddie.
I bought some tshirts at Walmart the first of the warm weather. They were all laundered carefully but they have all pilled and I need to throw them out. They aren't even fit for everyday wear anymore.
I like the black George dresspants from Walmart. I hopes to get them in Navy or Khaki but they only come in black, even on the website.
I went through Mom's velvet. The storage tub was still taped shut from when they moved 2 years ago. I'm mailing you some tomorrow but I'm not sure they are the colors you want. So use them if you like them or do whatever you choose with them.

Lana said...

Mmmmm...warm chocolate chip cookies! I hear you on the raises. All the years that my husband worked for IBM we would hear on the news that they made record profits in the millions. The next day hubby would get a company email that said that his department did not make any money so there would be no raises. Bahumbug!

Lana said...

One more thing. In the spring I ordered 7 shirts from Amazon, all the Woman Within brand. Every one of them still looks great and fit just like the first time I wore them. I will be buying this brand ahain. They were 8 to 10 bucks each with free shipping.

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

Your realization about wardrobe needs was very familiar to me. About two months ago, I realized that most of my blouses were actually tee shirts. They are different colors, sleeve lengths, and necklines, but they are tee shirts. I have since been trying to find actual blouses. It is not so easy to find a nice plain, but pretty blouse in my size anymore. So many different types of hemlines, most blouses lately are way too long for me, and different types of cold shoulder style arm cut outs, or bell sleeves, or lace attached for no good reason, or loud/large prints, sometimes all of those things on one blouse. Where have all of the pretty, normal hemlines, regular sleeves, feminine color blouses gone? I don't like trends, because the blouse looks old and outdated after one season. I have found two blouses that I liked in two months, and since they were so long I had to take them to a seamstress to have the length shortened. They are still tunic length. Tunics are cute with the closer fitting jeans and slacks, but I keep finding blouses that too long to be tunic length.

We have just started to feel a little Fall in the air around here. It got down to 50 degrees here last night and it was very cold in the house this morning. We turned the furnace on this afternoon to get that first furnace use of the season odor out of it in case I need to turn it on late tonight. I am done with those years of putting off turning the furnace on until it gets really cold outside. That was the way I always managed to catch my first cold of the season. We don't run it long, just long enough to take the chill off the house so I can get a shower without freezing.

I can't believe how fast September came around this year.

Anonymous said...

Gray is a good base color. It can go with black or navy. The jewel tones look nice with it as well and white looks crisp. Silver accessories look nice and you can use navy,black, or oxblood leather accessories. It is a good year round color as well. Becki

Anonymous said...

It is so interesting to hear you talk about the signs of fall. In our area of NY the goldenrod is just beginning to bloom and the leaves are just fading and starting to get some fall colors. My summer flowers still look great thanks to a cooler and wetter than usual summer. I keep getting coupons from Penneys for 10 dollars of 10 dollars. I have gotten quite a few nice things from their clearance and sales racks and sound up paying maybe five dollars for 3 items. My hubby just shakes his head and says he can't believe the computer hasn't kicked me off. It seems like I fet one and sometimes 2 a month. I have also gotten some shirts for hubby and the grandsons quite cheap. I hope you didn't notice me tucking an extra cookie in my purse for Gramp. LOL. Gramma D



Anonymous said...

Hi Terri,

I don't know what it is, but I have felt ready for this summer to end as well; and, fall isn't my favorite season. This year, though, I'm glad to see fall on the horizon. I have just the opposite problem with my wardrobe. I'm still working full time and plan to retire this year. I made a goal not to buy any clothes this year and with the exception of two t-shirts from my alma mater, I've stuck to it. I've been losing some weight and I want to see what kind of wardrobe I'll need when I'm not going to work every day. Chris M

Debby in KS said...

I'm not allowed to wear pants to church. My dear grandma won't let me. Granted, she's been gone for some 22 yrs. now, but I know she's watching!! So, I have skirts. I have 3 for winter in navy, chocolate, & black. And 4 for summer, in golden brown, olive, black, & denim. But for a formal occasion, of which the queen hasn't invited me yet lol, they work for everything. I have 4 or 5 blouses that are mix and match so I do great. Then I have my home & outside comfies for the dog park, the yard, etc. I wear skirts to all my volunteer and church activities year 'round with either sandals or boots.

You know, I think Kohl's has some great looking basic shirts in some beautiful patterns. I've gotten a couple and they wash and wear great. Both are over a year old and you couldn't tell. They were around $9 each, which I think is great. If you have a Kohl's, you may wanna take a peek. They also send a $10 off $10, which makes a great deal.

I'm going to ease myself into my autumn décor this weekend. I don't jump right in, either. Wild sunflowers are growing in every corner of KS right now and they make beautiful bouquets. These aren't the huge ones, but a small variety about the size of a daisy. I tend to decorate September with sunflowers, a couple of crows, squirrels, nuts, & such. I have these 3 wonderful glass maple leaf jars (from syrup) that I was gifted. I fill each with water and then a couple drops of food coloring. I do a red, a green, & a yellow and put them on the kitchen sill. They look so pretty, like stained glass. My begonias still look healthy on the front porch so I'll hold off on mums for now. I also made a Sept. wreath, but for the life of me, can't remember what's on it!! When I did craft shows, I made myself wreaths for every month. August was watermelons.

Unknown said...

Daily Connoisseur blog 10 item wardrobe by Jennifer Scott is fun to use to think about only few pieces of clothing each season. I have read a lot of entries and watched some of her YouTube videos and have decided that I won't be purchasing any new clothes for quite a while as

Unknown said...

....as I have more than enough already!

Deanna said...

What is it about this year? I'm totally a summer girl and dread winter. However, even *I* find myself looking forward to autumn. I think it's because I am tired. We help put on numerous music-related events in our community and have had so many that I'm worn out. Winter is less busy for us because we don't do outdoor events for a few months. My daughter has already decorated her house for fall and I'm about ready to take a few tiny steps in that direction. I noticed that mums are available so that's likely where I'll start.

As for the wardrobe situation, I would like to do an overhaul of my closet. There is so much in there I never wear. I'm the opposite of you in the sense that I almost never wear pants and NEVER to church. I love long skirts and just find them so much more comfortable. I was delighted to find some on Amazon which have pockets! They wash and dry easily and if I hang them right away they don't wrinkle. I bought 4 colors and really ought to buy others if they are still available.

And I also must say that you now have me craving a homemade chocolate chip cookie!