The Week Ahead: Autumn Serenade

 

Here's a 'modern' kitchen for us to examine for the start of the week...

I am not at all sure of the placement of that curved counter there in the kitchen.  It seems odd somehow to me but then I noted those little fold up stools on the side and realized it was meant as a breakfast counter.  I think sitting on those stools would be pretty awkward, don't you?

Note the slender, just 4 inch deep cupboard next to the stove with hanging pots and pans and even a small shelf...Now that is clever in my opinion.  I've shared in the past that I had a kitchen with a narrow bit of shelving like that in the wall behind the backdoor and it stored just loads of canned items in an otherwise unused space.  Notice the light above the stove and then higher up the exhaust fan.

To the left, the upper cabinets have mirrored doors which I assume are bifold type doors.  There also appears to perhaps be a cabinet just to the right on that corner wall with a wooden door.

I admire the deep stainless backsplash and counter top of the sink cabinet.   Is that a radio in the counter just to the left of the sink?  Also the smaller air flow vents right under the sink.

Last we come fully left and it appears that this is a baking center.  The mixer is right on the edge of that counter but I can't quite make out what the counter top material is.  With the luncheon counter, the sink section and this one, that would make what appears to be three different counter top materials.  I wonder why this is so?

I like the pale yellow and I love the floor tile but what makes the room over again, is that the ceiling is that deep cantaloupe color, which is also used on the interior of the pots and pans cupboard.

Let's start this week with a song.  I heard this one today on a vlog.  I had heard it before but it seemed a lovely reminder of autumn.  You can almost hear the wind moaning around in the harmonies of this one...So sigh worthy.

How lovely it is to be home once more!  I admired the green grassy view with a familiar bunny nibbling grass further down the yard, and scattered leaves upon the lawn as the sunset shone golden light all around on Friday and said to myself that waves and sand and swaying sea oats are indeed lovely things, but there's something to be said, too, for the view out my own kitchen window.  

And later, on Saturday morning, I admired the peaceful quiet with the occasional bird song and decided that too compared most favorably with the pounding of the ocean at the beach and the sharp cries of seagulls.  I admire both greatly and did see autumn signs in both states but this is far more familiar to me and so my soul leaps a little higher as each new sign appears.  This morning it was October lilies, none of which were about yesterday yet there they all were, bright red and in surprising places in yards and at roadsides on our way into town.

We went to visit the grandchildren up the lane, to pay Josh for feeding the dogs and cat here and compliment him on a job done well and we're told, cheerfully.  His daddy immediately told him, "Here, now, go put your money in the bank..."  and Josh dutifully did as he was told,  but said to me, "When I get bigger, I'm just gonna keep it in my pocket."  lol  We passed Bess on her way out to go to her work and we sat in the road beside one another and chatted away for a good 15 minutes or so.   That is a luxury of a country dirt road.  One may stop and have a bit of a chat with someone and not block the path of another.

Isaac was delighted we were back.  He was convinced we were hiding from him here in the house while we were gone, and Bess finally had to bring him in to look for himself.   He climbed up in my lap, something Josh is now past doing and when we were leaving he came running, reaching up to hug me.  Millie woke just as we were leaving but she was still sleep drunk and just leaned way back and stared at me like "Who are you?  I haven't even had my milk yet..."   I do believe she's gonna take after me in that respect.  Just please let me get awake good before you come calling, okay?  

We went into town to deliver homemade chicken soup and cold meds to the household there and stood on the sidewalk while they spoke through the glass storm door.  They all looked well enough, sick, but certainly not horribly so.  The baby stared us and kept looking at his mama and dad as though to say, "Why aren't they coming in?"  Grampa earned a real smile from him but he had none to spare for me.  I am so grateful that they are hanging in there.  Katie texted me later that the she could smell the soup and apparently they had a bowl right away, which is great because it was still quite hot when I delivered it to the door.

I had to improvise a little on the soup.  I have no onion but did have some dehydrated onion and I find that adding a tiny bit of dried chives sort of takes away the dehydrated taste of the onion.  I didn't have carrots either but I did have several cans of carrots on the pantry shelf.  I tasted the soup and it tasted pretty good to me, so I hope it will do a world of good for them.  I do believe in good natural remedies like chicken soup and scientists have proven that it is indeed helpful in curing the colds and flu.  

Well I've chattered away.  Now let us get busy and plan our week ahead.

Work:  

Zone 4 work will be porches and patio and I will also clean drains and change our AC filter.  

I really do need to begin to scrape off that old paint, as more and more of it is peeling up on the back porch.  General clean-up and straighten overall should be done.  I'm sure some things might well be moved to shed or gotten rid of entirely back there.  I noted that a dog has been sitting on one of the chair cushions around back which is unusual as they typically choose the front porch chairs.  

The front porch mostly needs a decent cleaning, including taking down two massive spider webs.    I had to move the orchids in for the week we were gone and now the front porch looks quite bare without plants.   I don't know when we'll go out to do any shopping and I'm really feeling it likely won't be till the end of the week but if we should, I'd like to get some mums to put outdoors.  The orchids won't be going back out according to the temperatures we're meant to the night times forecast for the week ahead.

Shopping.  We really must go this week.  Fortunately the first of the month happens this week and I think I can manage on what we've got until then, though I'll likely buy an onion and some fruit at the grocery after church and maybe some lettuce.

Get the October page ready for our check register and pay the first bills of the new month ahead.

The house was perfectly clean when we left it but bags exploded after we arrived home on Friday.  I did try to put things to rights as much as I could and even worked at it a little on Saturday, but was loathe to give over my entire Sabbath to housekeeping chores.   But it is a for certain fact that I must get busy right away now the new week is upon us.

Autumn decorating.  I brought the bin in two weeks ago with what I proposed I might use and now I am ready to begin adding touches here and there.  The temperatures are meant to be quite cool towards the end of this week and I know that John will be ready to have his cozy throw back on his chair.

Time to tidy my garden such as it is.  The last tomato plant is finally done, and the planter box has completed all it might do as well.  I want to report the oregano and hopefully shelter it through the winter, ditto for the lavender that never really grew well but did grow some.  I need to harvest basil and basil seeds, and just generally sort things out.

Meals: 

 

It's hard to know exactly what I might plan this week, since we're out of some pretty basic items.  Nevertheless, a plan will be most helpful in curbing costs.  I expect to be shopping by end of the week and I've plenty of frozen and canned foods I might use in place of fresh ingredients, aside from onions.  I really need to buy onions!  I've noted that Publix has had none in bags at all since that recall, but their prices on onions are high in my opinion so I've limited myself to one or two at most.  I expect I'll just start the week with one or two this time as well and then later in the week I will go shopping at Aldi and we'll see how they sell onions.  I'll also see about getting a single head of lettuce to see us through the first part of this week.

Chicken Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce   No lettuce in the house but the pot pie has a full range of vegetables in it including green beans, carrots, peas and potatoes so we'll just go with what we've got and call it a one dish meal.  Besides we had a rather late lunch today and this will make the evening meal a little lighter.

Mississippi Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Collard Greens

Black Beans and Rice, Pineapple Salad

Corned Beef Brisket, Potatoes and Cabbage, Corn Bread

Chicken Parmigiana, Salad, Garlic Bread

 Philly Cheese Sandwiches (leftover roast), Oven Fries, Green Salad

Chili with Rice and Mexican Cornbread, Salad