The Week Ahead: We've Only Just Begun

 

 I love October.  Even though we had what felt like an extra long week with so many plans upset, October brings with it a renewed energy and a fresh attitude.   I expect it's the cool air  that heralds in the season.  Even my old dogs play like pups.   I walked across the yard Friday evening to put the shopping bags back in my car and I could barely make a step without Rufus and Maddie bumping into me as they nipped and jumped and played with one another.   I can see they, too, feel that fresh new energy that comes this time of year. 

 

The zinnias too are refreshed by the cooler weather.  I gathered a lovely bouquet on Friday and put them on the kitchen shelf.  John came in later and said "I like everything about that."   I do, too! 

The music I'm sharing this week is titled "October" and is the theme song to an Indian movie titled the same.  It's a lovely piece and led me down a rabbit hole of exploring new to me musicians and composers.    

I went back to read last week's "The Week Ahead" post and  I got everything on my list done except scraping paint off porches.  We ate every single meal I planned though I did change up my Chili and Cornbread for a Tamale Pie (same but different, as Katie used to say).

Work:  

Zone 1: The back entry, laundry and kitchen.  I feel I'm coming out ahead on this one this week, since we had to clear the back entry to get the dryer out of the laundry closet and I cleaned both spaces while John gathered tools to work with.  Go me!  

This week  I'd like to get floors mopped.   If I do the kitchen, I'll also be sure and do the bathrooms, as well.  They are such small areas that it's no big deal to do those while I have a bucket of hot water to mop with ready.

I think I ought to clean out from under the sink cabinet.  I keep smelling something just a little musty there and I'm not sure what it is, so it would be a good thing to sort it out.  This will give me an opportunity also to better organize the space.  I have three doors and a small shelf to one side in this cabinet.   I can add a couple of wire shelves to give me a little more storage space.  I may switch some of the glass storage jars from the other cupboard under the baking center to this one and move the onions and potato baskets to the baking area cupboard.  It's a cooler, drier place for storing that produce.  I may also move the soda boxes over there since they are so bulky and often in my way.  There's little damage that can be done to the soda cans if stored in the cabinet next to the sink cupboard.   I am sure that this will turn into quite the task as I've added a great deal just typing out that I meant to clean under it!  

I'd also like to sort out my fridge this week.   We've been home a week now, so it should be a good time to start Gathering Fragments.

Continue my work on my first Autumn Wardrobe post.  I'd like to finish that up and get it published this week.  

I also want to work on an October goals post.

Refine my autumn decor.  I've undone some areas that I'd finished with and discovered in the process that I actually liked what I had before better.  I'd like to have all that sorted out and finished this week.

Spend a day out with Mama who tells me she has a very long grocery list.

Make a trip to Walmart, either on the day I go to visit Mama or with John.  I need a few more grocery items and there are a few other things we need/I want besides.

If I have a chance, I'll try to start scraping paint on the back porch floor.  I don't have paint to complete this task  but truth, I cannot paint it until I have scraped it anyway and this will be one of those 'little bites sort of job.  I noted, while cleaning this week, that the front porch paint, too, is coming up.  

Meals:

Leftover Tamale Pie with  Green Salad

BBQ (chicken) sandwiches, Slaw, Chips

Cubed Steak with Gravy, Rice, Green Beans

Cheesy White Bean Bake, Crusty Bread, Green Salad

Slow Baked Beef Stew, Cheesy Biscuits

Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta, Steamed Broccoli, Green Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Oven Fried Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Collard Greens, Corn Muffins

Leisure:

I've noticed that if I don't plan for leisure, it often doesn't happen.  What does happen is that I work myself into the ground, then loll around doing nothing much but trolling online to no good purpose.   So I have at chairside now a stack of October vintage women's magazines and books to be read.  

I want to spend some time learning and so I shall explore  Hopewell Oils site.  Lana has recommended repeatedly that I use one or another for various ailments.  I've stubbornly kept saying to myself that I'd do it 'one day'. One day has arrived.  I'm going to start with the oils I have on hand, learning to use them properly,  but I'll be adding the recommended top ten that Lana left in the comments of last week's "This Week In My Home" post.  

I want to do some genealogy work.  

I plan to take afternoon coffee on the porch.  Every single day.  

I want to wander about the plants outdoors, taking note of them and how they do in this season of the year, checking for jobs that might need to be done but mostly just being attentive.  I will make a point of going out at some key point of each day: early morning, mid day, late afternoon, early evening.  I do not want to waste the pleasures of this season!  This too will be my personal nod to Sukkot.