October's Really Fall

Thursday. It has gotten chillier, in the 50s today. 

The bare tree on the right is the red maple that wasn't red very long.

Before I left Worcester, I had breakfast at the little cafe around the corner from Emily's house. Not much had changed, except the decor had been spruced up a bit. They had wound thick rope around the steel posts holding up the shelves behind the counter and there was a new coat of black paint behind the shelves. It was a nice contrast the rest of the walls which are painted in gray.

As I stared at the neat cluster of hot sauce bottles, nestled between straws and napkins, the waitress asked if I wanted hot sauce or ketchup. Oh no thank you! Not for my eggs benedict! It was good enough that I have resolved to learn how to make a decent hollandaise sauce -- not like my previous disasters. A bad hollandaise is worse than a bad omelet. It's very disappointing and disenhartening.

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As I prepare to drive to California, I am reminded every day that my buddy, LeeAnne, won't be there. So many of my photos from last winter are fond memories with her. The trips for chai, the art installations, the dinners are all good times that we had sandwiched in between nothing special trips. But it was good for both of us to get out and cope with the pandemic conditions. LeeAnne, this is how I'll always rememember you: smiling at Ascena for my birthday.

Deep in my heart, I know that your soul is happy to be reunited with Sally and Dan. 

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This coming weekend, my quilt called Art Squares Floating in Chocolate will be up for sale at the Belchertown UCC Quilt and Sewing Fair. I also have put fabric there that I hope to sell. I made this quilt in 2004 (machine quited by Timna Tarr), but nobody wanted to pay so much for a quilt then so I put it in a box. 

Quilt Top (on the couch and coffee table)

The Back (folded in half)

Saturday update: I was very disappointed to see that the woman had not hung the quilt, but rather she had folded it over a pew in the church. She said it was because it was for sale, but I saw other quilts that were for sale and they had been hung. Oh well. Some day someone will love this quilt enough to buy it.  It seemed that mine was the only non-traditional one at the quilt show. I was surprised.

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A Netflix must see: Going in Style, starring Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, and Michael Caine. It's a movie about 3 guys who all lost their pensions and they have to take drastic measures to get some money. There's quite a bit of humor which would be lost on the young'uns, but I think most of you will get it.

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Yes, it's done. The name of this is Stripes.

Detail Shows the Hand Quilting

Did I show you the back? Here it is.

Yes, it's off-center. That's my style.

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So there I am standing in line at Starbucks trying to look cool -- because everyone at Starbucks looks cool, don'tcha know -- and I look down. It is then I see what looks like a pigeon splat dead center on my royal purple tee shirt. That little blob of toothpaste that I had wiped with a wet cloth reappeared when it dried, only a lot bigger. Sigh.

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I made keto pumpkin bread yesterday. I'm about ending my pumpkin spice baked goods yearning. I made pumpkin cream cheese filled muffins last week. It's all because the only can of unsweetened pumpkin left at the store was a large can. I wonder if there's a pumpkin casserole ...

I learned the hard way while making the pumpkin bread that it's almost impossible to pick up egg white off the counter using a spatula. I accidentally knocked over the cup of separated egg whites.

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Tomorrow, Emily and I are going to see The Electrical Life of Louis Wain starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Wain painted pictures of cats. I had never heard of Wain, but I really like Comberbatch's acting, so I thought we'd try it out. It's at the Amherst Cinema which often has art films. 

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I found a gift certificate in my car for Amherst Coffee. Woo hoo! They have turned the sidewalk into a flower lined patio. And the latte was delicious. 

One of the planters was almost all white.

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I hope you are all enjoying fall.