Sensory Autumn

Autumn, being my favorite season is easy to write about!  My favorite Etsy team has a monthly challenge and this month it says:  Fall is in full swing by the time October rolls around.  Create something that reminds you of Fall through your senses--visually by smell or by touch.  If you prefer, write a post that celebrates the sensory appeal of autumn.

I love when mornings begin to turn crisp with a slight chill in the air.  I open my patio door and step out, just to breathe in the brisk atmosphere. Overcast skies don't dampen my spirits!

Across the parking lot, I see the frost atop the next building, quietly laying there unnoticed by the building occupants comfy within. I see tiny foot prints across the roof marring the frost layer; birds have been hunting their morning's fare, hopping from the rooftop to the pine tree and back again.

After my steaming coffee is finished, I don my warm jacket and sturdy shoes, setting out for a morning walk, down the parking lot toward the green space.

Covered in colorful leaves, I almost cannot see the trail beginning, but I have been here often.  The crunch under my feet marks the beginning of the path. Down the incline, closer to the watershed, I begin to hear the rustle and peep of a chickadee in the trees. I look up and wonder how many of them I can spot this morning.  Are they scurrying to fill their larders for winter or scrambling for the morning meal? I wonder.

I enjoy the end of a flourishing summer season, the wind-down of all the garden bounty!  At the end of my walk, I am inspired to decorate my table, to bring the outdoors inside my small space--grateful for the colors of autumn and the anticipation of the holidays!

Note:  this post was done for  a Blogging Business Artisans challenge.

Birthday!

Last day of June and it is always my birthday! >>>smile :)  My favorite Etsy team, the Blogging Business Artisans, does monthly challenges and wouldn't ya know, this month we are supposed to write about a favorite birthday or birthday celebration.

Well, when I was growing up, my family was not much into birthday celebrations, since my parents grew up 'dirt poor' (excuse the pun) in the dust bowl years with mostly nothing.  It just wasn't one of their family traditions. So our family just had a birthday cake, which mom made, and a present--usually just one-- at the dinner table.  When my kids were little, there were so many of them--six--that having birthday parties just wasn't feasible due to the sheer number of parties required.  I would have been doing a party every other month and our friends would have gotten tired of that really quick! Then when my husband died and I remarried my sweet hubby with four kids (three of them living with us!), parties were definitely out of the question!  I do remember several of the teens throwing their own parties for special birthdays like sweet sixteen etc.--with all of the work done by them, except I bought the cakes.  So much for the history part of this story!

Today, hubby brought me breakfast in bed--my favorite egg muffin and coffee; then when I got up, I found this on my work table:

I literally love cinnamon rolls!  There are lots of them so I can munch on them the rest of the day!  And my hubby is just so sweet to always buy flowers for special occasions!  Love these long stemmed red roses!!!  Thanks honey!

Oh . . . and he is planning dinner out this evening!  He's a keeper!

P.S. you can see what my other teammates are posting here.