Happy Friday! The fall weather we’ve been having the past two weeks seriously rocks. It’s cool enough in the morning for a nice sweater but hot enough in the afternoon to go out for a walk with the dogs in a t-shirt. If it could stay like this right through until March, it would be fine by me (with the exception of snow at Christmas, because that is a must). We have yet to turn on any of the heaters yet and I’m hoping that we can hold out for a couple more weeks! The only thing that has me looking forward to cooler weather, is that I can wear the beautiful mustard yellow scarf that Garrett surprised me with after seeing my Etsy post earlier this month. It is so cozy and soft, and will look perfect with my red and black buffalo check shirt.
I can’t believe it’s already October and I just made my first batch of Pumpkin Brownies this year (with semi-sweet AND white chocolate chips – a great combo). If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, you really should – they aren’t too pumpkiny, not too sweet and with just a little cocoa. I’d say they’re a more cake-like brownie recipe, and I’m usually all for the chewy, fudgy ones, but these are so good just as they are.
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Studio Tour: Over the weekend, my aunt Barb was part of the Georgina Studio Tour, so my mom and I stopped by to see her and some other local artists.
Her pottery is so beautiful and organic. I just love the different colours and textures she uses.
Whenever I’m at my parents’ I always grab one of her mugs from the cupboard to make a cup of tea. They have such great weight to them and look beautiful.
Another one of my favourite local artists was displaying his work there too. Roland Peacock is a dear family friend and the talent behind these wildlife themed carvings, using barnboard and old wood.
One of his butterfly Christmas ornaments is on our tree every year and mom bought a dragonfly this year to add to the collection.
I’m lucky enough to have one of these turtle brooches he gave me years ago as a gift.
Just look at the intricate detail he puts into everything he does (and he usually has really good tongue-in-cheek names for all of them too).
I also got the chance to meet Tod Waring, a metal work artist who created these fanciful garlic sculptures.
I love the colours and interesting shapes that he uses.
Picking Wildflowers: After running around on our way back to my parents’ house, my mom and I stopped over to their next door neighbours. She has a beautiful garden, full of secret nooks and crannies. Whenever we need flowers for centerpieces (like the ones from this past weekend’s Oak Ridge Moraine event), she let’s us pop over and see what she has.
Every once and awhile, Whiskey or Cola run through the ravine that seperates our houses, and I always find them over here, sniffing through her garden. Even the dogs can’t help but be interested in what she is growing each season!
We came home with two buckets full of wildflowers and the last of the hydrangea. The centerpieces turned out great and I was able to take some of the extras home to make a bouquet to add to my fall decor in the living room.
Google Maps Car Sighting: Just as we were pulling out of the Purple Woods Conservation Area after Sunday’s event, we met up with the Google Maps Car at a country road intersection. When we first spotted him driving up to the stop sign, we had no idea what it was! I’ve heard of people running into them before, but I’ve never seen one myself.
As we got closer to home, we spotted this truck completely on it’s side. Thankfully no one was injured!
Puppy Dog Eyes: We had our own little scare this week. Our sweet little Cola started whimpering on Tuesday night and seemed fine the next day, but by late Wednesday night he was crying out in pain and we had no idea why. No one would be touching him and he would just cry out the most heartbreaking sound while shaking uncontrollably. So we rushed him over to the vet ER right away.
Thankfully it turned out to be soft tissue damage on his back (like a pulled back), rather than something to do with his spine or abdomen which we were worried about. He is on pain meds and steroids now, with lots of quiet time and snuggles with the hot pad, but it looks like he’s on the mend now.
We knew he didn’t feel well when we walked right past this cat (curled up on top of a warm printer), and he hardly glanced at him. That’s not our usual rough-and-tumble pup.
Whiskey has taken over the role of keeping him company for snuggles on the couch.
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This weekend I’m looking forward to a fun dinner in with friends (taco night!!) and packing up all the summer stuff for storage. I’ve been stalling as long as I can! The only good thing about putting away the summer stuff is that I get to dig out all the cozy sweaters and blankets while I’m at in.
What are your plans for the first weekend of October? Any fall actitivies or events?
Did you smile for the Googke maps camera?
Those little owls are so cute!