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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Hey, October . . . Who Invited You?


Without my noticing,
the month of October muscled its way onto my
calendar, and pretty much KO'd Summer.

See the little guy, below?
That's Rudy, our ghostest with the mostest.
Rudy tells me to get over it, to gracefully relinquish the long days
and soft nights of Summer, and accept the flamboyant decay of Fall.


Okay.
In a few short weeks, our yard will look like this - 
colorful, and messy:

It's not all bad; I do have my favorites in the Fall.
Like, pumpkins.


 I'm looking forward to another pumpkin carving smackdown with
my daughter Anne, in which we will each take a round orange orb,
scoop out its guts, and turn it into an artistic masterpiece.

 I'll do something like this:

And . . . Anne will do something like this,
totally humbling me.
 These were our 2012 initial attempts.  Anne just got better with practice.
I got more ambitious, and more disastrous.  And, okay - ridiculous.

Then, there are the tomatoes.
What is it about tomato plants, that as frost approaches,
they just start pooping out more and more of their product?

Even at That Old House, our hardscrabble tomato plants
are still pumping out the goods, 
although I'm leaving most for the local critters now.
Cold weather coming; they need to EAT.


I do love me a good farm stand in October.


Who doesn't like piles of warty, ugly gourds?


And, inside the house, it's time to break out the orange.
Vintage lustre cream jug and sugar bowl,
hand-painted, Japan. So cute. I found them at Somerville
Center Antiques, before I had a booth there.

Including linens, like this big tablecloth.
Hand embroidered pure vintage cotton,
also found at Somerville Center Antiques.

And dishes like Johnson Brothers Fresh Fruit pattern,
a Craigslist bargain from 2 years ago.
(I'd tell you how little I paid for service for 8, with lots of extras,
in mint condition, but I'm almost embarrassed.  Almost.  Okay, since you're my friend: $20.)


 Fall does have its good side.
Fall decorating is crazy easy, because pumpkins and mums
and cornstalks and hay bales and orange and yellow and
gold and brown and red and purple - yes, purple - are so photogenic.

You kind of can't miss.

Which means that tomorrow I probably should get
those boxes marked "Autumn" up from the dungeon cellar,
and start falling for Fall.

But I'll still miss Summer,
and I'll never get used to the days shrinking up.

Wow, I am really stubborn, aren't I?

I hope your Thursday is a good one,
and maybe I'll see you here tomorrow; I've got some furniture to feature.

Best wishes to you all -- Cass
Autumn actually used to be my favorite season.
Now, it signals the end of another year,
and I guess the older I get,
the less I like that.
Paging Doctor Freud . . . .




12 comments:

  1. That is really a pretty set of dishes and goes so well with that orange and white tablecloth! We're supposed to get cold Saturday -- time to think of bringing in the outdoor plants.

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  2. I love your fall table setting. It is very pretty. The pumpkin cream and sugar set is so sweet. I have a pumpkin salt and pepper set but it's not shiny although it's vintage and the paint is almost worn off. You got a great deal on those pretty dishes! Happy Fall to you.

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  3. Cass- Love all your Fall pictures and am glad that you are embracing Fall now that it is October. I just did, too, leaving summer kicking and screaming behind me! LOVE those pumpkins-your daughter did a great job---well, so did you but you know what I mean.

    Your dishes are great. $20? Unbelievable! I love them. xo Diana

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  4. Cass, love the sugar and creamer and the beautiful tablecloth. That was a great buy. Your table looks very fallish. Have fun carving pumpkins. Stop by my blog and see my fall tablescape. I hipe you have a great fall weekend.
    Mary

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  5. Nice deal on the dishes!
    No more stubborn than I am - I do not like the short,cold, wet days of Winter and I know that follows Fall.

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  6. I wish I could love summer the way you do. The heat and humidity constantly keep me in a dripping sweat :( Cool dry weather can't come soon enough. I love all your photos. I'm coveting those dishes, I'm going to head over to CL right now. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. I didn't get to go back to Wisconsin this fall, so I am enjoying the change here in Arizona...it is so odd that you are going into the tough months and I am going into the wonderful ones, all int he same country! LOVE your photos, I could feel the crisp air and the "scent" of fall, looking at them!

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  8. While you were visiting my blog I was visiting yours and having a good old catch-up. I don't know where the time goes, but there it went - sped by and you posted about four times that I missed. I have to stop working so that I can read blogs in a more timely fashion!

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  9. This a wonderful glimpse I into your decorating for Halloween and fall! I am a viewer of your great blog. The table of orange touches with Johnson Bros. china, lantern, and embroidered tablecloth is beautiful. I love your pups and their darling photos! Have a great week!

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