all treats

Fun seasonal cupcake wrappers. 

Had a fun Sunday of baking for my choir, my advisees and a thank you gift.

The pumpkin cheesecakes are to kick off November~they puffed SO beautifully and then collapsed when they sat on the counter.  Ah well, I've no doubt they will be delicious.

Jazzed up the cupcakes with fresh caramel and roasted sunflower seeds. 

The lemon bars were much prettier prior to being pried out of their pan.

Happy All Hallows.

domesticity

Didn't know that the fun Penzey Spice shop had tucked this in my shopping bag yesterday.

Italian balsamic vinegar hangin' with Virginia honey... 

watched over by my miniature Bocca della verita from Rome.

restoration of soul

A Dallas friend introduced me to these fun boxes~got an Italian one in the post on Thursday. 

The amaretti cookies are divine! 

The porcini risotto from the box.

Continuing with good food, escaped to Carytown today with a colleague.  Delightful street in Richmond with all kinds of fun shops and cafes.  JUST what I needed after 18 days of non-stop working. 

Still restocking my kitchen after the move.

Detailing of a new headband from a gorgeous vintage shop~it had a nice mixture of actual vintage clothing/accessories and then recreations of old dress patterns.    And I got to enjoy Texas temperatures while strolling around all day!

once upon a time...

“So?”
by Leonard Nathan

So you aren’t Tolstoy of St. Francis
or even a well-known singer
of popular songs and will never read Greek
or speak French fluently,
will never see something no one else
has seen before through a lens
or with the naked eye.

You’ve been given just the one life
in this world that matters
and upon which every other life
somehow depends as long as you live,
and also given the costly gifts of hunger,
choice, and pain with which to raise
a modest shrine to meaning.

not for the birds

A corn pudding concoction put my new skillet to use~filled the apartment with glorious scents of garlic and Parmesan.  All the seasons have their pluses, but Autumn remains a favorite~the chilled air makes baking fun again!  

what's for dinner?

There must be a fish run today with all the cormorants lined up for a snack.

the stars at night

Feeling low today as it marks the two-month anniversary of Bogart's death~I still miss his little face so much. Was heartened to find a random Texas flag in the costume closet this morning.  While I am in a different chapter now~am hoping that there is a future one set back in Austin.

we're in the money now

$.07 found on today's walk. 

autumnal afternoon

Okay~so maybe I ought not to become a food stylist~but my butternut squash soup is delish!

lucky

Agh~now I truly regret this country bumpkin life.

Bribery~the sequel

As two writing labs and another study hall were added to my s'hedule this week, these brand-new COFFEE M&Ms came with perfect timing.

Bribery~it's not just for small or recalcitrant children

I need to find another word for 'stunning', but that it what I feel when I walk around the corner and see leaves and sky like this. 

My reward for staying in school this week~don't know how I've gone all these years sans a cast-iron skillet, but that was rectified with a couple of Amazon clicks.  Looking forward to breaking these in!

full moon rising

Komposition by Kandinsky

My favorite painting from yesterday.

Sat in a creaking wooden swing last night and watched a stunning moon rise. 

visual feasting

The upside to living in a sitch where one feels smothered and suffocated is the exquisite JOY one feels starting one's car and fleeing the place.  After a solid 48 hours of being ON and on-duty, I took myself on my first trip to Richmond.

Hard to kiss a spitting frog

As it is a gorgeous autumnal day, the first stop was at the Botanical Gardens.  

The rose garden was still going strong and smelled lovely. 

Disappointed that the Japanese Maples hadn't turned colours yet.

Bamboo mini-forest

 The one red branch in the garden~gorgeousness!

Some swamp flower that I deigned to put my finger in. 

Inside the conservatory.

Unclear as to why there was a thatched cottage in the conservatory~no signage or anything to explain.

Dancing Lady orchids that smelled like the tropics. 

The ubiquitous butterfly bench. 

Cool use of an old bicycle in the community garden in which they grow food for the local food bank,

which was right beside the apiary garden and hives.

A final view of the frogs as I made my way downtown to the VMFA. 

Delightful to see familiar forms of Chihuly sculptures at the entrance.

Didn't understand at all why the snippy docent wouldn't let me take one of these Tiffany lamps to the checkout~I'm on the lookout for a new reading lamp. 

A lovely outing and now my soul has enough urban culture to face the upcoming week.