Gratitude Sunday!

Happy fall, everyone!

I don't know about you all, but it's quite honestly my favorite time of year, followed closely by winter. Fall, the perfect time for bonfires and treks through the woods. Days filled with that incomparable, rich scent of fallen leaves and the crisp bite to the air... Pumpkins, apple cider, breaking out the snuggly sweaters and rain boots, more pumpkins...

You see, I have a "thing" for pumpkins. There's just something about them. They're so very full of promise - the promise of good food, or delightful jack-o-lanterns, depending. The promise of seeds for next year. To me, the are, above all else, true soul food. I seem to be adding them to my life in other ways these days, in the form of knick knacks and plans for quilts. I have a seemingly neverending search in progress for the perfect pumpkin teapot.

This year, as you know, my pumpkins did not do well at all. I have no shame in admitting that I did cry a little when it became obvious that I'd lose all of the vines. I couldn't help it - I had such plans, such visions in my head of having enough this year to share with others.


Thankfully, as we were driving past a local farm stand last week on the way to the concert, I saw them, all lined up in gorgeous, ripe rows. I went out the next day and bought some! I found my much anticipated musquee de provence, a jarradhale, one whose variety I cannot place for the life of me, and of course I had to grab an acorn squash, because they are such good eating!

I've already put up the mystery pumpkin and the jarradhale, which didn't steam as well as I'd hoped, but it was nothing a little sugar and spice (and everything nice!) couldn't fix. There's a pumpkin cake in the fridge, and I've promised to bake another next weekend for someone special. I couldn't be happier (except if I had more).

On to the gratitude!

-I'm delighting in fall, even if it hasn't turned chilly yet, and the leaves still have that rusty, end of summer tinge to them, it still makes me entirely too happy to see pumpkins and corn stalks everywhere.

-That I both know how and when to devote my time to something entirely selfish, and when to take a breather and be productive.

-Time spent spinning and knitting with Mom and a dear friend of ours. It had been entirely too long.

-That there are only a few days until Saturday!!!

I will post my pumpkin cake recipe sometime later tonight, I think. :)