As the temperatures outside begin cooling down, it's time to get out the sweaters, close the windows and enjoy the upcoming Fall season. Autumn is my favorite time of year, with its colors, festivals and the beginning of Christmas shopping season. It's time for great sleeping weather, cool breezes, wearing microfleece and flannel. Traditionally I bake more at this time of year, usually starting with apple pie. Mom and dad always decorate their house with Fall decorations, and live in a historic area (on the National Register of Historic Places), in the village of Burton, that has a killer Apple Butter Festival downtown every year. We' ve gone to it off and on since I was a kid. As time goes on, they have holiday happenings in and around the town, and even do "haunted" tours for those who like ghost hunting, for Halloween. It's just fun to see what comes up every year.
In my garden, my asters, which are native to Ohio, are starting to bloom a gorgeous purple color. I bought them at a plant sale in downtown Burton earlier in the year and was wondering if it would ever flower, and now the flowering has finally begun. It was worth the wait, and I'm sure glad to know that I didn't buy a weed. Mom bought one too, and we both were thrilled with our plants. She, too, wondered if it was just a weed, since it took a long time to decide to flower. In gardening, it's nice to have plants for each phase of the weather, the spring, summer and fall-blooming plants. That way when the spring flowers stop, the summer ones start, then the fall ones come after them. This house had no garden when I first moved in, and this year there is color, lots of plants, and the cycling of blooming plants has begun. My morning glories bloom like fireworks, roses are blooming, wine cups (a type of deep crimson mallow) are still blooming along with the dianthus (they bloom throughout spring, summer and fall), and coreopsis light up the gardens with their bright colors. Blueberry bushes are done for the season, they had a good run this year, but will get pruned when the last few berries are harvested. My young butterfly bush has been blooming and each year it will get a little bigger, bearing three colors of blooms (so far I see only two, light purple and white) but there's dark purrple supposedly in the mix too. It's a process. My parents have big butterfly bushes, loaded with butterflies, and they grow like crazy. Each year they are a few feet taller! Mine is young and so I hope it grows big like theirs.
As for work, I'm overloaded with phone cases to update, and am pecking away at all of them, one by one. Sales are painfully slow, and I need to get them going again. The platform change in Zazzle messed up many stores' profits, so I'm not alone. It is painful and we all are working to hit this upcoming holiday season hard with new, updated products. I also have a big car repair bill to pay off, it is around $1000, but the car will be good as new in the end. It's been good to me and I need it, so I'll get the repairs paid off in a few months. This wonderful mechanic lets me make payments. Most repair facilities don't do that. After researching the repairs needed, I know exactly what it needs and how much it should cost, and their estimate was spot-on. It's a good thing..even if its inconvenient not to have a car for a couple of days.
For my birthday, dad gave me a head torch/head lamp so I can go up to the (very big but very dark) attic and see my way around in it. I have no idea if it has a light anywhere up there, and tried to find it with no luck in the past, so now I can go up there and see. It could be a useable space if I can find light up there. If business continues to be disappointing I will start selling my own products from home, and will need that space to store product and trade show displays. I'm gearing up to expand the business, and when the weather is colder, going up in the attic is less stuffy. I plan on exploring and organizing it.
So, it's back to work now. Lots to do and my momentary break to write this is over. It's a lovely day and the sun is out. Beau is asleep next to me, full pot of coffee by my side. Life is good.
