Pod People
So now this is sitting outside our house on our driveway…..

The hardwood is down on all of the floors. The next step is to get it finished, sanded, and stained. In order to do that, all of our furniture must be off the floor. So we rented a Pod. For two or three days, we have debated whether to hire people from the Pod company (who we found ourselves referring to as Pod People) to move our furniture. They wanted an awfully lot of money to do what we felt was not all that much work. So Bill sent a text to Court yesterday asking him if he would like to earn some money by helping him move furniture. Court responded quickly saying he would be happy to help for no money. He might have later regretted that rash decision, as he and Bill spent a couple of hours moving furniture. Sofas and chairs and tables and more chairs. The most difficult? One sofa we are giving to Habitat that just didn’t want to fit through the door, the china cabinet, and a piece of marble that fits on one of the tables Wilma gave us years ago. It weighed a ton. Perhaps literally. At one point I suggested that since all of our furniture was in the Pod, maybe we should just move. I kill myself…..

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
Just to show you all that despite the fact that I rant on and on against pumpkin spice everything, I made a pumpkin spice cake this week. It was delicious….

More proof that I don’t actually hate pumpkin spice in general. In fact, I like pumpkin cakes and pumpkin pies and pumpkin muffins and pumpkin bread. I just don’t like pumpkin toothpaste (a real thing) ….

Or pumpkin spice Pepto Bismol (another real thing)…..

As I ask myself every fall, what ever happened to good ol’ apple flavor and fragrance in the fall?

Garden Season is Over
As I knew the freeze was coming, I harvested what was left in my garden. I mentioned that I am trying to ripen green tomatoes, but don’t know if I’ll be successful. I also harvested my oregano, my sage, and my thyme. I made little bouquets which are now hanging in my pantry drying…..

Once they are completely dry, I will put them in little jars for the winter.

 Keep or Toss?
It’s interesting going through stuff to see what stays and what goes to Goodwill as we prepare for the rest of the project. For example, as I cleaned out a cupboard in our family room that I thought was only stuffed to the brim with old vases, I came across this…..

 …..and the matching this…..

Here’s the thing: I have no idea where I got them. I used to give an annual Christmas tea, so I think perhaps my ownership is related to that particular event, which no longer takes place. But I’m sure I didn’t buy them. They must have been gifted to me. Everything is very tarnished, but it’s all so pretty. I must admit the candelabra make me feel like a cross between Mortisha Adams and Liberace. Haven’t decided what I’m going to do with those as of yet, but I’m certain I will never use them for their true purpose. Making those kinds of decisions reminds me of a particular episode of The Gilmore Girls in which one of the characters was getting rid of stuff, and to make the decision, she would hold it in her hand and ask herself, “Does this bring me joy?” I will tell you that cleaning the tanish off of the tea and coffee set would bring me no joy. None.

Ciao.