The (Second) Time of the Year for Beginnings (And Other Stuff)

Leni - teacher-cook-gardener-historian-awesomeness.

New beginnings for an old stand-by.

Late summer walk/evening light self portrait.

Garden harvests.

Late-August into September is the second time of renewal in both my personal world and my gardening world. My inner-dweeb picks up on the new school-year jolt of life and it tends to be the real beginning of the year for me. So there are fresh plans and kinda-sorta resolutions.

I would like to clean and de-clutter the house to make way for all of the crisp activities autumn brings.

I would like to hit up the local nurseries (and their sales) and plant perennials, shrubs and trees through early November.

I am planning a fall balcony vegetable garden outside of Willa's room. My first thoughts on this project are here at Virginia Living.

I am thinking about knitting and sewing again.

I am trying to increase my exercise during the week to four days and have been loving Zumba at the Old Crozet School Arts (and plan to take ballet there in the fall). I also took a yoga class yesterday at the university that, sadly, left me with a kink in my neck. Which also left me confused.

The change in weather usually releases us back outside for more evening walks (photo from one above). We were chased inside earlier in the month by the chigger-tick-tiger mosquito trinity that left us all looking rather pocky and pathetic. But I need (fresh) air and sun. (I am secretly looking forward to that first frost, too.)

Under "Other":

The bold colors from our gardens are something else (photo above of Sungold tomatoes and zinnias). It really is amazing that they are still productive, after the summer we had.

Dutch baby pancakes. They cook up easily and they taste like those eggy Swedish pancakes - especially if you don't skimp on the lemon and powdered sugar. Big thanks to the friend who recently made these for me and Willa.

Cold-brewed iced coffee from Smitten Kitchen.

The $1 vintage tricycle find. Would you believe that I sit at my work post and daydream about the satisfaction I will get from sanding rust off of chrome later that night? Photos of the fixed-up tricycle coming soon. (Also, it didn't hurt that I married a bicycle mechanic.) Next: Restoring a Chevy Nova.

I learned how to make Mexican tamales with Leni last weekend (photo above of Leni with her zinnias). She encouraged getting together with friends to make vast quantities that can be frozen. A Tamale Party! With sipping tequila, I envision. I already hit up a local Mexican grocery for the corn husks and masa. And a curious purchase of dried hibiscus flowers that I needed to have, but haven't the slightest idea how to use.