October Impressions

Morning coffee with Beard on Bread. "From: James Beard, To: All Bread Lovers"

The two biggest pots in the house simmering on the stove top at the same time. The hubber's traditional tomato based chili with ground turkey and a vegan chickpea chili with tomatillos.

Stray cat sheltering on the porch to get out of a rain storm. Does the hubbers adopt the kitty, or does the kitty adopt him? Hubbers found the kitty a permanent home with free entertainment to boot - a family in need of a mouser.

35-year-old sourdough starter dried on a wooden spoon from ArtistryFarm. Day one: Rehydrate starter and scrape from spoon. Day two: Add flour, mix well, cover, and hope it ferments.

Join Art Shop, a cooperatively run retail space inside Oxford Community Arts Center. Attend quarterly meeting. Open big mouth and become responsible for marketing and media relations. Place wares in shop. Take crash course in Art Shop history and make-up. Write media release, post calendar listings, make fliers for upcoming free event at Oxford Lane Library. Get caught up in the paperwork and neglect to make work for the month long exhibit at the library or plan projects for the live demo day at the library. Talk with friend about the adrenaline devil. Turn off computer. Walk in woods to regain balance. Breathe.  Re-enter studio with a calm, clear mind.

Mind churning in the background about why Art Shop is so great and why I am grateful to be a part of it. Possible letter to the editor or article in the near future enumerating Art Shop's wonderfulness.

Several hard frosts. Bring perennial potted herbs inside house to prevent death. Peppers, basil, zucchini killed by frost. Uproot dead plants and cut up for compost. 

Indian summer. Temperatures mid-70s to 80 F.  Open windows. Enjoy fresh air. Get outside. 

Make big batch of veggie stock. Indian summer won't last forever. Soup season is coming!

15+ miles of woodland trails in Miami University's Natural Areas. Imagine the only noises you can hear are the dry satisfying crunch of autumn leaves underfoot, songbirds twittering and flitting, the sounds of leaves tumbling from high in the canopy through the tangle of bare branches and brambles below (yes, the journey of a falling leaf can be heard), and a repeated staccato - like raindrops landing - that marks barely visible tiny toads leaping out of your path to safety closer to the banks of the nearby pond. The toads are smaller than a finger tip, yet fully and perfectly formed.