|
|
|
|
|
|
|
round * up
|
|
|
|
IT HAS BEEN a gentle fall here in South Carolina, where Tim and I have been at home for the past several weeks, and where he and I both have spent as much time as possible outside. Tim's built for us a magnificent ground-level wooden deck that happily sits under our canopy of ancient oaks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's all been done under the watchful eye of Stella, the wonder dog, and I could not be more thrilled with the finished-but-for-curing-and-painting result, as now we have the perfect spot for gathering in our sandy, ant-y, slanty back yard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
It also serves as a connector, of sorts, between the house and studio. I love that.
|
|
|
|
WE ALSO SQUEEZED in several days of bourbon tasting on a fun, fabulous Kentucky trip with a group of treasured friends. What a beautiful part of the world the Lexington area is, with miles and miles and miles of rolling hills and horse farms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AS TO THE SAGA OF THE GRAY HAIR. It continues. My gray is still gray and still growing, and I still find myself surprised with every glance in the mirror.
|
|
|
|
|
|
AS TO those acorns. Those crazy acorns, the story of which I shared in my last blog post. Well, that saga continues, as well. The test collection in the glass jar is still clean and perfect (YAY!) although a plastic bin full did mold, And on accident (as little Eliza would have said) I might have also sprayed an entire tray of gathered, cleaned, baked, glued and painted specimens with a hefty dose of glossy gray shellac. (Who even knew shellac comes in colors????) Still I am nothing if not persistent, and so I press on.
|
|
|
|
A photo of the lamp, when filled, will come!
|
|
|
Until then, I wish for you every joy and a Thanksgiving filled to overflowing with all that you love.
|
|
It's a wondrous time of year!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amor Towles is one of my favorite writers, so my expectations for this new novel, The Lincoln Highway, were high. It did not disappoint. I loved the characters, the road trip, the writing (of course, as he is a master). So different from A Gentleman in Moscow, which was so different from his debut, Rules of Civility, and all were exceptional 5-star reads for me. Love me some Amor Towles, and now I'm just sad to have to wait for the next one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bourbon Cranberries, which I will never not make for Thanksgiving
|
- 4 cups cranberries
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup Maker’s Mark (or the bourbon of your choice)
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
|
Combine cranberries and sugars in a cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat.
|
Mix well and stir often as the sugar starts to melt, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add other ingredients. Stir often, for about 20 minutes, until you reach the desired consistency.
|
|
|
|
|
Recently, on THE DAILY GRACE
|
|
|
The Acorns (and a Six-Part Epilogue)
|
|
I've become a bit obsessed with acorns this fall. They're interesting; they're adorable; they're worth a bit of study. Little did I know my infatuation would become something for which there became talk of an intervention. Take a look, sweet friends, and I say: You decide!
|
|
|
|
|
|
In all things, give thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
    
|
|
|