This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.

Late October

In Maine, peak foliage is over, and the glorious burst of orange and red has passed. But the landscape still has a glow, albeit a more modest one of russets and yellows.

When I work outside, I am smitten by this glow and am ever so thankful for October, from beginning to end.

The icing on the October cake is that Dee’s birthday is at the end of the month, and to celebrate there just might be pizza involved at her favorite place in Augusta.

Tea

At our home by the edge of the woods, we are big tea drinkers, and our array on the back of the stove certainly illustrates this.

Now, after looking at this picture, you might think we are an affiliate of Harney & Sons, but I assure you we are not. We are, however, huge fans. We fell in love with this tea when our daughter Dee went to Bard College in upstate New York, and we visited a nearby Harney & Sons tea room. Over the years, that love has held steady.

The tea is a little pricey, but as we eat most every meal at home, we justify the expense by thinking about the money we save by not eating out. A meal for two at a restaurant could buy a lot of tea from Harney & Sons.

Watching

Television Series: Penelope
Created by Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn
Available on Netflix

Maybe it’s because I live on the edge of the woods and witness its green mysteries every day, but I am a sucker for stories where people go into the forest not only to find themselves but also to find out if they can survive.

Therefore, when I read about the premise for Penelope—a young girl takes to the woods because there is something empty inside her that she longs to fill—I was all in. And Penelope did not disappoint.

Grounded by the luminous Megan Stott, Penelope follows the eponymous heroine as she leaves civilization behind and disappears into the Cascade National Park in Washington state. In the woods, Penelope must learn to fend for herself. This includes learning how to fish, build a shelter, and collect edibles from the forest.

Strictly speaking, this is not a realistic account of how a suburban teenager would survive in the deep woods. With few wilderness skills, Penelope learns mighty fast how to get by. Instead, this series has the feel of a fable, an odyssey that focuses not on the hero, Odysseus, but rather on, well, Penelope, who in this case is not married and is not required to be faithful to a wandering hero.

The cinematography in Penelope is so stunning that the forest becomes a character in its own right, providing beauty, sustenance, and, yes, terror.  In this sense, I felt that the series creators caught something essential about nature and wilderness.

I was gripped by Penelope’s journey and when the series reached its startling conclusion, I wanted more. Fingers crossed that there is a Season 2.

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Note: For the next few weeks I’ll be taking a break from featuring other posts that highlight simple pleasures. When fall chores are done, I’ll return to listing them.

This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.

Lunch with My Blogging Friend Judy

One of the great pleasures of blogging is making friends with different folks, some far, some near. I love getting glimpses into their everyday lives—to see what it looks like where they live, to read about their comings and goings, to see pictures of what they eat, to learn which books they’ve read. And every once in a while, I get to meet a blogging friend in person. This is always a treat.

On Tuesday, I met Judy, of NewEnglandGardenAndThread, for lunch at Stonewall Kitchen in York in southern Maine. This is the second time we have met. Last year we got together at beautiful Bedrock Gardens in New Hampshire, and what a great time we had.

In September, southern Maine is still a busy place, and Stonewall Kitchen is on Route 1, the lovely but clogged-with-traffic corridor that goes along the Maine coast. Knowing this, I suggested getting together early, at 11:00 a.m. (This turned out to be a good plan because around noon the cafè  became very busy.) With minimum fuss, we were able to order our food and find a place outside on the veranda to eat our lunch. The dining is extremely casual, which meant we were able to sit on the veranda for about three hours.

I had a delicious salad with apples slivers, candied pecans, and dried cranberries. (Judy had the same thing.)

There might have been a pumpkin scone for dessert.

As we ate, we chatted about family, gardening, and exercise. I mentioned that the exercise bike really helps my creaky knees but that I have a hard time motivating myself to use it. Judy acknowledged that indoor exercise is boring, but she has made it a routine in her life, something she does at the same time every day. (Inspired by her example, I have used the exercise bike for the past two mornings. Before breakfast seems to work for me.)

Judy is a master gardener, and her sharp eyes spotted this tree not far from where we sat.

Neither of us had ever seen such a tree. After taking a picture on her phone, Judy was able to get an identification—a magnolia tree. Those red pods are both unusual and striking.

As if getting together with Judy wasn’t treat enough, she also brought me some plants. More hydrangeas for my shady yard—she gave me some last year, and to my utter delight they have thrived—and some oh so lovely Japanese grass that does well in dry shade. Holy cats, I was thrilled to get these gifts. Next week, they will be planted.

Many, many thanks, Judy, both for your delightful company and for the plants.

Thankful Posts from Other Blogging Friends

A Curious Introvert from Cimple extols the virtues and value of Time. Amen!

Ju-Lyn from Touring My Backyard celebrates her favorite uncle’s imminent return to his home from the hospital.

Barbara from Thistles and Kiwis enjoys two new shirts with snappy designs—one with cats and the other with cassettes.

Eliza from Eliza Waters celebrates zinnias and dahlias from her fall garden.

Xenia from Tranature features a walk with her adorable dog on a beautiful beach. Oh, that dog’s happy face made me smile.

With a friend, Carol Ann of Fashioned for Joy hikes to Assateague Island where there are grazing ponies, salt marshes, and sand dunes. Who could ask for anything more?

Yesterday, I had a Covid booster, and I am feeling a little under the weather today. It’s nothing serious, but my energy level is way down, and I’m going to spend most of the day on the couch, where I’ll alternate between reading and napping.

Nevertheless, I am very grateful for science and medicine and booster shoots. Wouldn’t want to live in a world without them. In fact, as a breast cancer survivor, I wouldn’t be here without them.

Next week, there will be a regular Thankful Thursday post.

Now, back to the couch.

This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.

Getting Together With an Old Friend

Last Friday, on a most beautiful day, I got together with Doree, a friend I have known since grade school. Over the years, we had lost touch with each other, but thanks to Facebook, we reconnected a year so ago. As we both live within driving distance of each other, we decided it would be good to get together now and again.

And so we have. Usually, we meet at Barnes & Noble for tea and talk, but last Friday we went to Sully’s Tavern in downtown Winthrop. We both had something a little peppier than tea: pineapple and rum drinks, fries, and a delicious dessert of bananas with a salted caramel sauce.

Even without tea, there was still plenty of talk. How good it is to have a friend who has known me since childhood. Growing up in a small rural community in central Maine, we have so much shared history, and that means the world to me.

Basil

Our backyard is half sun and half shade, which means certain herbs, such as basil, don’t grow very well. But because I am a huge fan of basil, I plant it anyway, and I figure whatever I get will cost less than buying it at the grocery store.

But this year, the sun, the humidity, and the plentiful rain all came together to produce a crop that went beyond  my wildest dreams.

As a result, we’ve had basil with all kinds of dishes, and I will be sorry when the frost comes—probably sometime in October—and nips one of my favorite herbs. Until then, it’s basil, basil, basil.

Our New Leaf Blower

For forty years we have lived on the edge of the woods without feeling the need for a leaf blower. Sometimes Clif has chopped up the leaves with his lawnmower; sometimes we have raked them. (Our old tar driveway fell into the latter category.)

But then came our new driveway, a crushed-granite beauty that can neither be raked nor gone over with a lawn mower. We want those little stones, which cost us plenty, to stay in our driveway.

Enter the leaf blower. We ordered one that runs on a battery, and as we Mainers might put it, the leaf blower works like a chahm. It does a good job of blowing the leaves off our driveway and into the woods, and it does an equally good job of leaving the gravel in place.

Sometimes old dogs do learn new tricks.

Thankful Posts on Other Blogs

50 Happens: Thankful Thursday (sorry, vegans)

Cimple: Thankful Thursday

Each week on Monday, Barbara, of Thistles and Kiwis, posts a piece  featuring simple pleasures that are always a delight to read and are certainly things to be thankful for. Henceforth, Barbara’s posts will be included in  my Thankful Thursday links.

This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.

Our Screen House

In late spring, our daughter Dee clicked on an article with the title Ten Items That Will Really Make Your Summer Better. Or something like that. Dee was skeptical about what would be listed, but because she loves summer, she figured, what the heck. Why not click on the article?

As it turned out, Dee found something she liked, a screen house that fits over an umbrella. Dee is quite the mosquito magnet; for some reason they are just drawn to her.  She figured that a screen house would give her some protection, allowing us to sit on the patio in late afternoon when those little biters come out from the woods. Best of all, the screen house only cost $50.

I’m happy to report that the screen house has been a smashing success. Clif had a wee bit of trouble attaching it to the umbrella, and he might have said a few bad words. But in the end he succeeded, and what a wonder that screen house has been.

This summer, with all the rain and humidity, the mosquitos have been out in full force, but in the screen house, we were safe from attack. The screen house has become a second living room, where we have drinks and meals and can stay outside as late as we want.

Best $50 Dee ever spent.

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Vermont is home to Lake Champlain Chocolates, which are utterly delicious. Our daughter Shannon and her husband Mike went to Vermont last week, where they visited the Lake Champlain Chocolate mother store. And they just happened to bring us back some chocolates.

Confession time: the path to my heart is paved with lovely chocolate, and wowsah, those chocolates were wicked good!

Music, Always Music: I’m With Her

Yet again, from NPR and their Tiny Desk Concerts. I accidentally came upon I’m With Her on YouTube, which loves to give me music suggestions based on what I’ve listened to. More often than not, YouTube hits the mark, and they certainly did with I’m With Her.

Not only are the three young women luminous performers, but their clear voices blend beautifully, and they play with snap and style.

More Thankful Thursdays

As more of my blogging friends are posting Thankful Thursday pieces, Thursday is fast becoming my favorite day of the week. On her recent Thankful Thursday post, my blogging friend Ju-lyn, of Touring My Backyard, linked to other blogging friends who had their own Thankful Thursday pieces. I have decided to follow suit. When I mentioned I would be borrowing her idea, Ju-Lyn noted, “like minds are we.” Yes we are.

Read and smile! In the comments, feel free to list what you are thankful for.

Touring My Backyard: Tea Time

50 Happens: Thankful Thursday

Musings by an ND Domer’s Mom: Thankful Thursday (4)

Cimple: Thankful Thursday

This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who tend to complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.

This week, on the very top of the thankful list, is that our car,  a Honda Fit, passed inspection. When you have a budget as big as a minute and a fourteen-year-old car, this is no small thing.

A few months ago, we had to have the catalytic converter replaced. I barely know what a catalytic converter is, but I do know it was  expensive to replace. Still, the Fit has been a wonderful car, roomy for its size and needing few repairs. We plan to keep it as long as we can. Clif has patched some rust holes—those salted and sanded roads in the winter take their toll—and now that the Fit has passed inspection, it should be good for another year. Fingers crossed. And toes, too.

Next is an unexpected treat that came to our house on Tuesday.

Debbie Gagnon, of Maine’s famous Red’s Eats, sent the chocolate-covered strawberries as a thank you to Clif for the work he did on her book, Red’s Eats: World’s Best Lobster Shack. (Clif does book design for self-published writers, and he has a growing list of books he’s worked on.) Clif, of course, shared his strawberries with me and Dee, and my oh my, they were good. Strawberries and chocolate are a winning combination. Many, many thanks, Debbie Gagnon!

Finally, it is that corn time of year in Maine, and Mainers are absolutely crazy about fresh corn on the cob. We think it goes with anything, from spaghetti to quesadillas.

Our corn comes from our own Farmer Kev, a family friend who has an organic farm and a delivery share program, where each season, you pay a lump sum and get weeks of fresh, delicious vegetables delivered right to your doorstep. (Every week, we get to choose what we want from a seasonal list.)

Here is the snappy box the veggies come in.

And guess what was underneath the carrots, the peppers, and the summer squash? None other than corn, fresh and ready to be shucked.

We cooked it the day we got it, and how sweet it was. Holy cats, it was so unbelievably good that it almost doesn’t count as a simple pleasure.

And what is on the plate with that corn? Just happens to be a quesadilla, made with homemade refried beans.

As we Mainers would say, a wicked good combination.

Just for Fun: Speaking of a New England Accent…

Blogging friends who are Superbowl fans are probably already familiar with this commercial, but I’m guessing there are some blogging friends who haven’t seen it. And I’m also guessing that blogging friends “from away” might not know what a New England accent sounds like.

Now, the commercial below features actors and accents—albeit slightly exaggerated—from Boston. A Maine accent is somewhat different, a little softer. But man oh man, do we ever drop those Rs, and do note the use of “wicked.”

Anyway, it will give readers some idea what a Maine and New England accent sounds like. Plus it’s just plain fun to watch. Makes me smile every time.