Habingers of Autumn

First split pea soup of the season

As I mentioned in the last post, I am celebrating a year in my new apartment.  Now that the stinking hot weather is safely behind us for another year, I am indulging in some "fall" housecleaning and "fall" activities.  

I needed a break today from my computer and the second draft of the translation of the history of La Cite.  I can take only so much sitting and even less of academia--boy have I ever changed!  It seemed like a good time to get into the closet, which  for this first year has been a repository for everything I have no other home for.  I cringe still at how many grocery shopping bags there were folded and stacked on one of the shelves.  

Now there's a mess in the living room

I know that I have friends who will understand this next part....it's why organizing and household chores sometimes take days.  While taking stock of what exactly was in this closet, I came across some curtains that were a gift from a lovely woman at the church where I attend.  She gave them to me last year when Denise, the president of the congregation announced that I was moving into an unfurnished apartment and if anyone had household items they'd like to sell or donate, I would be grateful.  These lovely curtains have been in this closet for a year now.  Today was the day I chose to take them out and sew casings into the top ends so that they can be hung.  I could have put them aside and continued with the organizational work of the closet, but oh no---now I have curtains and sewing supplies draped and strewn over the dining room table--and a still unorganized closet.

Fading with autumn

Ah yes, but I did get the geraniums deadheaded, and the first pot of pea soup of the season made.  I made an apple crisp yesterday--what says fall louder than apple crisp and pea soup?  I needed bread to go with the soup, but didn't want to be tempted by all the downtown storefront windows so instead of going to my favorite boulangerie, I got a gas station baguette from across the boulevard You have gas station food--Slurpees and Slim Jims--we hav baguettes.  And, the truest harbinger of autumn??? I have closed some windows!!!!!!

The afternoon's tools

These curtains are going to look great.  I am hoping they will admit light into my office and yet cut down on the glare of the lowering autumn sun.  Like the millenia of Carcassonnaises before me, I am telling time by the position of the sun.  Should the glare on the computer screen really disappear with the hanging of the curtians, well, then I will have no excuse to not work on the typing of the history.  Oh well.