calendar + weather = almost halloween!!

well! the weather here in bohemia has finally caught up to the calendar!!  it's been a mixed bag: rain, hail, sunbreaks, windstorms, and snow down low on the foothills.  brrrrrrr.......  the bohemian finally has the woodstove going non-stop 24/7.  all this just in the last week or so!  it has become halloween weather!  leaves are piled all around, bare branches are showing themselves in the trees, the tree leaves are bright yellow and orange-y red and dark red.... soooo beautiful!

another calendar square

another week and a whole new month will arrive!  a month of gratitude and feasting!

and so, the bohemian enlisted an enchanting fairy elf to help with some holiday cleaning...

after the bohemian used this duster... oops! she meant "magic wand",  to miraculously restore the fairy elf's little orange ball from the dark nether regions under the couch, why the tiny elf INSISTED on helping....

with the dusting! using that o so magic wand, of course!  O! there was magic fairy dust in the air for quite awhile... 

the bohemian (AKA the fairy grandmother) and the fairy elf (AKA the fairy granddaughter) are wishing you crunchy-leaf days and harvest moon nights, and pumpkinfulls of warm love and wild laughter to brighten those days and nights...

ghost cat adds his wishes to theirs....

don't forget to play in your art bliss, wherever you find it.  and if you feel like jumping out and scaring someone...  go ahead! it's that time of year... the bohemian is sure they'll laugh... bwaahaahaa...

squares of halloween...

( sharing a few squares of the october calendar...)

give a hoot!

saturday, the 13th day of october... the rain has set in. outside the bohemian's window it is gray, gray, gray...

let cuteness abound!

  such is the normal weather of bohemia for this time of year.  but O! what a marvelous fall there was!  the leaves are brilliant! but a forecasted windstorm this weekend will no doubt have those colors dancing and spinning to the ground...

and just one reminder for this time of year, when everyone likes to dress up like someone other than themselves:  have fun but BE YOU!   wishing you hot apple cider joy and the lovely aroma of pumpkin spice lattes...

Portland sparkled in the sun...

beautiful window in train station

she took the train, along with her sister, to the Women Of Faith conference in Portland.

shadow of beautiful window at train station, cast upon the other wall

the train wandered past mountains that were snowcapped and water that was sparkling in the sunshine. through towns and cities. past big beautiful train stations and past train stations that looked like bus stops.

ceiling tiles and lights in the Portland train station.

it was a rather delicious way to travel! comfy seats and picture windows. gorgeous views and good conversation. and of course, coffee.

they  stepped off the train in Portland to sunshine and mid-seventies weather.  the hotel shuttle picked them up and took them only a few blocks to their comfy hotel.  for naps. then shopping. then hot tubbing and swimming. and a delicious dinner of teriyaki salmon and coconut basmati rice. and, of course, coffee.

clock tower at Portland train station

a day of shopping at Lloyd Center shopping mall, one of the oldest in the pacific northwest, brought back memories. as a kid, coming home from visiting relatives in southern oregon, Lloyd Center was the stop for school coats and shoes. the bohemian remembers it as huge! with a giant ice skating rink in the middle!

in reality...

just a nice mall...

with a little skating rink in it....but the bohemian DID find a pair of beautiful boots. for only $22! and a scarf with colors that go with everything she owns. and, of course, there was coffee!

and the Women Of Faith conference was incredible and wonderful and uplifting in so many ways... the music, the ballet, the laughter, the sharing, the tears... 8500 women with their cell phone lights on in the dark. clapping and whistling as loud in the Garden stadium as when the trailblazers play.  but in tribute to Jesus and His love...  such joy!

and an amazing artist  who painted. while they listened to the most beautiful music!!

.               yes, it was truly one of those most special weekends, on a particularly sunny and warm weekend. in october. in the beautiful city of Portland.   wishing you beautiful autumn days full of Jesus' love...

bohemia has finally turned chilly, as is normal for October in bohemia.  the bohemian is sad to see summer come to an end but it lasted so late into fall... there is no excuse for whining. so she will not. even though she is a little bit sad...  mourning just a tad...   grieving just a smidgeon...

the bohemian made these fun, fun october calendars for her daughters...   they turned out so cute! she was never one to get into making inchies (little 1x1 works of art) but boy has she had a blast making these squares (which are 2x2s)!

today's square is this lovely spooky tree and a "bat" (looks like a seagull to the bohemian!). the bohemian is one of those weird people who likes bats. (they eat mosquitoes, you know!!!)  but not in the house, of course...  if they do come in uninvited, she tries to get them out as gently as possible. unlike some people who live in her cottage, where things like brooms, shouts of fear, fireplace pokers, and small firearms come into play...

two darling tiny treat bags made by the bohemian at her crafty sister-in-laws stamping party. tiny. darling. let's see...two darling bags. two darling fairy grandchildren. PERFECT! (and just SEE how adorable that bat is!!)

this is what fairy princess GIRLS do with plastic waffle-town road pieces!! accessorize!

and now...introducing the newest fairy grandchild!!  mr. dalton!!  he's all boy, and his bohemian fairy grandmother is smitten to pieces!!  and has a full-time job keeping him from being loved to death by his fairy princess sister!!  she just wants to poke and prod and lop on and slobber-kiss him....

he is such a sweetie!!

and so, to distract the fairy princess.... the fairy grandmother plays a LOT of hide and seek, with all the BOOs! that involves....  the bohemian and her darling fairy grandchildren wish you and your loved ones a very merry fall week filled with lots of  comforting warmth and many BOOs, of the nicest kind, of course!

1st of October...

knee-deep into autumn, and the weather in bohemia is unusually dry and unseasonably warm.  and no rain looms on the weather forecaster's horizon.

on the first day of october, the morning weather in bohemia is cold! brrrrr! but clear...soon to be sunny! and a visit to the chiropractor is on the schedule for the day.  aching limbs and last week's raging headache are to be expelled!!

 and pumpkin picking. that is on the list for today.  the last few cold mornings have shriveled up the vines and wilted the giant leaves and the bright orange baby pumpkin faces are grinning up at the bohemian.

 

 and packing... that's on the list also! packing for a train ride. a lovely train ride to the Women of Faith conference in Portland. with the royal sister.  the bohemian is smiling in anticipation...

and ghost cat has his halloween costume all picked out for this year... have you?  do sweet little trick or treaters, all dressed up in their imaginations, come knocking at your door?  last year, the bohemian had NONE! she was sad.  but this year, she will at least have grandchildren to come knocking... yes, she's smiling some more.   happy autumn pumpkiny wishes to you...