... and it's fall!
I've noticed the changes in the leaves, and the past week it's really smelled like fall. Well, the temperatures have followed suit. It was mostly 80s last week and 82 yesterday. Today it was barely 60. It's supposed to stay in the 60s and law 70s for the foreseeable future. Indeed, I'll have to watch the evening temperatures next week, there's a small chance I may have to bring in my leafy babies.
It was a busy September, but for the most part a good busy. I went out to camp again for another OST event a couple weeks ago and got to check out one of the newly remodeled cabins. It's been renamed Holiday House, a nice nod to the name of the original cabin that had been on that spot (Brownie Holiday House). Mom and I went to see Les Miserables; mom was supposed to go with dad but he was under the weather. It was a nice mother-daughter night out!
I'm enjoying my first day of staycation. Had lunch with Lil Sis and Lil Niece earlier, unexpected but nice. Lunch also was dinner later, and will provide part of my meal tomorrow. I need to finish a painting, then want to work on something I've been wanting to do for ages and decided this is going to be the year. I love the aesthetic of painted pumpkins, especially the white ones, so I purchased a medium pumpkin, a small pumpkin and a bag of about 7-8 baby pumpkins. I'm going to paint them and bling them up and it's going to be so much fun! Best yet- I had two gift certificates, plus I had a $5 coupon, PLUS the pumpkins were heavily discounted. I got all of those pumpkins for an out of pocket cost of $4.94! Sweet deal!
On a more sombre note, October has also churned out some wicked storms, namely hurricanes. Hurricane Helene hit the gulf area hard, and then continued to pack a wallop up to central Tennessee and western Kentucky. It hit the Florida panhandle area at Category 4 and maintained a lot of strength even several states inland. Whole towns have been wiped out and even some major roads are completely inaccessible. Rescue organizations have used mule trains to get food and emergency supplies to some areas. Last I heard there were 230 dead, and still a lot of people missing. I have several friends who live in the impacted areas, one was without power for 10 days. The photos are just gut-wrenching. This was not just a devastating storm but an unusual one. First, it didn't follow the forecasted track, it went more to the east than initial predictions. That in itself was not so unusual, but the fact that the storm had so much power so far inland - where there aren't huge bodies of water and include a lot of foothills and mountains - is unusual. Generally that topography would have knocked the starch out of most hurricanes.
Now we are watching Milton, which last I heard is a Category 5 storm. I don't think it's supposed to hit at that strength. Hopefully not, or that will obliterate Florida, which is expected to take much of the brunt of the storm.