What's Up Wednesday

Again this month, I am participating in a fun link up with Sheaffer, Mel, and Shay to answer that age-old question "What's up?"

What We're Eating

This is the time of year when I usually start to crave soups and casseroles and heartier dishes than I do during the hotter summer months. This year, however, the unseasonably warm temperatures have more or less killed any desire I have for those autumn comfort foods, instead, we are grazing on lighter pasta dishes and salads, although, I did make chili and cornbread once last week, when the weather abruptly changed to "normal" temperatures for a day.

What I'm Reminiscing About

It's football season here in Petticoat Junction (and, everywhere else, truth be told), and I am missing the Fearsome Foursome and their gridiron antics. I can't believe I'm already in my second football season without them. I'm also missing my time on the field with BCPE (Booster Club President Extraordinaire), cameras in hand, shooting the boys and flashing our "Mammarazzi" badges. Those were some good times.

What I'm Loving

I recently discovered the portrait feature on my iPhone camera and now I am somewhat obsessed with it. I have no idea why it's taken me this long to adapt to the new technology (Wow, I sound old. You damn kids get off my lawn!).

What I've Been Up To

The past week, Hugh and I have been car shopping. Well, mostly, Hugh has been car shopping; I just gave him my wish list and watched him go. I'm still not happy about putting James the Tahoe out to pasture, nor am I overly fond of the idea of a car payment that rivals that of my mortgage, but, some things just cannot be helped.

In happier news, I recently got to spend some quality time with Queen B and Katie, checking item #1 off my Fall Bucket List: taking a bicycle tour of the wineries in Neighboring City! It was so much fun! It was also impossible to visit every single winery on the tour in the amount of time that we allowed ourselves, so, we will be repeating the effort again, soon.

What I'm Dreading

Umm, the above-mentioned car payment? That's about it.


What I'm Working On

The gardening season is slowly but surely coming to an end and I have been harvesting the last of the tomatoes, peppers, yellow zucchini (about damn time!), and sunflower seeds (which I roasted! Poorly! But, that's a cautionary tale for another day); I still have Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes to harvest, however, that won't happen until right after the first frost, which should be less than a month away, if Mother Nature gets with the program (finally).

What I'm Excited About

Concerns and complaints aside, I am really rather excited about the prospect of a new car. There, Hugh, I said it;. I hope you're happy.

What I'm Watching/Reading

After a momentary pause, I caught back up on Big Brother and have now seen all of the episodes leading up to today's finale. I'm rooting for Tyler, but I have a wicked fondness for JC, because;  Tiny Dancer may be batshit crazy, but, well...that's it; he's batshit crazy (I can appreciate crazy).

I also tuned in for Manifest, which is a new show on NBC. It's about a plane that takes off in Jamaica and lands in New York...after being missing for five and a half years. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this is headed, and, it stars Josh Dallas, who I loved from Once Upon a Time; Prince Charming, indeed.

I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately as well. I started with Crazy Rich Asians and, once I finished it, I immediately downloaded both sequels to it; I found the books humorous and entertaining; I also really appreciated that it featured numerous footnotes, explaining various Asian foods, customs, historical events, etc.

I also read Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone. It was, perhaps, my favorite book so far this year. Seriously, it's just that good.

From Amazon: In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.

What I'm Listening To

Right now, I am listening to The Greatest Showman, because it is playing on HBO and I am a sucker for Hugh Jackman, and won't turn the channel on any show that he happens to be starring in, whether it be as a dancing PT Barnum, a furry-faced Wolverine, a sexy cattle Drover (mmmrowwr, Australia),  or a washed-up ex boxer who spars with robots.

How you doing?

What I'm Wearing

I'm about over my current wardrobe; I'm ready for fall sweaters, scarves, boots, booties, and jackets, but, as I said earlier, the weather has not gotten the memo about it being fall, and, I'm not a fan of sweating through my antiperspirant, so, for now, I'm wearing my summer uniform of casual tops, dark washed skinny jeans, skirts, and light cardigans, with a side of natty old sweats and t-shirts on the weekend. Someone call the fashion police, because I'm sure I'm guilty of every fashion crime imaginable (now, ask me if I care :) Nope!)

What I'm Doing This Weekend

I have no plans for this weekend, except for catching up on some housework and decorating for Halloween (yes, already). I do have a brunch date with a couple of old co-workers on Sunday, but, other than that, it's going to be a pretty low-key couple of days. Hugh will be in Denver for the fall buyers market for the hardware store, so I won't even be cooking. There may, however, be wine.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

If you know me in real life, I don't even need to elaborate on this one: HALLOWEEN! However, since you probably don't know me in real life, I'll elaborate just a titch; I LOVE Halloween. Every year, I bust out allll the decorations, often going so far as to set up a haunted porch experience for the neighborhood kids. I also dress in costume, and, this year, my co-workers and I have a group costume theme that we are certain will delight our fellow working stiffs at Day Job. I'll also kick off the month with 30 days of Halloween television and movie watching, including Halloween Wars on Food Network, then, armed with that inspiration; Hugh and I will carve Jack-o-Lanterns despite the fact that we no longer have tiny Trick-or-Treaters with whom to enjoy the experience (I'll reminisce about that next month). In short, Halloween is my jam and I actually look forward to it all year.

2016...the Year of the Flying Witches

Bonus Question: What Is Your Favorite Way to Eat or Drink Pumpkin?

Ok, I said this last month and I'll say it again; I am not a fan of all things pumpkin spice. I would rather swallow bile than down a PSL, not even kidding. Well, maybe a little.

I do, however, love pumpkin bread. And, pumpkin muffins. And, pumpkin donuts. So, pretty much any baked good featuring pumpkin, now that I think about it. Just don't expect me to chase it down with a latte, that's all I'm saying.