Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: October 2013

A photo of me:

Following a lot of eating over the course of four days. I felt about as round as Spaceship Earth in the background.

1) Candle scents* this month:
Shortbread Cookie. Lake Sunset. Black Cherry. Sparkling Cinnamon. Storm Watch. Summer Scoop. Oceanside. Harvest. Red Apple Wreath.

2) What I am reading this month (you can find me on Goodreads!):
The first thing I did was finish off the last few pages of That Old Cape Magic (Richard Russo). I think my review on Goodreads sums it up quite well, so I'll just stick with that: I really wanted to like this more but, good grief, was this a slow book that never seemed to know where it wanted to go. Or maybe it did, but I just couldn't make myself care. It wasn't unreadable. It was mostly just kind of dull, except for a few, brief moments. I'll probably skip reading more Richard Russo. One Book in the Grave (Kate Carlisle) - Every time I pick up another book in this series, I'm reminded just how much I enjoy it. This was no exception. The characters make me laugh out loud (which I try to stifle, since one of my two prescribed reading times each day is in bed with my sleeping husband next to me) and the deeper into the book I get, the more my heart races, and then I feel this urge to turn the pages faster in response. Already looking forward to the next book. Plain Truth (Jodi Picoult) - This was the first time I'd read anything by this author, and while I was eagerly anticipating this book, my experience with a new-to-me author and a book I was excited to start, I was a bit hesitant, hoping I wouldn't again be disappointed. I didn't need to worry. This one was quite the page-turner. There was good suspense, well-developed characters, and I felt like I got a crash course in Amish culture to boot. I immediately added more of Picoult's books to my "to read" shelf as soon as I finished the final page. Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Joanne Fluke) - I do really like the somewhat cheesy nature of this series. It's fun and light and sometimes it's just what I need. Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Stanley Weintraub) - I'm working my way through this one. It's been a bit slow going, more due to distractions and plans than the actual content.

3) Three things on my mind:
1. Bitterness does no one any favors. Not the one wearing it and not the one witnessing it.
2. I've discovered that I have a love/hate thing going on with gallery walls. On the one hand, I love that you can fill a larger wall space with many smaller pieces. On the other, gosh, that's a lot of visual clutter. I think I prefer them with a little more structure and maybe identical frames. Maybe.
3. The Red Sox won the World Series. It's still sinking in that this is real and not a dream. (Hence, no exclamation points.)

4) Movies I saw:
Baseball season is still going. Specifically Red Sox baseball. No way some movie trumps that.

5) Calendar image for the month:
I really like this one. Possibly enough to pull it out of the calendar after 2013 concludes and find a frame for it, so it can be added to the wall I eventually want to do in the den.

So...we went from scorching and parched to damp and bone-chilling? What gives, calendar? Also, I would like Mother Nature to comply, but so far, no dice.


6) New recipe tried this month:
This month had a houseguest and many many trips to Food and Wine Fest. We kept things pretty familiar in the kitchen.

7) Restaurants where I ate:
Food and Wine Fest was my restaurant.

8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Even though the temperatures aren't showing much sign of yielding to cooler trends, there has been a hint less humidity and a breath of breeze. Even a week where it was comfortable enough to shut off the air conditioner and open some windows. Every little bit helps.
2. October baseball. I cannot take it for granted. Not after the way things went down for the Red Sox in 2011 and 2012 -- great lessons for a fan in a) humility and b) gratitude. What a treat this entire season has been.
3. First houseguest! My mother came to visit for a week. I made a four-day weekend of it and we hit up Disney for some magic and some Food and Wine Fest. And somewhere in the vicinity of 29 miles walked in those four days.
4. Three trips on Big Thunder Mountain and five spins around Test Track. That never stops being fun!
5. Having two DVRs. Makes navigating MLB playoffs, regular season NFL games, and every show I watch in new episode mode a little less tricky.

9) Three goals I had this month and three goals for next month:
1. October and November issues of magazines perused. At this point, I'll settle for being current and tackling The Stack after that. (Fail, fail, fail. I finished October's issues and that was it. Poo.)
2. Get the guest room ready for its inaugural occupant and get a few more mums planted to fill out the flower garden. (This was, admittedly, a higher priority. Not sure my mother would have appreciated "Sorry there's no comfy room for you to stay in while you visit, but look! I finished this pile of magazines!)
3. Keep looking for the elusive lamp that I like for the living room that come with a side of sticker shock. (Nothing. To my credit, I *have* looked. Either I don't like it or I won't spend that much. Decorating is not an exercise in instant gratification.)

1. No more excuses. None. November and December issues *will* be tackled, plus one month from The Stack.
2. Start making my various Christmas lists. It will be here before I know it and I hate feeling rushed.
3. Switch out the Halloween for more autumnal decor.

10) Something I learned:
It is incredibly humbling to learn that you prioritized a particular relationship far higher than the other person in said relationship. But humbling is not a bad thing. Life lessons are necessary. I choose to learn from them, not be defined by them.

11) The best part of this month and the worst part of this month:
The best: In a month with a lot of good from which to choose, it *has to be the Red Sox World Series win!
The worst: Absolutely no real down time in October. I felt like I was always either going or doing, and if I wasn't going or doing, I was not getting enough sleep, because no way was I missing a minute of playoff Red Sox! By the end of the month, I was exhausted.

12) A photo I took this month:
How about me make it two this time? Mostly because I can't decide which I like better.



*All scents are Yankee Candle, unless otherwise noted.