Pleasant and mild

The waning days of October have afforded the Northeast a lovely day of Indian Summer. Albeit one day, but I'm not complaining. Come tomorrow when it is considerably cooler, I'll have happy memories of today's gentle weather to placate my shivers.

I recently found an orange hat to match my orange flats. Sweet!
Hat, dress, and shoes: H&M; Tights: Hue; Necklace: gift from Raquel

The ladybugs were out enjoying the warmth as well. And in full force. I watched this particular little one crawl all over the name plaque on the side of the house. Then I proceeded to shoo a few off my dress and tights.

P.S. I uploaded these photos with the 'large' setting (as opposed to the usual 'medium'). I don't know why I never tried this out before now. Looks better, no?

Country roads take me home

"I sometimes think that the other months were constituted mainly as a fitting interlude between Octobers." - Aldo Leopold, from A Sand County Almanac

The quiet country road that our family home is nestled on is perfect for taking walks. After enduring a pre-winter onslaught of unseasonably cold weather, the sun finally began warming my little neck of the woods to temperatures that don't result in chattering teeth, and so, I slipped on my sneakers and skipped out the door. Today's walk took me where it always does - up the hill where I stop and wander before making my descent back down. My senses took account of the abundant details of the season from the rustling wind through the lattice of intertwined tree branches to the earthen, woodsy smell of dead leaves and fallen crab apples. My presence frightened a small chipmunk whose pitter-patter through the crinkled leaves made me chuckle. I never tire of this walk and always return home recharged, refreshed, and rejuvenated.

♥ "There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October." ♥
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Wallet-friendly Wednesday

I love thrift shopping on Wednesdays. Well, thrift shopping at the Salvation Army that is. Wednesdays are delegated as "Family Day" with mostly everything ringing up at 50% off. Would you believe that I paid a dollar apiece for those darling sweaters pictured above? Believe it! My heart went a-flutter when I laid eyes on the short-sleeve purple sweater and I knew then and there it had to be mine. You see, several years ago I thrifted a very similar sweater made of a bold, borderline electric blue yarn that I ultimately ended up giving away. I've been missing it lately and now have finally found a more than adequate replacement. Let's move on to the cardigan. Oh, the cardigan with its sweet little collar and gorgeous green-blue color. Ladies and gentlemen, I am in love. It fits like a dream, too.

Have you come across any great thrifted surprises lately?

If this particular Wednesday couldn't get any better, I ensured that it did by sipping a pumpkin spice latte and listening to Grizzly Bear on my drive home. Thrifting + coffee + Grizzly Bear = an all around happy day. On a whim, I did a search on YouTube this afternoon and found a clip of Grizzly Bear's performance of "Knife" from when I saw them live a few years ago. It was a great show.

Coin-operated rainy days

Bleak and cold are appropriate adjectives to describe this day. Wind chills have seemingly dipped the temperature to a raw 39F. The remaining golden and rust hued leaves cling stubbornly to their branches and the air smells like the on-set of snow. Snow. I am not ready for it quite yet, but I have a funny feeling there will be some on the ground come morning. Here's hoping that I'm wrong.

When the weather is as uncooperative as it is today, I find it best to remain indoors preferably with a book and a cup of hot tea. Unfortunately, days like these also force one into doing certain chores that otherwise go ignored. Take for example: going to the laundromat.




And so, I made my way downtown, claimed "my" washing machine and "my" bench, and set my imagination forth with a preoccupying paperback.

Tell me, what do you like to do on rainy days?

Mystery film revealed

A few months ago I happened across a roll of film that I had forgotten about and subsequently dubbed it "mystery film." Upon receiving said mystery film back from the developing center, I quickly remembered that the photos were taken during springtime of last year. Let me share with you some of the surprises I pulled out from within the cardboard sleeve.

Camera: Nikon FM 10
Film: Fujicolor Superia X-tra 400
Click photos for an enlarged view

Poetic placidity

Yesterday a friend and I ventured into Albany for a film and Lebanese take-out (mm, baba ghannouj). This particular friend and I make an effort to visit our favorite local independent theatre as often as possible -- to escape, however briefly, into the captivating world of motion pictures where our minds journey with the characters on screen and our heart-strings get tugged at a little (or a lot). It had been a while since any one film dropped its anchor in my core and stayed there until the credits ended. It had been a while since any one film held my eyes wide and attuned my ears to my heart. "Bright Star" was just that film.

A Thing of Beauty

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkn'd ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
-John Keats, 1818, from Endymion

Photo source

'I' is for instant

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a Polaroid camera at a yard sale. Immediately overjoyed, I handed over my dollars without hesitation. I'd had it in the back of my mind for quite sometime (read years) to actively seek one out at a yard sale, a thrift store, or on eBay, but I have a terrible tendency to put things off. Needless to say, I couldn't resist this piece of yellow plastic photo-taking finery when it was staring me in the face.

Much to my surprise, a few photos were still waiting to be taken. The film inside was a bit expired, but I like the character it added to my snapshots. For me, at least, it gives them an extra artistic aura for the eyes to gaze at and admire -- as if helping to tell a story.