A Faint Crispness in the Air

 This morning, there was a chill in the air as Bella and I walked our two mile circuit around the neighborhood.  Leaves are beginning to pool around the trunks of trees, and the lightning bugs are losing their enthusiasm.
  Squirrels are starting to think about the future, stashing the big tennis ball-looking black walnuts around my back yard, though not efficiently enough for my liking.  I still hit them with the lawn mower occasionally.
  My boss bought many, many bushels of windfall apples from a local farmer, and has been trying to keep up with them by making apple butter.  This morning, she threw in the proverbial towel and asked me to make apple upside down cakes and apple toaster tarts for the weekend.  Maybe I'll make apple-walnut scones for the farmers' market, too.
  It's been a lovely summer, not too hot until recently, and plenty of rain to keep the flowers blooming, but fall is wonderful around this part of the country, and I'm ready for it.

I began the new color of Lee's Surrender, a traditional blue.  After this one, I'd like to add a little red to the next, but I'm enjoying watching the blue creep up the pattern.  I got through the border this week, and have two center repeats done.  I was wondering about Lee and Grant as I wove this week, and wondered if it would be appropriate to weave a gray coverlet?  Still undecided about that one, but I was embarrassed to ask the southerners in the room who wore which color.  They've let me stay, but made it clear I need to do more research into the Civil War.
  Tomorrow, I begin a new adventure, working part time at the Museum of Appalachia, making the desserts for their cafe.  Come by for lunch and give them a try!
Maggie