"Aprils have never meant that much to me, autumn seems that season of beginning, spring."
~Truman Capote
Breakfast at Tiffany's
I agree. By the way, autumn began yesterday, but today is the first full day of autumn. And I kinda like that. It's like having to first days of autumn.
If you've known me very long, then you know that Practical Magic both the book and the movie, have been favorites of mine for years! This year they are a little more special to me, I am going to see, Practical Magic 2 today, the first day of autumn, as a a little treat to myself. Practical Magic 2 came out a couple weeks ago, but I saved it especially for today, as a little treat to myself. I will tell you all about it later in the week. You already know about the original film, released in 1998, but if you don't go watch it. It's a really great movie to get lost in. It's worth your time. A little romance, a little supernatural thriller, and all about women and the magical powers we all hold and bring us together. A story about sisterhood and so much more! Including a nifty soundtrack my Alan Silvestri. One of my favorite movie composers of all time! So, have you seen Practical Magic 2 yet? Have you seen either movie yet?
"Curses only have power when you believe in them. I don't.
"No spring nor summer have such grace, as I have seen in one autumnal face."
~John Donne
The Autumnal
John Donne: The Complete Poetry And Prose
This is the very first, Autumn Leaf Of The Day, I hope there will be a lot more to come, but this has been a brutal summer, filled with very hot weather, and we are facing drought conditions, yet again. Finding leaves might be difficult to find, but you know I will try. We are also facing El Nino conditions later in the seasons, but rain has never worried me much, and fog doesn't either! So, we will see what we see, and if worse comes to worse, maybe instead of individual leaves, I will post autumnal landscapes. It will all work itself out.
"But when fall comes, kicking summer out in it's treacherous ass, as it always does one day sometime before the mid point of September, it stays a while like an old friend that you have missed."
~Stephen King
Salam's Lot
Finally... autumn is here. Leaf peeping, warm sweaters, rain, long trips to new towns and visits to museums. Monster cakelets and homemade cinnamon pecans. Halloween, my witches parasol, American Horror Story, and spiced cider. All the things I love about Autumn, and more!
Today is the Equinox. Take time to appreciate the first day of autumn!
What activity will you do?
My next post will be the very first, Autumn Leaf Of The Day, for 2026!
"The greatest artist and web-designer ever, is indeed a spider!!"
~Munia Kahn
With summer on it's way out the seasonal door, I would be remiss if I didn't mention one of my favorite parts of this time of year, the amazing summer webs! I will continue to look for webs throughout autumn, but there is just something about the webs spun in summer that speaks to me. I just wish I could have seen the spider, or spiders, who built this intricate arachnid condominium.
"No matter how I spun it, my life became a lazy Susan of shit sandwiches."
~Jennifer Welch
Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches:
Advice, Inspiration And Laughter From The, I've Had It Podcasts
This cute sandwich is anything other than a shit sandwich! Oh my, Panera Bread, you are my weakness... well actually... you were my weakness. Alas, I can no longer afford you, but with a little creativity, we don't have to necessarily give up on each other. It's not like I don't understand why everything has gotten unbelievably expensive, I know why... you know... why... but what's a girl to do? There is no fixing it. So, thank you Food.com., for providing me with this hack, it's greatly appreciated! I love Panini sandwiches and, as a matter of fact, I own my own panini press, and I don't use it enough! So this is on my list of Paninis to make the autumn, as we make our way throughout football season! Try sourdough pizza paninis sometime, they will rock your world! But this little sandwich sounded good that it will be my next delish kitchen science experiment!
What says, it's the last days of summer. quite like finding a gorgeous, Great Egret, sitting in a tree, waiting for a dragonfly to hop into it's mouth.
"I'm very sorry to see you here Mademoiselle Forgive me for saying, but you're embarking on hazardous journey in troubled waters.
You face who knows what currents of misfortune."
~Hercule Poirot ( Peter Ustinov )
Death On The Nile
By, Agatha Christie
Elegant clothing, beautiful music, romance and murder set against the beauty of the Nile! What's not to love in this movie? And if that wasn't enough, the cast is fabulous! Peter Ustinov, Mia Farrow, Lois Chiles, Jane Birkin, Maggie Smith, Bette Davis, Olivia Hussey David Niven, Angela Lansbury, Jack Warden, and Sam Wanamaker, make up the perfect cast! I know, I know, there was a recent remake of the Agatha Christie novel, in 2022, but you know me, I love the movies from the 70's, the last of the truly elegant films, and so, this is my favorite! Oh my, the clothing... every attention to the elegance of the 1930's Art Deco era, my favorite! If you haven't seen this version of, Death On The Nile, be sure to catch it! It's available right now on Prime. It's perfect for a Saturday afternoon, when you just need to not know anything exists, except for the gem of a movie!
My favorite scene from the movie...
Be sure to keep a lookout for a silly goof early in the film. It's so funny!
I dunno... just feeling music today I guess. Well, music and football. When I'm not listening to music today, I will be watching football. It's a very good day!
"The only thing that will make a souffle fall, is if it knows you're afraid of it."
~James Beard
As we get ever closer to the magic day of, September 21st, I find my body not just hinting, or suggesting, the need for comfort food, it's screaming that message loud and clear! So, how about souffles this weekend? And as I have been missing my fruits and veggies of late, how about we start with a nice Zucchini souffle? And for a side, there's this lovely sounding salad. I LOVE Cara Cara oranges, but be sure to quality check them before buying, they tend to dry out faster than navel oranges. I am not sure if that has just been my experience, or if that is a universal truth, but just check.
Citrus Salad With Fennel And Olives - NYT - Recipe
Okay, that's it.
Go cook.
If you make these recipes, let me know how you like them.
One thing is certainly true about Tom Cruise, he makes big screen movies. I didn't get a chance to see this movie in a theater during it's original run, only on the big screen TV almost 10 years after it's release, but I am sure it was spectacular to see, because even on my 32 inch tv, it was amazing! This is one of my favorite Steven Spielberg films, but I should also say, this might just be my favorite Tom Cruise movie. The trouble with that last statement is that I keep going back and forth about just which Tom Cruise film is my actual favorite! The man has made some excellent career choices when it comes to his films. Although, two of his best films are barely mentioned in passing, at least as far as I can tell, Magnolia, and Collateral. Anyway this version of the, War Of The Worlds, differs from the original 1952 version, as you might imagine, because of, well, special effects, obviously, but otherwise it is much more disturbing. Tim Robbins as Harlin Ogilvy, is noting short of nightmarish! He is a man who has broken from reality, but in his shoes, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have fared much better, and that's the haunting reality! Want a little bit of Halloween chills early? This movie is a pretty good start!
Are we ready to absorb the movies message yet? Probably not.
"The list total isn't important. The birds themselves are important. So the list is just a frivolous incentive for birding, but the birding itself is worthwhile."
~Kenny Kaufman
Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year In The Life Of An Extreme Birder
This pic is from my last outing with the camera. I took it on August 29th. I am still not finding that many birds, it's been a difficult year, with the car and the overwhelming heat of the summer, but the Pacific Flyway is about to open, and I have a lot of hope that next year will be different. Although, I am a little concerned about finding my Sandhill Cranes over Woodbridge. They usually show up around the middle of September, but it looks like their numbers in California are quite low, at least among the banded ones. I am really looking forward to seeing them, I sure hope this won't be another disappointing year. I really need the connection to nature.
It's the first weekend in September, which means it is Labor Day weekend, the last official holiday weekend of summer, 2026! So, lets end summer on a delicious note, shall we? It's been a strange summer, as food goes, but it's time to put all the gloom and doom aside, and take a bite of some amazing recipes. I hope you will enjoy the recipes I have come up with! They sound amazing to me.
"Keep your face to the sun and you cannot see the shadows. That's what sunflowers do."
~Helen Keller
Summer is almost gone, but there are still some sunflowers lining Woodbridge road. Funny thing, it's sights like this that have made me come to mourn summer parting, maybe just a little bit.
