The weather here has been downright wintry the past couple of days. We’ve had snow flurries off and on all day. It has been very light, not enough to accumulate, but snow flurries in October??? Come on!

So as you can see by my change in themes, I’m trying to enjoy autumn in hopes that it will come back to stay for a while. I would prefer to have summer temperatures intermittently well into November like we did a couple of years ago, but I’ll take what I can get. So fall, I’m begging you. Please come back!!!

As much as I hate the changing of the weather to nice and warm to cold and, eventually, snowy, there’s no denying that fall in the mountains is beautiful. I need to get out and enjoy it while I can, before the leaves all fall off. They’re at their peak right about now, I think.

There is something about the crisp fall air and the bright colors that clears the mind and calms the spirit. I’ve got to quit hating on fall and start savoring the beauty that precedes the dreaded season that starts with W. That’s not to say if someone offered to pay for one of those fancy Outer Banks rentals for me I wouldn’t jump at it, but there’s plenty to enjoy right in my own backyard right now.

I’m going to try to get out and take some fall photos today or tomorrow, before we get the rain we’re supposed to be getting later this week. If I do, I’ll be sure to share them.

Fall isn’t officially here yet, but the signs are already abundant. The leaves are starting to turn here in the mountains even though the weather is still quite warm. Stores are putting all their sexy swimwear on clearance. And it’s starting to get dark earlier and earlier.

Autumn is quite lovely here. People come from miles away to see the patchwork of colored leaves here in the mountains. I’m looking forward to raking leaves and letting Pumpkin jump in them. And yet every year, I feel a twinge of sadness when fall arrives. Not because I dislike the season itself, but because I dread what comes after it.

We’ve also got a lot to do before cold weather sets in this year. We need to get our wood stove put in, and we need to get some wood and get it split. We also need to try to find an alternate heat source to use at night, and figure out how we will keep the pipes from freezing. And we will definitely have to stock up on rock salt, because sliding down the hill from our house to the road (or across it and down the very steep embankment on the other side) could be catastrophic.

I should really stop getting ahead of myself and enjoy the here and now. But I’ve never particularly liked winter, at least not since I got old enough to drive. And here in the mountains, it can be rather unpredictable.

It’s raining today. Rain is something that we really need right now. But the mud I could definitely do without.

I guess it’s due to the change in weather, but my foot has been very sore since I got up this morning. It was run over by a car when I was 16, and it bothers me off and on. It was, however, tolerable. But thanks to the mud outside my back door, it’s rapidly approaching intolerable.

Here’s the story: Our new Walker puppy was barking her head off, so I figured she was hungry. So I decided that would be a good time to feed her and the other puppy. I slid on my Born sandals that my mom gave me and got the dog food ready. Then I opened up the back door and stepped out, only to step right in a ginormous gob of mud. My foot went sliding, and I had to twist around to keep from falling and dropping the dog food and water. By the time I caught my balance, I was at Anna’s dog house.

My foot and sandal covered in mud, I went to put the food and water in her bowl. That’s when I realized that she probably wasn’t barking out of hunger. She was standing out in her lot, soaked from head to tail. The crazy thing had obviously been standing out in the rain when she had a nice, dry house to lay in. WTH???

Anyway, as soon as I reached for her bowl, she jumped up on my arm, covering it with mud as well. Lovely. I held my temper, filled her bowl, and set it in her dog house. And instead of going in to eat it, she stayed outside and stuck her head in. I just don’t get that dog.

When I started back toward the house, the pain set in. I could barely stand to put any weight on my foot. But I pressed on, removing my sandal so as not to track up the floor too badly, and went through the house to the front porch to feed the little one. He wasn’t out there, and I had to holler for him a couple of times. I don’t know where he was, but wherever it was he was dry as a bone. At least he’s smart enough to seek shelter.

I limped back in the house, washed my arm and foot, and went back to the kitchen to examine my sandal. I rinsed it off in the tub, but you can still see where the mud was. I hope it will survive, because that’s one of the most comfortable (not to mention expensive) pairs of sandals I own.

It’s supposed to rain all week here. So I guess I have lots more muddy adventures to look forward to.

It has been hot up here in the mountains for early June. Temperatures have been steadily in the eighties since the beginning of the month. It has been a little toasty in the house with no AC, but so far I’ve been able to live with it. But over the next week it’s supposed to cool down… according to the local weather website, quite a bit. See the notes for Thursday below:

High near zero, low near zero, huh? Well, if anyone out there is planning on coming to take advantage of this area’s fine golf courses, you might want to either come right now or put up your golf bags for another couple of weeks. And if that’s what they call pleasant, they’re seriously warped!

Today was a gorgeous day. Too bad I didn’t get to really enjoy it. Between nearly tearing my toe off and then getting one of those headaches that improved with medication but never really went away and left my head in a fog, I just didn’t feel up to doing much of anything.

I didn’t even get much work done. I did manage to get the work that was due today (but I had hoped to finish yesterday) done, but that’s about it. Oh well, at least I’m not behind.

According to the forecast, it’s going to be nice and warm for the next week. Surely between now and then I can get out and have some fun in the sun. I certainly wouldn’t turn down a chance to peruse Tuscany villa rentals, but when the weather is like this, I’m pretty content right up here in the lovely North Carolina mountains.

As crazy as the weather has been around here lately, I was beginning to wonder whether we were ever going to see any springlike conditions this year. But I just looked at the weather forecast, and it’s looking mighty nice for the next week.

Today is sunny, but a little on the chilly side and very windy. Tomorrow they’re calling for rain, but the rest of the week is sunny skies all the way. The temps are still going to be a little cooler than normal, but I’ll take what I can get.

The weekend is supposed to be a little warmer. I hope it all pans out like they’re saying this time. If so, you’d better believe that I’ll be taking another weekend off and having some fun. This could become a habit… but that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

You’ve heard the expression “April showers bring May flowers,” right? Well around here, this year at least, April showers have brought… more showers in May.

Today is a day that wouldn’t seem out of place in November, if it weren’t for the flowers on the ground and the leaves in the trees. It’s about 1:30 pm, and the temperature is a blistering 44 degrees. That’s right, I said 44 degrees!

It has been very windy, and of course there has been more rain. And the forecast is calling for even more rain, almost every day this week. I’m trying to remain optimistic about it, because at least we’re not getting the dreadful drought conditions that we had last summer. But seeing gloomy skies day after day is rather depressing, and it puts a damper on getting things done outside that we need to get done.

I keep telling myself that it’s a good thing we’re not getting the hard frosts we had in May a few years ago. But I’m yearning for some nice, warm sunshine!

I had to break down and wash some clothes today. Hubby is out of work pants, so I didn’t have much choice in the matter. So I looked up the weather to see if I would be able to hang them out on the line.

It said that we would get rain, but not until late this afternoon. That brought a smile to my face, because we still don’t have the dryer hooked up. I’d much rather hang stuff out than go to the laundromat. In fact, I’d just about rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp object repeatedly than go there. A few years ago I did it all the time, but now I guess I’m spoiled.

So I got a basket of clothes together and trotted off to the basement. The sky wasn’t all bright and shiny, but it didn’t look like there was eminent danger of precipitation. I confidently put the clothes in to wash and got back to work.

Once they had had time to wash, I grabbed my clothespins and headed out the door to get them. And what was I greeted with? Raindrops.

It wasn’t a hard rain, and I think it’s over with now. But I’m afraid to hang the stuff up on the line. The wind is pretty fierce today too, so it’s quite possible that they could get blown away.

I’m thinking about laying the stuff out on the porch railings. If it rains the moisture in the air won’t let them get dry, but at least the roof will keep them from getting much wetter. Unless the wind blows the rain in on them.

(In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m grasping at straws here. I really, really, really do not want to go to the laundromat today.)

You couldn’t tell it by the weather around here, but spring will be here soon. I can’t wait.

Actually we have had a few springlike days lately, although the weather has been mostly chilly. And strangely enough, I’ve already seen some bees, and Hubby pointed out a bird’s nest to me today. Pumpkin even saw a butterfly late last week. After all that, I’ve got spring fever.

My mom’s birthday is at the beginning of spring, so I’ve got that to think about as well. Hopefully I’ll have the money to get her something nice. Maybe I’ll get her some of her favorite perfume, or some pretty religious jewelry. She would be thrilled with both of those.

I just hope the weather is nice this spring. Most of the time it’s pretty wild here in the mountains. I can remember several times when we haven’t gotten any big snows all winter, then after spring got here we got a foot or more.