The Blue Lady Travels in the Red Lands: She makes a Plan for a Road Trip

We had a long and glorious autumn this year.
This scene is driving up Cedar Canyon in southern Utah.
The colors were just shimmering which the photo can't show.

In early October I took my first big retirment trip. I took a road trip through northern Arizona, north western New Mexico and southern Utah that lasted 12 days. If I had just been moving the whole time, I probably would not have taken 12 days, but the kernal that began the trip was an accreditation site visit at the College of Nursing at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

The Blue Lady Travels in the Red Lands: Nowhere Special. She Always Wanted to Go There

A road to Nowhere Special

No doubt every part of the country has plenty of Nowhere Special places. I know the intermountain west is riddled with ghost towns, micro-towns, failed towns and all kinds of other places like that. A couple of days before I left the Hills the autumn weather was just perfect. I decided to just get in the car and drive in the Black Hills along some roads I never or seldom take to see a couple of Nowhere Specials.

Quick Notes about Being Retired ..... Comfort is Queen

Smokey Rose helps me knit non-fashionable things

Did you happen to hear the NPR interview with Tim Gunn or maybe read the newspaper article on which it was based? It's all about how the fashion industry has abandoned plus sized women, which Mr. Gunn called disgraceful. Thank you, Mr. Gunn for saying it so eloquently.

I do recognize that whether I want it or not, the fashion industry does effect my clothing life in many ways. Like how the Meryl Streep character explained in the film "The Devil Wears Prada"..... for example, I can only buy certain colors at any given time because the powers that be have decided something or another about colors.

Ok, ok, I'm Back

One of the last roses of the year at Red Butte Garden

 As you can see, I disappeared from the internet for a while. I'm feeling a bit guilty about this, but every time I think that I must DO something about that, I get this paralyzing feeling that says "like what?"

Well write, I suppose. But write about what? I've kind of run out of ideas, or don't know how to say what I might want to say. I guess that might be "writer's block."

Red Butte Garden Now

Fall 2013

I haven't put up many pictures of Red Butte this season. One reason is that I found that this years' pictures are a lot like last years' One rose alone IS a lot like any other rose pictured alone, after all.

Red Butte Garden, End of October

I have finished with my volunteer gardening for the year at Red Butte. My gardening clothes are washed and put away. My tool bag is stashed in the back of the car. I threw away a hopeless pair of garden gloves. I won't be back doing any horticulture work until March or April next year. Much as I love doing this work, I'm ready to stop for the year. I think they will have a few extra days where volunteers can work next week, if the weather holds, but it's getting to be so cold in the mornings now, it's not that much fun anymore for me.

Over 100,000 bulbs have been planted this year. I did a few. The last few days we've just been cutting back and digging up. many of the gardens are looking rather bare now.

I am amazed at how many of the roses are still looking grand.

We have plenty of fall color now. It's probably at the height, or just a bit over.

Here's the view in the four seasons garden now. We chopped down all the grasses last week so there would be plenty of room for the spring bulbs.

Pretty leaves are everywhere.

So here are just some more pictures of fall colors.

It's hard to stop taking pictures.

I have plenty more.

But maybe I'll quit here.

Time to go see the garden before winter really sets in.

October, the best month

I think October is just the best. I love the fall colors.

I love the temperatures, cool in the mornings and evenings, cold at night for sleeping, but pretty nice during the daytime.

It doesn't rain or snow much in October. The sky is usually bright blue.

I don't have many autumn decorations for my home, but I have a few things, and I enjoy doing a little bit of fall decorating.

It's time to get out the crock pot to make soups and stews. I'll do some baking too...carrot cake for our potluck at work, birthday cake for our knitting group party, something to bring to another potluck next week.

Plenty of knitting to do.

This year I decided to make a sweater. It will take me awhile, but perhaps I can finish it by January.

And naps in October are just the right thing to do in the late afternoon.

What's not to love about October?