i thought about buying a pumpkin

I did. I thought about it several times. Because it is, after all, that pumpkin-buying time of year, and a pumpkin or two would look oh-so-cute on my porch. (Plus, tasteful seasonal displays are good for neighborhood morale and crap like that.)

I thought about it, but I hadn't done it yet. This is one of those times when my deep-seated spiritual belief in procrastination pays off, because today, the skies parted and a load of free pumpkins was offered to me. As in, a trunk-load:



I LOVE IT when procrastination pays off! (As opposed to when it leaves me cursing my own foolishness at 4:30 am, when I find myself crouched over test notes and sipping coffee and longing for my comfy bed.)

So I and my trunk full of goodies are headed home to transform the porch from what is, I think, a cute little porch, to what I'm certain shall soon be an admirable display of fall goodness and bounty.

Or something like that.

Oh yeah, be sure to enjoy this delightful sunny weather we're having, before the monsoon rains set in again!

rainy days = shopping trips

Has it been over a week since my first post? My, this doesn't bode well for my blog continuity record... but since I'm well aware (as aware as no other, in fact) of my current numerous time commitments, I'm going to let myself off the hook.

This has been a rainy summer and an even rainier fall. A couple of days ago I had the time and the inclination to go out and do some yard work, but I opened the back door only to discover that it was rather wet out, and actively becoming wetter.



Well, rats. Nothing can put a damper on the gardening urge like a cold drizzle. A warm drizzle, I might still go out and work in, but a wet one? Nu-uh. So Max and I pondered the situation for a bit.







It seemed like the rain was here to stay, so I put my time to good use by going thrift-store shopping. I had recently been invited to a weekend costume party, and could pull together a costume mostly out of what was in my closet, but I needed just one more item to make what I had in mind work. So I walked into the Goodwill on Highland repeating like a mantra to myself "black skirt, black skirt, black skirt..."

And instantly my eyes fell upon, not a black skirt, but something far better:



*sharp intake of breath* There they were, just sitting there innocently on top of the clothes rack... I loved them, but would they fit? Yep! They did! At least, close enough for government work.

Then I sternly moved myself on to the black skirts, and a few moments later had my arms full of more than a dozen that I thought might work. I managed to try on about 3 before the employees started blinking the lights at me, and i did manage to find the perfect skirt to go with the costume in my mind. I also found this little number:


(aw, what a shame you can't see the thin white pinstripes running through it)

I tried it on again at home, just for fun, before I needed to get ready for a dinner out with girlfriends, and it was amazingly comfortable... so comfortable I didn't want to take it off. So I scrapped my plans to wear jeans, and built an outfit around the skirt instead.

to blog or not to blog... that, my dears, is the question.

So I'm considering starting a blog. Strangely, perhaps, is that this is one of the reasons: I live in Memphis, TN, surely one of the most-maligned-by-its-own-citizens cities that there can be. And that, I think, just isn't fair. Memphis has quite an interesting history, has produced more than its fair share of notable persons, and currently has a lot of great things going for it (not the least of which is that we're about to get a new mayor for the first time in 18 long, strange years - all ye haters out there, rejoice!).

Memphis has its problems, certainly (for instance, I sure look over my shoulder when I walk around at night), but it has a lot of great things going for it, as well. And there are a lot of good people out there, working hard to do good things for our city. I admire those individuals and organizations who are attempting to highlight the good stuff here, including Something Good in Memphis.

So, how could I help? How could I do something positive for my hometown?

Get involved in politics? Nah. Not my bag.

Join one of the fine leadership organizations or business do-hickeys?Eh... I'm not very business-y. I wouldn't have much to add.

But what do i know something about? Gardening. It's what i do. It's what i love. It's what i fantasize about during roadtrips, commercial breaks or forced conversations with dull people. It's something small that I can do, that anyone can do, that can actually, in a minute way, make the world a better place. That can make Memphis a better place. I garden already, so why not blog about it? And while I'm here, why not blog about the other things that make Memphis a place worth living, too? The things I personally love: the good food, the warm people, the fun art walks and quirky neighborhoods?

Hmm. Why not.