Monday, November 24, 2025

The red carpet

 Sunday's chilly walk, down vest under coat, extra socks, because the cold penetrates when it's humid after overnight rain, rewarded me with a red carpet. I imagine the rain, as well as the freezing temps brought down the leaves, because they were lying where they fell. 



Full disclosure: I did bounce up the color in the third shot, because this is more like the reality. I don't adjust pictures usually, figuring it's already worth every penny you paid to get in.

Is everyone in the country having anxiety dreams? Saturday night was about being unable to lock an outer door. Interestingly, it wasn't about trying to get in, but about trying to keep people out. Boundaries. It made a change from being lost and it's getting dark and I'm on foot, anyway, so there's that.

I am really not in cooking mode just now, but Sunday's lunch was easy, spaghetti with butter and grated Parmesan on a bed of raw spinach and parsley. The greens wilted nicely when the hot pasta was added. Yogurt beaten with pure cane sugar and lime juice for dessert.

I'm thinking of making peanut butter oatmeal bars. In old age I'm developing a taste for peanut butter, at least the good kind I just got from Misfits. None of the dark metallic aftertaste I get from the famous labels. This is good. I even had a peanut butter and crushed blueberry sandwich Saturday night.

Bars doesn't count as cooking, more like assembling. So I think that will happen. It's breakfast food, which needs to be easy, I'm not in any kind of mood for work when I first get up and trudge glumly about.  It takes a while for me to accept the universe.

And trudging glumly results in darning 

These socks have darns already, in fact they're on the way to more darn than sock. Wabi sabi.  One minute there's a couple of thin places, then they come out of the laundry like this.  Ready for visible mending with contrasting colors.

Like this 


Done, ready to trudge.

Happy day everyone,  Misfits comes Monday because of the holiday, very small order, so it will be a small box I can use to carry the soft sculpture and stitched pieces I'm putting in the library display. Last year I did knitting and crochet, so this is a change. 







36 comments:

  1. What an amazing Red Carpet - beautiful

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  2. Some peanut butters do taste weird..adding oil, sugar, whatever else...
    All they need to do is roast, grind and add a very little salt for preservation ( you can get it without....just 100% nuts) but anything else is cheaper than just nuts....

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    1. I think there are shelf life additives and preservatives etc. I can't imagine they improve the taste. My current one's ingredient list reads organic roasted peanuts, seasalt. As you say, all that's needed.

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  3. That is quite a spectacular red carpet rolled out for you. I think my phone camera enhances colours. At times photos seem much more vivid than what I've seen.

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    1. Cameras are weird with reds. I think that part of the color spectrum baffles tgem.

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  4. What a beautiful gift of Japanese Maple carpet of leaves. Have a fun day with double darns under your trudges.

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    1. It was a treat to walk on, just like a carpet.

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  5. On needles and pins this week about Ukraine. I really loved your beautiful leafy carpet!

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    1. I trust zelenskyy to hold fast and not be maneuvered. He must be exhausted by now.
      The leaf carpet is your kind of painting subject.

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  6. Replies
    1. Gone now, wind and landscapers. So I'm lucky I walked that way, not my usual walk.

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  7. That is a gorgeous red carpet!
    Glad HS is not working on Thanksgiving this year.

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  8. The camera seldom sees the world exactly as our eyes do — and also our imaginations. I vary between trying to reveal what I saw and what I wished i had seen. And sometimes when the camera sees is fine too.

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    1. Yes, we insert a lot into what we're seeing. Always interesting to find what the camera recorded.

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  9. I love to walk through piles of leaves like that and we have a lot of them right now. I host Thanksgiving this week so I will be busy - groceries today, cleaning today and tomorrow, Wednesday cooking and setting up table, Thursday finish cooking and serve and clean up, and Friday - RELAX! ;)

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    1. It sounds as if you're up for it. I wish you and your family a peaceful and lovely time together.

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  10. Your statement of, "It takes a while for me to accept the universe," is interesting to me because I wake up raring to go. I even like Mondays because it's the start of a new week! But I also give up pretty much just every night -- I'm done in and can't believe I have to do it all again the next day. Because, well, I'm not all spunk. My courage runs out, of course. I'm curious about what it might mean to "accept the universe." Is it that it's all just too much first thing in the AM? Your poetic words are intriguing me.

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    1. I'm a later active person. I start my best ideas late afternoon and my spirits are higher and higher until I finally sleep about midnight. Then the morning is a different story, why do I have to get up, who would notice if I didn't (quite a few people, in fact, but facts don't enter in) and on until I've set up breakfast, got moving again, and things look more hopeful.

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  11. Oh, that beautiful red carpet of maple leaves! I don't bake with peanut butter very often but I do like it on hot toast with sliced bananas on top.

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    1. Now if my bananas arrive today, I may just be doing likewise.

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  12. I still have a childlike fondness for peanut butter. I thought I'd love cashew butter but surprisingly, no. Tahini is very good but peanut butter is the staple.
    I have anxiety dreams almost every night which often (mostly) leads to not accepting the universe for a period of time every morning. I call it my morning angst.

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    1. Yes, I thought you'd get my morning mood! I don't like tahini, too sweet and weird, and I've only used peanut butter in hummus, to sub for it up to now. Now maybe more use.

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  13. Interesting you should mention the dreaming. I know I must dream but I never have any memory of dreams. Lately I wake up disturbed, anxious and briefly recall something that was upsetting, wrong in a dream. Actually, a layer of dread likes to hover over me throughout the day. Naughty cats do distract me from this.

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    1. Cats are an antidote to dread. I think a lot of people in the US understand that feeling very well.

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  14. That is beautiful mending. I think the wool I use is too thick to mend what I'm mending, but I like the colours.
    Those leaves are beautiful. Everything here has turned brown and all of the snow, what little we had, has gone. It's the driest fall in 140 years. It's not good. I am glad I gave everything a good water in October.
    I spent the night sleeping with a six year old who is now too afraid to sleep alone which means he wants some part of his touching me all night long. His poppa and I are taking turns so that at least one of us with get some sleep.

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    1. I like the effect of visible mending. It's fun to wear.
      There's nothing more restless than an anxious six year old sleeping. They're so acrobatic.

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  15. The images of the leaves are brilliant. Great darning job. Peanut butter, I am always craving it.

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  16. I’m not IN the country and I’m also having anxiety dreams. The red carpet is lush! And I love those socks.

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    1. I hear you! I'm hard put to think of any place that isn't anxious right now.

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  17. The red leaves make a beautiful carpet. Leaves are starting to fall in my yard, but they're all brown and boring.

    Love,
    Janie

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  18. A red carpet, just for you, and no paparazzi in sight.
    I don't think I have anxiety dreams per se (mainly because I don't often remember my dreams at all) but I think the anxiety is likely translating into sleeplessness instead.

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