A couple weeks ago, when my mother-in-law was here, it was gloomy. Cloudy, overcast, cold, grey, just plain rotten weather. But I wasn't too worried about it; when fall hits here in Seattle, it hits you with a whammy.
Besides, I don't mind cool weather in September. July... well, that's another matter.
My poor MIL was miserable, though. You can't really blame her. She came from sunny and hot Tucson, AZ, into cold and gloom. She about froze her tuckus off the whole time she was here.
And her great-nephew didn't get the memo that it's COLD in Seattle and only brought flip-flops and shorts with him. My MIL also wore open-toed sandals the whole time she was here. I guess they didn't believe me when I told them the high for the day was 58°.
But now.... now, it's lovely. And I almost, almost wish my MIL could come back. It's sunny and clear, the clouds are puffy and white, and the sky is the most amazing Maxfield Parrish blue. The gentle breeze keeps things from getting too warm; it has yet to break 80°. That same breeze holds the promise of autumn. You can just smell the change of the seasons in the air. That has got to be one of my favorite scents in the world, the end of summer fading into fall.
I wish I could share it all with y'all.
I have good news to report from my day of futility yesterday. I was doing something last night when I went to feel in my back pocket for some reason, and there I found three dollar bills! Yahooo!! I am rich! Okay, not really -- but hey, finding $3 is pretty cool. That's a latte right there.
And no, I do not patronize Starbucks. Yuck.
The bills were all crunchy like new bills, only they were folded. I must have washed them. I don't even remember putting $3 in my back pocket because I always put my folding money into a hot pink baby sock with monkeys printed on it that's made into a change purse, something I bought at Hallmark. I'm sure glad I found the money, though -- I was about to pack away most of my summer clothes, which include the crop pants I was wearing at the time!
For dinner tonight -- white chili soup. It's a crockpot thing, which is why it's already going. Some people are surprised that I still cook from scratch even when it's just me and Grace. Part of it is because it tastes way better than any frozen meal I can buy, and the other part of it is because I live so far out in the boonies that calling for a pizza is difficult and for Chinese, impossible. If I lived in Norfolk, I'd either be getting Chinese or Zero's Subs every night... and my butt would be so big I couldn't get it in the front door!
But the white chili soup isn't all that white. You're supposed to use Great Northern beans or other white beans, but all I had were two cans of red kidney beans and a can of pinto beans. That's okay -- there's plenty of cumin in the soup which will make up for any deficiencies on my part.
Yum yum.
Any of y'all wanna come over for dinner?? *wink*