Fall colors are quickly fading this week with only the stubborn oaks still holding on to their rusted leaves. Last night I turned the heat on for the first time this season because I was tired of fighting the urge to wear a fleece blanket as clothing. With that, here are some things I’ve liked, read, or done this week:
Moody fall reading: About a year ago, Peter and I listened our way through the whole Sherlock Holmes canon (including all the novels and short stories). Fall is a great time of year to listen to the Sherlock Holmes’ novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. We listened to a free audiobook version on Librovox by Bob Neufield, one of our favorite volunteer readers. (Yes, we’ve listened to enough Librovox audiobooks to have a favorite reader. Even I’m surprised.)
Fall getaway: Once a year (or so), my mom and I go to a bed and breakfast for a mother/daughter weekend. More often than not we’ve stayed at the St. Croix River Inn in Osceola, Wisconsin. Osceola is a tiny river-bluff town with a great antiques store and an old-fashioned main street. Last weekend was cold and drizzly which was ideal inn weather. Nonetheless, if you live in the area, I’d recommend a trip any time of year.
Cold-weather crafting: One objective for our mother/daughter weekend? Learning to crochet a granny square. Thanks to my mom and a YouTube video, I think I’ve mastered the basic pattern.
Another butternut squash recipe: It’s possible I’ve eaten too much butternut squash this season. There are still two on my kitchen counter, however, so one of them will likely end up in this recipe: Giada’s Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese.
A moving documentary: This past weekend, I saw the documentary Alive Inside that follows social worker Dan Cohen as he tries to bring a music therapy program to dementia patients in nursing homes. Cohen’s team makes personal playlists for the residents and provides them with iPods. The effects are powerful, enough that I’d now like to volunteer with the program myself. The documentary is currently on Netflix but you can also click here to learn more about it.
