Fall At Home

The light is changing, the leaves are changing, and the cats have returned from a summer of hunting outdoors to sleep by the heater. While we are still waiting for that first truly bone-chilling breeze (it usually shows up the week of Halloween here in Northern California), things have definitely shifted. Soup suddenly seems interesting again, as do jackets. I am glad that my hair is finally growing longer (it was a struggle for a while to get it past a certain point, but I seem to be having a victory with hot oil treatments and biotin supplements) cause it is so nice to use it as a "scarf" on the back of my neck! The only thing I need now is some arm/wrist warmers.

This is also the time of year when we talk about moving house. We even made a list (with the help of my good friend Tomi) about "what we are looking for in a rental".... but I haven't even looked in the paper once! For those of you who don't know, our place is tiny, uninsulated, kind of falling apart, impossible to clean, on the shady side of the street, and on a steep road that is treacherous in winter. It also is private, cheap, surrounded by awesome (read: hippies and party people) neighbors, and no one minds that we practice up to several times a week in our (non-sound-proofed) living room. In fact, the neighbors tell us "we love your music!", which definitely makes them our biggest local fans.

Being warm is a big motivator, especially since I am one of those people who gets cold easily... so, we'll see. Meanwhile, it's a sweet little shack to call Home.

A troll takes over drum duties:

Our music practice space is also where I do my uploading, so band notes often end up on top of the stack of incoming items to the shop. By the way "Fire In Cairo" got tabled, but we are working on "A Forest" for an all-gothic/spooky covers set that the Shamrocks are playing this Halloween.

We keep winning stuffed animals when we play Skee-Ball at Circus Circus in Reno. I guess I could say "no", but I just can't resist the idea of a Prize! The Misha Bear, however, belongs to my Dad. This bear is a total oddity in that it was the mascot of the 1980s Olympic Games in former Russia, which the U.S. boycotted because the Cold War was at its height. Ha! (Note the list of Things We Want In a Rental tucked into the frame of the painting.)

Last rays of sunlight on top of the propane heater. This is supposed to keep our place warm, but it is hardly up to the job. When it gets cold, we supplement with up to three electric heaters, and we wall off the area under the loft with three-layer thick wool blanket curtain to retain the warmth. Just writing that makes it all sound a little hobo-ish.... and I guess it is! During the summer the heater becomes the repository for "neat things that I found at the beach/river".

My love for kitsch knows no bounds, and when you add a cat in the mix? Well, I'm sold. We have tons of windows, so very little wall space, but we already have a small collection going of "weird cat pictures". That kind of thing can only grow over the years. Maybe I should try to stop it, but... I can't. We say that this one is the "noble ancestor" of Mooch and Zou, who seem to have a healthy dash of Siamese in them.

I have a big thing for fabric (and I don't just mean clothes- I actually don't have a crazy-big clothing collection, if you can believe it); I say it's the gypsy in me. I want my house to look like an exotic caravan at all times. Exotic to me equals fabric. Scarves and tapestries make me feel cozy. 

Indoors or out...

My spiritual life is a very Californian mish-mash of Catholicism, Paganism, and general Eastern and New Age philosophies. I am probably making someone on the East Coast roll their eyes, but let me tell you- the smorgasbord is the way to go! When you need a parking space, pray to Asphalte, goddess of urban parking dilemmas. When you need to change the weather, call on the nature divas. My opinion is that one God just can't take care of all of the details... this world is a complicated operation that requires Teamwork and Diversity! Somehow the porch reflects my orientation very clearly. Among the Judaic Hamsas and the Pagan Brigid's crosses, there is this little universe here:

Yes, that is a plastic church organ.

Lastly but not leastly, this image sums up Fall for me. This is the cover over our side porch, which used to keep mosquitos and moths out in the summer when we would lay there watching movies on the computer (we called it the "drive in"). Now we had to remove the padding on the floor so it doesn't get rained on, and the Hops that were once so bright and green are turning brown and sending their energy back into their roots.

The wise women say we should be sending our energy into our roots, too. I have a hard time with that, I admit. I am not a huge fan of Fall like so many people seem to be. Sure, it's beautiful, and I like a break from the relentless Foothill sunshine, too. But slowing down? Turning inward? My nature is so inward already that this feels almost like a punishment. Though God/dess knows I need to slow down.... there is so much going on at all times in my life, it is a veritable three ring circus, and I do get exhausted. 

Here's hoping that this Fall I can take some permission from the elements and do like the cats do: curl up, stay warm, and sleep.

 

Comments

[hollie]

CAN I COME OVER SOMETIME???????????

[Daphne]

Love this post so much! And I can totally relate to the cold-house... last year Terri literally was bundled up with hats, scarves, multiple layers and gloves, just to go into the kitchen, no joke. It was freezing. 42 in the living room with no way to warm it up. Awful!!! You have my sympathies! Yesterday we turned on the heat in the new house, and within 5 minutes, the house was WARM. I don't think I've lived in a house with magic heat like that. That's what it shall now be called: the Magic Heat. And I agree -- multi-deism is the only way to go. :)

[cynthia]

Hahaha! I love it! I feel your pain of this cold creeping up on us. I, for one, feel robbed of a proper Summer- it came and went so fast, even by Southern California standards! And all I keep hearing people around me say how they just love these cold and dreary days...? There's not too much fun in watching your days get shorter BUT I will make the best of this and make myself some scarves, go from 2 cups to 4 cups of tea a day and hunt for some gnarly jackets .

[heather]

cats are my lifelong lifestyle inspiration too. couple hours playing in the morning sunshine, eat a pile of food, then back to bed. sounds good to me. see a quilt, go get cozy on it. see a book, sit on the pages. anyway i love your sweet little woodsy cabin. i can imagine why moving sounds heavenly but i bet you'll miss it so much. i never knew hops looked so pretty drying up, and your side porch drive-in sounds like an extra special household wonder. and i guess you can just pray to Hestia that your "hearth" will keep your bones warm this winter!

[Zinnia Cress]

oh my goodness! i used to have the samel little white plastich church organ when i was little! i thoughthte stained glass on teh windows was so fancy! :) i wonder where it went... ????

[sally]

i completely understand your heating issues! we use the oven to warm our tiny, non-heated apt! and when i am trying to really relax, anywhere at anytime, i always picture myself as a cat rolling on its back in front of the fire. it' works! :) where would we be without our kitties for inspiration? happy fall!

[Evelyn]

Aaah Sweet Sasha - when you are chilled to the bone, come to my studio where I will have a heated massage table, flannel sheets, hot Yuba stones and hot towels just waiting to ease your aches! And a fuzzy blanket to cover you while on the table and wrap you in for tea by the toasty woodstove after you are done. (no kitties, but you know the cutest dog in the world lives here)
Squish,
Evelyn