Trees in autumn

This past weekend we were in New Jersey for a wedding (state motto: let's confuse the hell out of out-of-state drivers with our brilliant jug handle turns!). In spite of said jug handles, the drive up was beautiful, with the trees in a riot of autumn colors. Too bad this picture I managed to take from the car is kind of crappy, but you get the idea.


Twilight countdown: one week! I bought my ticket to the first of many viewings, and I almost peed my pants from excitement.

Speaking of, my cousin Highmaintenancemom had mentioned the near riot that happened last week in San Francisco during a scheduled R-Pattz appearance at a Hot Topic store. Coincidentally enough, I was seriously contemplating dragging SIL Alissa with me and driving up to Philadelphia today for an R-Pattz appearance at the King of Prussia mall, but after I read about what happened in San Francisco I changed my mind. Then I saw the press release Hot Topic put out, and accepted the fact that I am no longer a hardy young person who can camp out for stuff like this, even if it is to see R-Pattz. I remember camping out for Star Wars tickets in college and, though that was a ton of fun at the time, I don't think I would have the werewithal to do that in my old age today.

In denial

Ugh. I received the latest J Crew catalog in the mail today and as I was flipping through it, all I could feel was dismay at seeing all the coats and jackets on display.

Usually I look forward to fall - the season of new boots! And cozy sweaters! - but not this year. This year, I am still defiantly wearing my sundresses and sandals all over and refusing to go shopping for fall clothes.

Because fall means winter is just around the corner, and I feel like we just got rid of winter.

And I always think that the period between Labor Day and the first true cool autumn day is tricky, because you're ready to shift your mindset to butternut squash soup and apple cider and merino sweaters, but it's still 95 degrees outside and the pool continues to beckon.

Someday I'm going to drag Mr Hazel and the cats and moving to San Diego.

Autumn colors

It's the weekend before Thanksgiving, and the trees around my house have finally - finally - turned. Only now do I feel like can I start enjoying hot apple cider, pumpkin pie, mulled wine, and butternut squash soup. Before the trees turned I felt like it was still too summery to enjoy those types of fall goodies.

I took one of our kitties to the vet today to have her sutures removed (long story short, a few weeks ago she had to have surgery done on her ear to remove a growth - but I'm happy to say that my brave little girl is doing fine now). Anyway, going to the vet makes me laugh because the staff refers to their patients by the pets' names, not by the owners' names, and so you hear the veterinarians calling them out loud in the waiting room.

Hearing the names people choose to give their cats is very entertaining.

For instance, there was a lady who named her cat "Tiramisu", and another, "Precious". As you can guess, Precious' owner is a frail, white-haired old lady, exactly the type of person you would think a cat who answers to the name Precious would belong to. I wonder if the veterinarians ever shake their heads and laugh at the names their poor patients are saddled with.

Now, the names of our cats - this is a story deserving of its own post for another day.