Cold shoulder, cold nose, cold fingers, cold toes.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…a cold front is taking its’ sweet time passing through Colorado.  Some people even got a snow dusting yesterday.  We didn’t see any, but omygoodness: COLD!

The high today isn’t even going to be over 40 degrees, I bet, and the power companies are watching with glee as those heat-meters crank up full steam in this stretch of days before the sun comes back out and rights this ridiculous infringement of a wintry blast on our pretty fall.

But not me.  In spite of Dave’s pleading (he even tried to sway me by telling me our aged dog was freezing), I refuse to turn on the heat.   I am fully aware  that it is fifty.eight.freezing-degrees in here.  Yes, that is right – IN our house – 58-degrees!  But there are other ways to get through these days.  I am resolved!

Here is how not to turn on the heat when it’s freezing in Denver:

{1}

Wear more clothes even in the house.  Seems simple enough, but us Denver-ites never-ever pack away our shorts and flip-flops: NEVER.  We will likely need them on Christmas eve because it will be so dang hot.  But for the next 3 or 4 days, wear socks with shoes and layer up and put on a hat.  Yes, in your house.  It will keep you warm.

You can see I truly do practice these suggestions.  Demonstrated here by a photo of Gemma May and Averi-J last January.  “Yea, we’re just hanging at Nonna’s, freezing our little buns off, doing some artwork.”

{2}

Make yourself a rice sock.  What?!  Haven’t discovered the beauty of a rice-sock?  Well, I think Jovan taught me about them, but it is simply this: you take the longest tube sock you can fine, fill it about 75% full of good-old-white rice.  Secure the end tightly with a rubber band or ponytail holder (warning:: Do NOT use a twistt-tie with a metal center to close the sock…don’t ask me how I know).  Then you pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes and and this wonderful, hot, flexible rice-filled sock gets wrapped around your neck and heats you up.  It is wondrous.  I would have forgotten this amazing thing if it had not been for a pulled muscle in my neck.  How serendipitous for me that the strained muscle coincided with this current cold-front.  Dave and I were watching Judge Judy the other night and he was like, “It’s freezing – do you think we should turn on the heat?”

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to have a good memory!!!!!!!”

That was Judge Judy’s voice, not mine.  My response was, with the 2 blankets, a hoodie and my rice-sock, “Honey, it feels perfectly toasty in here.  Why would we want to jump the gun and turn on the heat?”

NOTE:  On heating the rice sock in the micro, repeat as needed.

{3}

Toast for dinner.  Put in your bread and crowd around the toaster soaking up the rising, excess heat.  Eat lots of bread.

WARNING:  those of you with that gluten thing should not try this without your doctor’s permission.

{4}

And on kitchen activities, suddenly become Julia Child or Jamie Oliver or the Barefoot Contessa (who has the sense to be wearing shoes today, btw) and start baking and cooking your head off just for the love of being a gourmet.  You can pretend you always spend your Saturdays making a months’ worth of freezer meals because you love your family so much, and just happen to keep warm while you’re at it!

{5}

Use some one else’s heat.  Time to visit a neighbor or relative, one of those poor saps that couldn’t hold out and already turned on their heat.  They’re paying an arm and a leg for it so you may as well use it!

{6}

Afternoon Delight.  “Rubbin’ sticks -n- stones together makes the sparks ignite.”  I realize you kind of have to be from the 70s to understand this life-saving tip, but suffice it to say that cuddling = warmth.  That is enough about that.

{7}

Convert to Catholicism and spend the day in prayer at your altar of candles.  I won’t  turn on the heat, but Dave did haul in some of those candles he bought at Target for 38-cents 2 years ago.  Nabbed about 30 of them and I may have shook my head at him then, but look who is the hero now!  We’re just praying our heads off and toasty!

Those are my tips for going as long as possible without turning on your furnace.

Oh wait – Sandy-the-Dog says I missed the most obvious of all: cuddle with the family pet.  Naturally.

“Just before the death of flowers,

And before they are buried in snow,

There comes a festival season

When nature is all aglow.” – Unknown

Easier to read:  autumnal equinox, fall, season, October, chilly mornings, leaves, vivid colors, brown, gold, yellow, red, orange, golden, smoke, bonfire, burning leaves, crunching, jumping, tossing, raking, leaf pile, path, trail, meander, overgrown gardens, reap, cobwebs, gourds, woods, snowy mountains, orchard, tree, maple, oak, branches, corn maze, cornstalks, candy corn, Indian corn, Indian summer, squirrel, chipmunk, foraging sparrows, football, World Series, brisk, chilly, cold, icy, frost, breath, pumpkin patch, hay, bale, falling leaves, pumpkin carving, nuts, cinnamon, pumpkins, apples, spicy, savory, cider, hot cocoa, coffee, soup, stew, chili, scarves, sweaters, jackets, fire, warm, roaring, crackling, inviting, cozy, crisp, blustery, welcoming, sights, sounds, smells, blowing out the sprinkler system, putting the pool away, deep blue sky, clouds, rain, wind, storm, breeze, flannel, denim, corduroy, wool, fleece, Harvest moon, moonglow, moondance, plaid.

I love words.

October?  Like always, is orange (which I have mentioned before HERE and HERE)

Today, for the first time really, there is no doubt we are facing autumn and total weather changing for the season.  That breeze that blew through yesterday – we went from 82 to 55 in 2 hours!  I see a possible snow-shower for Saturday on the forecast.  Like clockwork.

…I have been younger in October

than in all the months of spring…

naked air late morning

my love is for lightness…

– W. S. Merwin, The Love of October

I have simply been the most neglectful gardener this year, so I will let what happens, happen.  Anything that survives this brief cold front, bravo.  Anything that doesn’t, fare-thee-well.  The fridge is already full of bounty and I am ready to embrace this next season.

October, please have mercy…

We were in Estes Park during the Elk Festival.

10 am off the deck at Lori’s house.

And we saw lots of Elk, but did not take one picture of them.  Not one.

Primarily, I suppose, because even though it is Elk season up there, I was there for the purely selfish reason of reprieve and relaxation.  Not the elk.  For me.  The elk are on their own for that.

Clouds started rolling in late morning.

We were at our niece’s house, enjoying the cool nights and pretty fall days..

Leaving in the early afternoon for some time on the River Walk and people watching; the Aspen just out the front door was changing color hourly, I swear!

 Back to the mansion on the hilltop in Estes at around 7 pm.  Some clouds had moved in and it even sprinkled on us for 5 minutes or so.  But the sun was forcing its’ way back into our evening…

I decided to sit outside and sing my head off until it got very dark and cold or I lost my voice.  The voice went first.  But it was also pretty dark and a tad chilly.

 The last of the day’s fall rays.

Refreshed in the crisp, cool Colorado Rocky Mountain air.

THANK-YOU, Lori (o blessed niece-of-mine) and Emilee (great-niece, great in both senses of the word) and fam for the loan of your exquisite, way-up-high home while you were away.  LOVELY.  Peaceful and life-giving!

My songs are probably still echoing around the mountains.  Hope that does not disturb the elk.  :)

I haven’t done an homage to Pinterest in awhile.  I definitely do not utilize it like I was a year ago at this time, when I was a new user and planning a wedding {see the wedding board HERE}.

But still?  I love Pinterest.

I don’t love it because I find cool stuff there, though at times, I do.  I love it because of how easy it is for me to record the cool things I find elsewhere on the web and can so easily, sort, organize and keep record in of said locations for future use.  Works for me.

I rarely actually go back and look through my boards, but when I do, I am always happy I did – for I immediately see things I forgot I loved.  And I love them all over again.  Happy.  :)

Then this:

Also, I ran across a design blog awhile back that posed the question: if this blog were a room, what would it look like?  I thought it was an odd, but interesting query.  And I wondered how the heck I could find a room that answered that?  And I probably couldn’t, but I figured I would look on my Pinterest boards and see if I could find rooms that resonate with what I am thinking/feeling/expressing when I write and post here at Thought Collage.

Today’s Most-Interesting-Pinterests will all be images from one of several of my personal Pinterest Boards:

The Jeanie Green Board (“Jeanie Green” was coined by my friend, Candi, to describe a color I wholly love – that 70s-inspired shade of apple green that I adopted with zeal after I first kissed Jimmy Green in the church parking lot in 1972).  If this blog were a room from the Jeanie-Green board, it would look like this:

 This is not quite “Jeanie-green,” a tad too bluish, but in this blog-room, I would have bouffant hair and be listening to records.  {source:unknown}

There would be serious jolts of red and kid-art and wholly un-stodgy motifs strewn throughout.  Silliness?  In extra-large batches, please!  {source}

Naturally, this blog-room is entered through the apple-green door. {source:unknown}

Sweet Dreams (bedrooms I find lovely)

If this blog were a bedroom, it would have a roomful of beds because it is ALL about the grandbebe sleepovers!  {source}

Orange-Jeanieous (Orange thrills me and makes me smile, and I finally created a board to collect images of happiness and named it as a take on the delicious Orange-Julius drinks of my youth).

Again with the records in this blog-room of my life!  {source}

There is always a big bowl of crayons readily available at Nonna’s house for instant art-making!  {source}

My Grandma Baker painted her living room “tangerine” in the 1960s.  It was bold and delicious and someday I will do the same in my house.  But until I have the courage, the walls of this blog-as-a-room are decidedly tangerine!  Can’t you tell?  {source}

And finally, from my “main” board (and some odds and ends boards), if Thought Collage {jeanierhoadesdotcom} were a room ~

My TRANSITIONAL Style (decor I thoroughly love, steeped in tradition, but embracing post-modern and cleaner lines, heavily sprinkled in bright, light fun, some Bohemian-hippie-style with lots of kid-love on the counters).  Plus a couple of other boards on Pinterest.

Come on in.  Have a seat!  {source}

I hope this blog-as-a-room is about comfort, no airs, just love and life and color and light.  And lots of weird, interesting art on the walls.  {source}

And there is old stuff mixed in with these new days, me recalling my growing-up-years and spilling the details and memories, mixing it up with life in the fast-lane we now know it to be.  {source}

This room is full of quotes and books and music.  {source}

It is about gardening and food. {source} {source}

This blog-room houses the glory – about my relationship with a Savior, the Savior.  And this pin is my true story, as you know from reading.  {source}

And this blog-room is nothing if not filled with family!  And o-how-I-love the one God gave me.  {source}

Yes, I pinned this.  It still counts.

My thoughts, hodge-podged in the posts I share here, add them all up and what have you got?  A rather noisy room with lots of color and mismatched elements, words about everything from songs to soups, from grandbebe cuteness to my personal sorrows and fears and tears.  It is a messy thing, isn’t it, this blog room?  But it is my own.

“And we have come to understand that in this house we are fulfilling our impossible dreams, and living our days in contentment and grace.”  –Alexandra Stoddard