well, hello there Saturday morning...I've been waiting for you all week.

Betty is having a bad hair day...aka molting.

The weeks have seemed so long lately...not sure what it is. All I know is that by the time the weekend rolls around, I am rea-dy.

The temperatures are steadily cooling...mornings are crisp and my toes are just a bit cold under the covers in the morning. It's almost time to switch to our cozy comforter...one of my favorite moments of the year.

I'm still gathering a few tomatoes here and there...two this morning and four earlier in the week. There are a handful of green tomatoes still on the vine...we'll see if they ripen up this next week when the temps rise back up into the 90's. I'll sure be glad when it gets cold for good. Yes, I will miss garden fresh tomatoes...but they'll be back next year.

The chickens aren't laying many eggs. Or...it could be that a possum is getting into their coop and helping himself to a midnight snack. We're not quite sure yet. We have lots of trees in our neighborhood which means we also have lots of critters.

Just yesterday morning I had just got out of the shower and the cats wanted to go outside. I opened the front door and both cats were suddenly on guard and cautious and peering at something in the darkness. I could hear a scratching noise and thought maybe it was a possum. To my surprise it wasn't a possum, but rather a family of raccoon's! There were two clinging to our tree trunk and four on the ground. We all just stood there staring at each other. I didn't know what else to do, seeing as how I was standing in the doorway in a bath towel! Fortunately, the cats stayed on the porch, and one by one the raccoon's disappeared into the darkness and headed down the street. In the 16 years that we've lived here I haven't once seen a raccoon. Plenty of possums. But never a raccoon...let alone SIX! It was kinda cool...and a little scary.

So the weekend is finally here. And today's (very loose) schedule includes the usual; menu planning, a little grocery shopping, a bit of cleaning (my poor floors), and of course, laundry. When I first started working full-time I really didn't want Saturday to be a day full of chores and more work, work, work. But I'm finding that if I take it slow and play the Food Network or a good movie in the background that it's not so much a chore, but more just a time of taking care of me and my family.

Speaking of family, Chris is gone for the day at a conference, Ian is sleeping in and I am starting the day off with my usual coffee sippin', blog writin', hangin' in my pj's routine. Oh Saturday...thanks for showing up right on time. I sure do love you.

ps...I just glanced up at my ceiling fan and realized I need to add one more chore to the list...yikes, is it ever dusty!