autumn times begin like this

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At least this is what it looks like "on the farm." We got a cold front this weekend and it felt gooooooooood. I am ready to be done with summer. I usually dread summer's end, but maybe I'm actually learning not to dwell in the past. Yeah, that's it. Either way, I am feeling fresh with the crisp in the air.

The last two images show involve koi-catching. I came home from a morning run to the grocery store and noticed the bright orange fish were all gathered and close to the surface (barley visible in the first photo). I went back out for a closer look but instead stayed at a distance because there were men in the water with nets, bags, and buckets.

"I learned a long time ago, you can't chase fish; ya gotta outsmart 'em."

(Say that in your best southern man accent.)

Still loving this little farm apartment. Even if it is so small that I can't talk on the phone inside if Cohen's napping.

PS: If you want to know more about that little man in our life, please refer to his tweets. Yes, Cohen's tweets. They are conveniently updated for you on the left column here if you don't want to bring yourself to visit yet another social network. I promise it's the best way to know the latest with CJK. (You can see and watch the latest too, as all photos and videos are updated via Twitter as well).

get creative

The dryer was making a scary scratchy noise when I tried to dry the clothes. We let the landlady know, but it could be weeks before anything is done. I came upstairs whining about how we have now clothes line and I was going to have to go to the laundromat and sit there all alone waiting without even a laptop to occupy my time. Ben calmed me down as he made his frittata and suggested getting creative instead.

I woke up and the clothes are all dry. All along the chairs, doors, drawers, knobs, bars, lamps... (he said to get creative!). I didn't think I'd be able to get the whole load (of whites and darks, yes, don't judge!), but I ran out of clothes and still had places I could hang them.

———

Unrelated, my sore throat from earlier turned into a cold and seems to have run most of its course. Just annoying congestion left—but not annoying enough to keep us from a little excursion yesterday to Duke Gardens. You wanna see how fun it was in the 90+ weather? Too bad. You get a snapshot of laundry instead because we forgot the camera.

autumn!

It was just like a light switch—October came, and off went the humidity & heat.
We turned off the AC unit and opened the windows. Ben says it went from 90° to 70° overnight.
As much as I love summer, this crisp weather has really put a smile on my face.
Really.

view from the bathroom window—i watched those oriental lilies grow from seed to bloom.

Granted, the leaf colors are not as breathtaking (yet?) here as they were on Provo Center Street,
but the near-sweater weather is just plain fun.

view from the living room window—that's all bamboo on the left, who-knows-what in that shed, and the pond beyond the trees on the right.
Oh, and the roof of course. The best thing about that roof is it means no one can see inside our windows even though we get all the wonderful light. No blinds are the best.

So with my itch to play outside, I figured I'd "set the record straight" about where we live...
Not that we've lied about it or anything, but the term "on a farm," combined with Ben's amazing details may be a bit misleading.

So, our apartment is one of six in the whole house.
This mailbox shot is in honor of all of you lovelies who have sent goodies. Thanks a whole heap.This house has been in the same family since it was built, meaning there's a certain build-up of stuff.

But they've put good use to their land, using it (+ humidity) as a sort of greenhouse or nursery, which they call a farm. The Daylily farm itself sits sort of across the street and down the road from us.

We do have our share of quirks in this place. They told us to be prepared for 'a few more bugs than the average apartment,'
but we haven't been bugged at all. ;)

So even though I intended to get out and tell you, 'we really live at your average old house,'
I proved myself wrong.

It was too hard not to click away at all the amazing details myself!
I'm not gonna lie, we do actually live on some sort of paradise:

I even enjoyed the details of SOUND. There was a toad croaking over and over right here, but I never saw him.

But I did find this little jumper. Can you spy the camouflage frog?

When I did my animal report on the Koala in 5th grade, I was sure Eucalyptus only grew in Australia...

And... I thought cacti were a desert thing...

One last reality-check...

But really, if you want see it for yourself, come visit our little apartment up the cold, black steps!

The fighting squirrels will greet you, and we can fool you with the "spilled red candies" on the ground,
which actually somehow come out of the giant pods that fall from the Magnolias outside...

And I can show you this odd little reading room just outside our apartment door.
Or you can just come and stare at the pregnant lady.

Anyone?