Fall, Finally

7:34

It's after 8:00 as I start my blog.  I was up at 6:30 and have been sitting here watching the dark turn gray and for the first time this year, I noticed a spattering of leaves under our trees.  Autumn has begun.  It's 57º and it has finally stopped raining.  We received an inch and a half in the last twenty-four hours.  And I did not kayak yesterday, nor today because I strained my back Monday afternoon bringing in the buoys from our lakefront.

So yesterday I woke up with a sore back, a surprise because all seemed fine Monday.  Obviously, it tightened up overnight, so I bagged kayaking and yoga.  I did have a consultation with a dentist in Jamestown, so I drove there at 9:00, sat in the chair, and we decided to be conservative and see if my discomfort goes away on its own.  It's called putting off the inevitable and expense!  I was able to walk around with minimal discomfort so I stopped at Wegman's and picked up a few more things for last night's dinner.  When I walked in with the groceries, Evie was busy putting together our dinner, a Turkish/Greek/ moussaka recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook.  Much of the prep was done on Monday but there is always lots to do.  I was little if any help because I was soon ensconced on the couch with a heating pad on my back, watching the boob tube for a while.  For lunch, Evie heated up the leftover rice and white bean stew so I was happy.  I left her to her work around 1:00 and took a nap upstairs with a heating pad.  And I started a new book after finishing David Silva's A DEATH IN VENICE.  I picked up another Robert Crais thriller, THE SENTRY, always fun following Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

Dinner was ready to be put in the oven, dessert was made as well as the appetizers, so Evie was able to enjoy some of the afternoon.  And best of all, her back seemed better yesterday, inshallah.  Our neighbor's, Marjorie and Ken arrived at 6:15 and we were able to sit outside on the porch for our wine and appetizers, shrimp cocktails and spiced cashews.

A Moussaka Dinner With Marjorie and Ken

It was pleasant despite the overcast sky and we were loathe to head inside for dinner but glad we did.  The moussaka would be the envy of any Turk or Greek, the lamb, eggplant and white sauce melting in your mouth.  It was the best I have ever had.  Everyone loved it, and Ken and I had seconds.  Dessert also was delish, lemon curd and raspberries sandwiched between sheets of phyllo dough.  It was a good fall night, with neighbors who soon will be closing up their cottage and heading home until Spring.  They left around 9:30 and we had just enough time to watch the most recent Stephen Colbert.