Back in May, we were stuck in a damp, cool weather pattern. This coming on the heels of a warm, Mother‘s Day weekend when we opened the pool. I didn’t get in the pool until exactly a month later. Go figure with this Pennsylvania weather. The second half of the month was mostly cool and damp. It started to feel depressing and I wondered if we were going to have a chilly Summer. I also worried that I would have slipped into another depression with my summer vacation about a week away.
During the last week of the month, it was so chilly (I was on my way to Connellsville for a Toastmasters meeting one night), I could have seen snow flurries or rain mixing with snow and it wouldn’t have made a difference. Luckily we got out of that funk as we made it to summer. For the most, this summer has been hot and dry.
Fast forward to September. We’ve experienced a dry spell which has erased this surplus of rain that we had over Spring. As we welcome Fall on Monday afternoon, I’m looking forward to some soaking rain, as well as some cooler temperatures after the above average 80’s we’ve had all week. Summer‘s last stand is about to come to an end. Funny how you tire of something only to want it again. We do need the rain to put a dent in the drought, nonetheless. Color is patchy but on some of the trees along Kerr Rd., it is starting to show. I’m hoping that the needed precipitation of the liquid variety will help keep the colors vibrant this Fall. But could it be too little too late?
Plenty of rain chances dominate the week ahead. As long as it’s not disruptive, bring it on.
Last week, I was putting up HBC tags. As usual Wednesday night is when we put up new tags at the store because the new sales go into effect Thursday morning. Today is the last summer, and cold and flu season will be here before we know it.
Following my Hershey weekend when I saw the Trans Siberian Orchestra, I began to feel sick and that took up the first few days of my vacation. I spent Thanksgiving fighting a cold but still ate plenty of turkey and all the fixings. I worked five days from Tuesday through Saturday and had my defenses all ready to go. I took my NyQuil and DayQuil at the appropriate times. Given my schedule, I had to do the opposite but I figured it out. I drank my weight in fluids (green tea with lemon, orange juice) and took plenty of cough drops. Despite the coughing that lingered into the early stages of vacation, I still had a great week off and put a sizable dent in my Christmas shopping.
Cough and cold products will soon be a big seller as the seasons change. Drink plenty of fluids and keep plenty of tissues and hand sanitizer on hand. Also, get plenty of rest. It wasn’t easy for me, but I survived.
Last night, while scrolling through social media, I came upon a reel that turned out to be very relaxing. AmbianceHomeTV had an image up, and it was really therapeutic. Now it’s best to use AI and Instagram wisely as not everything in my algorithm interests me. But this image and a few others that I looked at were just what I needed to forget the craziness going on in our world. The best image was the cafe window looking outside into a rainy town square. Don’t tell me this doesn’t remind you of Ligonier or another beautiful small town you might know of. AmbianceHomeTV also has a YouTube channel and this page is akin to the one on PlutoTV that plays Christmas music with a fireplace as the background.
Finally, I took advantage of my Sunday off by waking up and watching part of the Steelers game. At halftime, I changed course and took off for Cutie’s for the first Pumpkin Spice Latte of 2025. The cups that Cutie’s has for the Fall are so cute. So is the shirt that I wore today on my Cutie’s Coffee adventure.
So how did my Pumpkin Spice Latte taste? Very good.
Despite the warm day that felt a little humid, I still ordered my drink hot because that’s how you’re supposed to drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte. But, to each their own. Later in the week, I’m going to try a Caramel Apple Matcha as Apple Fall comes to an end and Pumpkin Falls begins next week. There are plenty of other Pumpkin options to choose from as well. This includes the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew and Pumpkin Cheesecake.
I began reading Matriarch this afternoon, having finished Barack’s memoir the day before. I only got as far as the Prologue as this will be a weekend read until the end of October. But, it’s looking like a good read so far. I was interested in the book after hearing one of Michelle Obama’s podcast (IMO with Michelle Obama) when she interviewed Tina Knowles. I ended up buying it during my week off when I shopped at South Hills Village. I’ll learn more about her life and family as I progress through the book. In the front of the book is a family tree and it’s very extensive. I enjoyed seeing that.
Just a few more weeks until Meet Me at Luke’s is released!
Stylish 🍒 