Who knows where the time goes...

because I sure don't!  September just flew by - especially the last two weeks.  It seemed like it was my birthday and then Aggie's birthday yesterday - and now the whole month is gone.  And no fall weather.  Yet.  But hope springs eternal, as they say.  I am, however, encouraged about October.  Aside from being one of my favorite months of the year - probably the whole pumpkin thing - this October in particular starts perfectly: the first day of the month is a Monday.  It's a new week, a new month, a new quarter - like a whole new beginning, full of possibilities.

Or so I like to tell myself...

Fall and my faithful companion...

Aggie, my faithful cairn companion, is fourteen years old today.  She came to live with me when she was eight weeks old; as I recall, we got her on December 6, 1998.  Aggie isn't doing too badly for a little old lady and I hope to keep her around for a good while longer.  As you can see, she is anticipating her birthday treat.  She got a new green collar - which she has been wearing happily for the past couple of days - but today I think she is waiting for an edible treat...

The other day I got some cheap fall flowers while I was at WalMart buying muslin to line my living room valance.  Yes, Aggie got nuggets from Chik-Fil-A that day - spoiled thing!  The flowers didn't quite fill up the basket as much as I had hoped after I spent about thirty minutes trying to cut the floral wire to arrange them in the styrofoam block.  I'm not sure which wasn't strong enough: my little wire cutters or my hands - probably both!

Bee came to see what I was working on and then turned his attention to the landscape gardeners outside.

I think Peter objected to Bee usurping his space and told him to get lost.

I got another cheap bunch of flowers today - along with a heavier wire cutter - and my fall basket arrangement is now gracing the kitchen counter.  I've filled up my pumpkin jar with fall candies; let's see how long they last.  At least they are a little more difficult to get into than if I had put them on the front corner of my desk!  Enough decoration for now - I might get my pumpkins and gourds out on Monday.

And now the birthday girl, Agatha Christie Smith, is reminding me to give her another treat from her birthday box of chicken nuggets...

Bangs, bees, birthdays and books...

are an odd combination of things for a blog post, but it's my birthday and I can write about anything I want.  I was going to do a post a while back about my front door and the bee decor, but I didn't - so I'm showing it off now because bees just make me happy.  I found the wooden flower cut-out, welcome sign and little bee by the door knocker on Etsy.  Aren't they cute?  The sign on the left, the corner of which is peeking out, says Bee Happy.  The new sign confused my clients a little when I switched the flag out for it, but it's been up there since January.  I think they're used to it by now.  Come on in - it's raining outside.

Let's see, what was I going to say?  Oh, yes - bangs.  When is one too old for bangs?  I haven't cut my hair in a while, and while I am inordinately fond of headbands, that unfortunate hairstyle has a tendency to really show the grey in my mousy, brown hair.  I just can't do the hair color thing.  If I try to color it myself it looks like crap - seriously.  And I hate paying someone at least $75 to do it for me; consequently, I am besieged by greying temples.  Solution: I trimmed my own bangs and amazingly, I don't look my age - so maybe I'm not too old for bangs after all.  I may give in and go somewhere for a cheap quick trim.

Is this not the coolest thing?  My friend, Kathy, sent this lovely handmade sewing gadget to me for my birthday.  She said it had my name written all over it: ME fabric and useful, too!  It is a tile padded and covered with an attached pin cushion - with a fabric waste basket hanging over the edge.  Matches my bedroom sewing corner (and ME sewing basket liner) perfectly and I can't wait to use it!

Now for the books: I just finished reading Sunshine on Scotland Street - the latest installment in that wonderful series.  It was a lovely chronicle of the adventures of Cyril, the only dog in Edinburgh sporting a gold tooth, while his owner Angus is on his honeymoon with his new wife, Domenica.  Bertie is still the victim of his mother's yoga classes, Italian lessons and the psychobabble of Melanie Klein.  Bruce, the narcissist, has an interesting experience with his new found doppelganger and the lottery.  Danish reality television wants to do a documentary on Matthew and the triplets - but plans change with the filmmaker meets Big Lou.  Of course, now I have to wait about a year for the next one.

Fortunately, Mr. McCall Smith is about the release the next book in the Isabel Dalhousie series - I can't wait until the end of October.  No murders in Isabel's little corner of Edinburgh - but her adventures are interesting all the same!