ForestMulch of Shadow

One more nice day, and we spent a large part of it outdoors, neither working nor hiking, but just enjoying. We got up a bit earlier than we really wanted to, to prep for the arrival of guests. I made a gluten-free cinnamon and sour cream coffee cake with streusel topping and put it in the oven. I hadn't been sure I'd have time, but one of our number is GF, and it always seems so inhospitable if I bake something nice for everyone else and she has to bring her own snacks. I had just barely enough GF flour left to do the batter, so I had to use almond flour in the streusel, but it was fine--if anything, better than regular flour. Then we had to move a lot of furniture around--chairs, little tables, shady umbrellas--to provide seating and places to put food and coffee, all at a proper distance. We provided two kinds of strong coffee, cheese, crackers, oranges, apple cake and GF coffee cake. One of our guests brought some blueberry ginger jam, which, as it turns out, tastes spectacular with Brie. Four of our friends from the UU church came. Everyone was in a happy and relieved mood, so there was a definite feeling of celebration. We didn't rake away the fallen leaves, but left them as a decorative crisp carpet. Everyone enjoyed that, and the lovely feeling of freedom under a blue, mild sky. We're all just drinking in these last days before winter.

After they went home, we moved all the inside furniture back inside, put all the leftover food away, and then went back outside to sit and enjoy the day until the sun started to sink down. It's funny now to watch the sun's arc--so far south that it never really gets up to the top of the sky. Finally we retreated indoors. Leftovers for dinner. I'm so sleepy. I've barely stuck it out this far and will soon fall into bed.