Show and Tell Time: October Edition

Home and Garden

Are you in your autumn groove yet? It's impossible to choose a favorite idea from these 17 ways to decorate for fall. Reminder: be sure to add some seasonal touches to your staged home, but not so large and specific that they will date any real estate photographs that are an important part of your home's online presence. 

These pumpkins made warty with chalk paint and hot glue look like a fun project.Photo: A.C. Moore Arts and Craft

Benjamin Moore named its Color of The Year, a pale green, "October Mist." It's a soft green, as the name indicates. I love this color. However, I'm still on the fence about how wise a choice it would be in a staged home on the market. In the right home, with the right pool of buyers, it would be perfect. It was interesting to read how the color of the year is chosen. My dream job would be to travel the world on an expense account to help a paint company name its colors! 

Some buyers might have trouble envisioning their furnishings in a house with walls this color. Photo: Benjamin Moore

I am glad some home inspectors have spoken out to warn DIY home repairers (Is that you?) about the kinds of improvements that work against a good home inspection report. This is the kind of realistic advice that's important to people who plan to sell their home. And eventually, most people will be selling their homes. Find the sweet spot for what you love and what others will love. 

You want to make your home reflect your personal taste, but there are some changes that work against its safety and value.   Photo: Aleksandar Nakic via Apartment Therapy

  

From the kitchen

Summer is considered picnic season in many parts of the country, but here in the South, it's more comfortable to wait for the weather to turn a little cooler before we start scheduling many picnics. No matter where you live or what dietary guidelines you follow, I think you'll find great advice here on how to plan a picnic. 

I don't do much dessert baking because I have low willpower when confronted with sweets. But for my garden club's annual bake sale, I decided to bake two things that I thought would look tempting and also taste terrific. I baked cherry pie squares and apricot bars. 

We distribute containers to members ahead of time. These containers make it easy to label and display the baked goods.

Imagine your future

It's increasingly clear that news outlets and social media sites thrive on distributing disheartening content -- the virus, natural disasters, shootings, abuse cases, celebrity divorces, corruption, scandals, and political polarization. We can't bury our heads in the sand, but we can make an effort to balance all this drama with a regular infusion of good news, and Bright Vibes is a handy online source of exactly that. Treat yourself!

Ordinarily, I don't post about my family here, but today I want to "show off and tell about" my daughter, Mir Garvy. Twelve years ago she created a resume writing business, which continues to prosper and grow today while helping people find better careers. She and her team maintain offices in major cities in six states, and she has just expanded her credentials to include certification as a professional career coach.  

I could not be more proud of my  smart, hard-working daughter!

On the bookshelf

October 11 was officially declared Indigenous Peoples Day. I decided to read a kindle version of Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life, by David Treuer, a Cherokee. Previously, I had read Code Talker, by Chester Nez, a memoir from one of the original Navajos who used their native, unwritten language to help the US military during the Second World War. If you have any interest in American history, both books are must-reads because they fill in the gaps of what most of us have been taught about what being a native American has meant and means today. 

If you're a fan of John Grisham's books or you're an aspiring novelist yourrself, you might enjoy this recent interview with him.  

Grisham talked about how important it is to get accurate details into a work of fiction. Photo: Donald Johnson for The New York Times,

Let's launch into November with an eye to a holiday season that's more special than previous years. Because we all deserve that, so I hope you can do whatever it is you and your circle of family and friends do to make holidays special.