FRIDAY THIS AND THAT-BITTERSWEET IN SO MANY WAYS~

 I LOVE BITTERSWEET!

For my 50th birthday

(don't ask when THAT was

it was a LONG time ago)

my family and friends

threw a huge bash.

My brother, Charlie, came from

out East, friends from Florida,

and from around the area showed up

to surprise me.

One of the things that

surprised me most was

this watercolor that

my friend, Carol Ball, asked

an artist friend of ours

to paint.

When Carol said she wanted

a painting of Bittersweet,

Lois Christensen, the artist,

about fell over her easel laughing.

WHO would want a picture of

BITTERSWEET? Lois asked.

When Carol said it was for me..

she "got it".

Hmmm...guess SHE knew I

am a tad "off-kilter", too!

Here it is! It hangs in my

foyer/hallway.

Sorry for the poor photo..sigh...

I see it several times a day

and always smile to myself.

A close up

So, when I dug out an old

Better Homes & Gardens

magazine for October

I was tickled to see an

article called

Bittersweet Romance.

I think every Fall decorating

should have a bit of

BITTERSWEET in it,

don't you?

I love this table with a

bit of bittersweet color on it.

And look at these pumpkins,

wrapped with bittersweet.

How cute are these for

place markers?

Aren't these votives sweet?

I also found a bit of

BITTERSWEET

color in the shot of this room.

Maybe just a tad

TOO MUCH

of saturated color for me!

And, where is the

BITTERSWEET here,

you ask~

Well~ It is

BITTERSWEET

that my own backyard

looks

NOTHING like that!

It is also BITTERSWEET 

that so many things have changed

over the years.

My dear brother is gone-

never to experience another

Earthly fall.

Lois Christenson is gone and has

 her easel set up somewhere

beyond this realm.

My friend, Carol, has moved away

and I miss her.

My friends, Stan & Mary, that flew in from FL

have passed over.

Life is surely

BITTERSWEET, isn't it?

And, yet, we solider on, don't we?

In a perfect world,

all the people we love would stay

safe and sound and forever young.

In this world,

we accept the reality of life and

move forward as best we can.

Just so you know that I don't mean

to make this post a downer 

(because I don't feel "down")

I will leave you with this.

Unfortunately,

I DID NOT have the

WINNING LOTTERY TICKET

in the last drawing-

so, to all those I promised to

"share the wealth with" if I won,

I apologize.

Hmmm...maybe this IS a 

BITTERSWEET DOWNER POST

after all.

Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

FRIDAY THIS N THAT-FALL IS FALLING-READY OR NOT

 I don't know about 

where you live

but I can feel

Fall in the air.

I noticed some of our trees have leaves 
that are tinged with color. 

Remember before Pinterest?

I had books-

lots and lots of 

loose leaf books.

They were full of ideas 

and things that I love.

I am digging a few of them out for 

FALL IDEAS.

Most of them came from 

Better Homes & Gardens Magazine.

Outside, I am smitten by this.

Fall is moving in 
but there is 

lots of green left.

I would love to have 

chairs and plants

that looked like this.

How about a little corner 

of the garden

decorated like this?

At the end of the day

 what could be better than 

hanging out by a firepit?

Know what else is magical 

about Fall?

A Fall Fairy Garden?

Do you remember when 

the  little girls and I
used to put together a
 Fairy Garden 

of our very own?

Here is what it looked like 
when we first made it.

Want to know how it looks 

decorated for Fall?

We let the fairies 

take care of their own garden.

Can you spot the house?

Stinking Fairies!!!!

Hope you have a 
wonderful day and 
enjoy every last moment
of pre-winter weather because
WINTER

will soon be upon us---

ready or not! 

Blessings & Love

to all the sweet

readers that follow along

with my nonsense!

YOU are THE BEST!!!

ps-Three Months Until Christmas Day

FRIDAY THIS N THAT PICK YOUR PORCH RESULTS

 FINALLY HERE!

HAVE Y'ALL BEEN HOLDING YOUR BREATH

TO SEE WHO YOU WERE GOING TO BE SITTING WITH ON

PICK YOUR FAVORITE PORCH?

READY? HERE WE GO!

OH CRAP-ER---OH SHOOT!

I FORGOT TO NUMBER THEM ON THE COLLAGE.

THEY ARE IN NUMERICAL ORDER THOUGH SO IF YOU CAN 

COUNT TO 7 YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT...

IF YOU CAN'T....WELL....GO SIT ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S PORCH--

OK-SORRY---BACK TO NICE GIRL NOW.

#1 WREATH OF MEMORIES

Here we have:

Mevely, Jan, Ellen, Kathy, Sue S & Carolyn

Now I did happen to notice there are 6 people here

and six pictures on the wreath...

is that a little weird or is it just me?

Never mind all the smart remarks...ok?

#2 RAKE READY

Karen/Beatrice, Linda K, Ginny & Faye

A small but lovely group. 

Sorry I don't have enough rakes for each of you!

#3 LEAFY WREATHY

Kim/Exquistely Unremarkable, Sandra, 

Sherry B, Tete & Sally

You know that Kim will have all them creating something, right?

Bring your glue guns gals and bandages for your fingers!

#4 OLD STONY

HOLY COW!  I need a barn to put all of you in-

not just a porch!

Carla, Laura, Betsy/Estelle, Virginia, Kay G,

Bill (hey, Bill-Ron is over on Porch #6 if you want to join him)

Deborah W, Connie, Terri D, Cheryl K, Sheri/RedRose,

Happy K,Sarah M(my old neighbor and we used to have a porch to sit on),

Marilyn M,  Laurie S & Wendy

Karen C (my new neighbor-I claim all her decoration she discards and they are GOOD ONES)

and Donna-who wants to create her own porch with bits and pieces from all of them.

#5 ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

You know---like the PRISON SHOW--sitting there are:

I think they might be in the right place. mmm-hmmm

Janie Junebug, Carol & Lady Ella.  

Now,Bless wanted to sit with

Lady Ella but picked the wrong porch. She picked #6-

 Luckily, they are close enough

that I can move her here (shove over ladies).

#6 NOT CORNY AT ALL

Another porch buster! What a crowd!

Pam S, Henny Penny, Julie/Creative, Cecilia, Jan/LowCarb

MA, Ann, Debbie B, Kristen, Lisabeth, Diane, Missy, Linda/Life & Linda

Jeanie, Debbie K and 

RON-The cocktail king--

They are all going home smashed-trust me- I know Ron!

#7 NATURALLY NEUTRAL

Aww-Some sweethearts on this porch.

(Not that ALL of you aren't sweet but----never mind)

Gay VanB, bobbie (small b-thank you), 

Donna/Made in Heaven, Dolly, Donna W/the Shabby Queen.

And then I have Beach Gypsy 

who didn't pick a porch but you 

can bet your life she will be running from porch to porch

with tambourines and bells and whatever else she can find.

Thank ALL of you for playing along.

This is always fun for me to put together.

But--back to picking tables next time...OK?!

Have a wonderful Fall Weekend!

I checked everything twice BUT 

IF I FORGOT someone let me know

and forgive me.

I have a cranky husband and dogs with zoomies tonight!

MY TRIBUTE TO 911-25 YEARS

 I had planned on publishing the results of the PICK YOUR FAVORITE PORCH today.

However, I realized it is 911 today.  My son-in-law, Glen Sherman, is a retired firefighter.

He and my daughter are at  GROUND ZERO in New York City today. I can only imagine what he must be feeling knowing that so many of his 'brothers' perished there.

I was sitting on my patio with three pups around my feet yesterday and this just came to me.

It is unedited and I did not rework it -it stands as it popped into my mind.

So bear with the mistakes and/or flaws when you find them.

I don't know why the spacing is so 'off'.  I did it in documents and then pasted it here.

Looking Back On 911

It was a perfect late summer day,

The skies were blue and clear.

No one could predict the horror

That would visit and cause fear.

The World Trade Center rose high

Majestic and solid and strong,

Workers felt safe as they entered

But they were oh-so-wrong.

The elevators took them up

With stairways they could come down,

But that would hardly suffice

When tragedy struck all around.

A terrorist plane hit the North Tower

At 8:46 September Eleven,

No one was prepared or knew

They were soon to meet their Heaven.

People on the street gaped,

The fear was just beginning, you see,

As they watched a second plane

Hit the South Tower at exactly 9:03.

Firemen and rescuers arrived

And entered the building en masse,

Sadly, they, too would perish

When everything started to crash.

As spectators all stood watching,

The towers came crashing down.

Then ran for their lives and souls,

As debris rained all around.

Airport security scrambled,

Forcing all planes from from air space,

But they could not control

Terrorists that were in a race.

A race to hit the capitol as

the Pentagon was hit with a smash,

But due to some brave passengers 

Flight 93 would end in a crash..

It crashed before hitting the White House

Taking 44 souls in its wake,

Proud Americans standing for justice

Knowing that death was their fate.

25 years ago today,

Terrorists tried to take us out.

But we stood united against them

Leaning together without a doubt.

So take a moment today,

Say a prayer for all that were lost,

Remember how proudly we stood up

Together, as one, mourning the cost.

There is an old saying I know,

That really still says it all.

I hope we can always remember it–

United we stand-divided we fall.

God Bless America!

© Diana Kosmoski 2026

COME SIT WITH ME AND PICK YOUR FAVORITE FALL PORCH

                                         Changing it up just a little from

Pick Your Favorite Table!

Hope you will play along~

I have so much fun doing these posts

and tallying up the results.

It's simple and easy.

Just pick the number of the porch you like best.

So no one's feelings are hurt these are all from

MARTHA STEWART & POTTERY BARN

AND PINTEREST.

I don't want to make this a

"that's my favorite blogger's porch" competition.

Kapeesh?

That is Polish Native American Urban talk for

UNDERSTAND?

First up!

WREATH OF MEMORIES

Pottery Barn

#2

RAKE READY

Pottery Barn

#3

LEAFY WREATHY

Pottery Barn

#4

OLD STONY

Martha Stewart

#5

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK DOOR

Pottery Barn

#6

NOT CORNY AT ALL

Source unknown

#7

NATURALLY NEUTRAL

Pinterest

So- there you go!

Pick a number from 1 to 7

ONLY ONE!

You DO remember the rules, don't you?

I will tally them up 

and give you the results next week.

Now, voting is 

NOT A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION...

but there are SOME situations like that....

especially for SPIDERS at MY HOUSE

As SweetCheeks once said to me as I was

getting out of the shower:

You look a LOT BETTER with your clothes on, Nana.

Me:  Thank you, SweetCheeks!

SC:  You're welcome!

Gotta love a kid like that!

As a little side snicker for you,

The grandgirls told me to get that

TUBING MASCARA.

They said, 

You will love it, Nana!

It doesn't flake off or run down your face.

That sounded good to me.

So I bought a tube.

I got in the shower at the end of the day

and looked down and screamed!

There were a couple of spiders

in the shower with me...

Wait---Look Closer--

Nope-

It's Tubing Mascara that comes off

in little blobs that stick together.

Never fear-

I killed them anyway!

OH! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

MAKE SURE YOU SIGN YOUR NAME

IF YOU SHOW UP AS ANONYMOUS

when you leave a comment!

THANKS!