Pumpkin Sketching Season Commences

It's pumpkin sketching season again! I've been creating notecards to mail out to people who need some encouragement, but I don't always have an image at the ready.  I want them to be quick sketches, not the more detailed sketches that I do as my daily practice.  And, of course, I want them to bring a smile.  So, this week, it's been pumpkins:

The above is a sketch with my better markers, which offer more color choices.  About a year ago, I bought a $12 set of markers, which are much brighter and less blendable, even though they came with a blending marker.  Here's a sketch which used the above as inspiration:

Here they are in the same shot:

It's also pumpkin spice season, and I've gotten tired of opening lots of jars of spices to make my oatmeal special.  So, last week, I created a pie spice blend of my own, suitable for pumpkin pies, apple pies, oatmeal, or anything that needs the warmth of these spices.

I thought I might spend the whole week-end making autumnal creations in the kitchen, but I also wanted to see what my newly created sourdough starter would do with the help of some yeast.  We made amazing bread on Saturday.  I didn't get around to making pumpkin cinnamon rolls or pumpkin bread or something with a caramel frosting or any other treats.

It's been a good week-end so far, full of sermon writing, seminary writing, sketching, and baking, along with a trip to the library and the farmer's market.  The days have been warm, the nights mild enough to sleep with the window open.

The autumnal equinox approaches, and these days will soon be gone.  I will miss them.