Weekly update: wrapping up September, part 1

 The  GFWC-Illinois Tenth District celebrated its 125th anniversary on Wednesday with a festive fundraising luncheon.  Attendees were asked to bring a new or gently-used purse and to tuck a surprise inside.  The purses were auctioned. 

A gift card?  A scarf and necklace? A bottle of wine?  Some of the surprises were carefully concealed and others peeked out.  

I brought the turquoise sequined evening bag (embellished with bright flower to conceal two missing sequins).   The card inside said, "See Nann to get your quilt." 

 The auction raised over $1200.  

The Clara Cummings Book Club luncheon on Thursday featured Lynn Rymarz as Lady Randolph Churchill, the American-born mother of Winston Churchill. She was quite a woman!  Lynn's presentation was based on Lady Churchill's memoir published in 1908.  I've seen many of Lynn's roles and I enjoy her ability to bring these famous women to life.  (Lynn is a P.E.O. sister, too.)

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A string of glorious early-fall days called for afternoon walks. 

Left: fringed gentian, sumac, the lake.   Coneflower seed head, orangefruit horse gentian (a new one for me), white sagebrush aka western mugwort, late-season black-eyed Susan. 

There are mushrooms popping up in lawns, gardens, and the forest floor.   

The one at the top left is about 15" across!  (It's a bracket polypore.)

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It's apple season!

Stevens with Susan, the proprietor of a local farm stand.  Susan drives 135 miles to southwestern Michigan every Saturday evening to get apples at Twin Maples Orchard.  

The Anderson Orchard on the northwest corner of the township is small and mighty.  Joan has opened her shop.  I got more apples and some honey.  (She presses all the cider, too.) 

Next post:  quilting roundup.