The Iron Diva: October 2026

Getting outside....

Autumn is still arguing with summer for custody of the weather, but the changing flower beds around town are certainly putting me in fall mode. Though the other blooms have faded, the red coleus is glowing in the flower beds in Belmar. Outside the medical center on Union, the landscape crew has planted pansies (my favorite cold weather flower). I'd never seen Moth Orchids before, so I snapped this photo before I went in for an appointment.

A cool experience...

Speaking of my appointment. I had my annual mammogram at the Women's Imaging Center. This is the first year that they had goody bags for all of the patients (at least that I remember). I know it's breast cancer awareness month, but I have my exam every October, so this felt special to me. My test is a simple screening that I firmly believe will be fine, but what about those who came in and heard the opposite? While these gifts made me smile, I hope they truly encourage faith and hope in those who need it to keep fighting.

Favorite quote(s) of the week...

Prayer is like an automobile: you do not have to understand anything about the inner workings for it to get you somewhere. - Richard J. Foster, Devotional Classics, p. 113.

There are some who believe that when we turn to God we ought to leave our brains behind us. True, they will soon be left behind by necessity if we go far on the road towards God who is above all reason and all knowledge, for the Spirit swiftly overpasses these imperfect instruments. But those whose feet are still firmly planted upon earth gain nothing by anticipating this moment when reason is left behind; they will not attain the depths of prayer by the mere annihilation of their intelligence. - Evelyn Underhill, qtd. in Devotional Classics, p. 96.

I believe that cocaine is God's way of saying, "You're making too much money." - Robin Williams

I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable. Dolly Parton

I'm thinking about...

I'm considering trying a new Friday prompt when I'm not posting First Line Friday or Five Minute Friday posts.
I'm wondering if there's something wrong with me because I don't find the typical ASMR sounds relaxing. Things like whispering and tapping on items (especially with long acrylic nails) grates my nerves.
Compiling a fall bucket list.

What I've read since my last digest...

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite ✮✮✮✮
On the Incarnation by Athanasius of Alexandria ✮✮✮✮
Unspoken Sermons: Series 3 by George MacDonald ✮1/2
Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Corduroy by Don Freeman ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Corduroy Lost and Found by B. G. Hennessy ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Corduroy Takes a Bow by Viola Davis ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman ✮✮✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit).
A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Guyon ✮✮✮1/2