Finally the fall

The leaves are finally falling. It has been a strange Autumn here in western Pennsylvania. We haven’t had the beautiful color that we are famous for. In fact some of the trees still are full with green leaves. 

This morning we had our second frost and the weather is turning colder. It is time now to snuggle inside. I spent the day working on turning my blog for 2010 into a book. Now I just have 2011 and 2018 and all of my blog will have been converted to paper. I wanted to have my journals in a form that someday my grandchildren might want to read.  I have been blogging since 2006 and was afraid that someday Blogger might not exist and all my words and pictures would be lost. If you ever want to make a book I recommend Bookemon which makes it easy. 

Chris and Wendy

What a cute picture of Chris and Wendy. This romance is only five weeks old and she lives four hours away from him but they have managed to see each other quite a bit. They instantly hit it off when they met and have so much in common. She even knew the words to his favorite song from his favorite band, she is musical, religious, mature, They are getting along so well. This picture was taken at one of Chris’ favorite places, an overlook. I am so happy they found each other. 

Acrylic pour

Do you like abstracts? I’ve never been much for them but I wanted to try out a new art technique called acrylic pour. So I signed up for a one night course at the University of Pittsburgh. It was fun to mix three cups of acrylic paint and add silicone drops, water and a paint thinner. That was mixed into a red solo cup and then poured on top of a canvas. This is what I got with the colors I choose. 

Pay attention

   What you pay attention to thrives, and what you ignore or let go of fades away.” – Wendy Wolf. From “Feeding the Wolf,” Bella Grace Issue 11.                                                                 

One advantage of being older I have discovered is that you know yourself better. My younger years were ones of discovery, searching, trying things out. It was finding what works and what doesn’t. How to be successful and how to fail. I think that is what life is. There were challenges to overcome, paths to go down. Then I found myself going down the same road again and enjoying it. Gradually I found the roads that brought me pleasure and those I really didn’t care for. After I retired I really came to know those things that I truly are passionate about....family, photography, blogging, art, travel and found ways to add more of that in my life. It makes my life richer by paying attention to those things that make me happy.

My happy summer place

Out the window

The hummingbirds are gone so it’s time to bring the feeder in. We love feeding them all summer long since we don’t dare put out birdseed in the summer.  It’s the bear you see. We have one ...or more, who knows, that takes a night walk right through our property. He used to go right down our yard and across the breezeway until we tried to deter him with a fence. He has broken down the fence numerous times but I think he has finally learned to change his path. Now he goes on the other side of the garage. Once in a while we see muddy paw prints on our driveway. If we have seed in the feeder he just destroys it. We have to wait until the weather gets cold enough for him to hibernate. Then we can enjoy the winter birds. 

Saturday nine

 I was visiting around the web and discovered 

Saturday 9 where the blogger chooses a song and then posts nine questions for you to answer. I thought I would give it a try. 

Saturday 9: Treat You Better (2016)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

 
This song was chosen because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please share this information about The National Domestic Violence Hotline. Let's spread the word that there's help out there.

1) In this song, a young man advises his neighbor to stop wasting her time with a guy who makes her cry. What is something you regret wasting time on? (It doesn't have to be a romance.)

I try not to waste my time but I guess standing in line at the grocery store is the biggest waste. I try to be patient but find it’s tested when the lady two ahead of me has to have a price check. LOL

2) Much of this video takes place in a very sparely-decorated apartment. Because Shawn Mendes and the girl he’s singing to both appear young, it’s easy to assume they are both in their first apartments. Tell us about the first place you ever rented.

I have only rented a home one time when we were very first married. It was a whole house on South Avenue. We stayed there just a few years until we could afford our first small home. The thing I remember most about that place is getting our first colored television set and watching Laugh IN.

3) It's clear he can hear his neighbors' conversations and arguments through the walls. Are your neighbors quiet? Do you consider yourself a quiet neighbor? I live in a very quiet neighborhood off a Main Street. There are hardly any cars on our street. From my kitchen window I can see a cemetery (so that’s quiet...LOL). 



4) This song received a lot of attention and airplay because it was used in a Southwest Airline commercial. When you last visited an airport, were you traveling yourself or meeting someone?
The last air trip I took was from the Harrisburg airport with my son Chris and Scott. We rented a house in Orlando and Ryan and family came. We had a fantastic week. 

5) This week's artist, Shawn Mendes, was a serious skateboarder during his high school years. Sam has never even set foot on a skateboard. How about you? 

You’ve got to be kidding. 
 
6) Shawn is happy eating cold cereal with milk for every meal -- breakfast, lunch and dinner. He prefers cereal with almonds in it. What about you? Do you have a favorite cereal?

I’m old fashioned and love a bowl of Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes before bedtime. 

7) He says he started eating cereal beyond breakfast because it's convenient, and it helps him avoid "junk food" when he's in a hurry. Do you often order your food "to go?"

Not often at all.  Rarely we will pick up pizza. 

8) In 2016, when this song was popular, a German shorthaired pointer named CJ won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show. Is there a dog who holds a special place in your heart?

Of course it’s our Sadie.

9) And this week, we're trying a random fill in the blank: I wish someone would create an app that ___let me put videos into my blog a little easier. __________________________________.
 

The season for flowers is over

On Wednesdays we have coffee at the Lighthouse, a local restaurant and as the summer progresses we can watch the flowers grow along the sidewalk that runs in front of it. These pictures were taken a while ago as the sunflower became too heavy to hold its head up.
This weekend was rather quiet as I stayed home and did those little chores that wait for you. One big chore is getting the winter clothes down from the attic and hanging them in the closet, meanwhile taking the summer shirts away. It is a process and takes quite a long time. I have discovered that I have too many clothes. I used to love to shop and almost every time I went to a great store I would buy a top or two. That snowballed into having a rack full of shirts, too many vests and jackets, and having drawers just too full. As I try to week out I find it hard to let go. Even though I don’t always wear everything in a season I like the idea of having that many choices. I have always loved to dress up and find it fun to pull together an outfit in the morning even though I am just meeting my friends for coffee. But I haven’t bought any new clothes for quite a while now and don’t plan on it. I will be content with just what I have knowing I have plenty to wear. I am hoping the recent diet I’ve been on will allow me to buy smaller size clothes in the spring.  Wouldn’t that be fun?

I’m not the only one getting ready for winter

Can you see the little fellow gathering seeds and nuts for the winter. Almost every morning while Don is having his coffee this little guy comes up the driveway to go into the back yard where we have a huge oak tree. He scurries around reminding us that nature has a way of preparing us for the coming season. Our temperatures will be lower next week and tomorrow the high is predicted to be 38. Yes, 38. Yikes. This weather has an effect on us too. Don is going room by room and closing the air conditioning ceiling vents. We don’t want any of our precious heat whooshing into the attic. There are a few more chores we need to get done outside such as put a tarp over the air conditioning unit and drain some water lines. At this time of year I get a nesting instinct and begin to clean deeply each room. I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend after such a busy week. I got my flu shot,  went out to lunch with a friend, had my art lesson, had dinner at Sprague’s last night, visited Don’s stepmother, and went to the class on communicating with spirit. A nice quiet dinner at home and finishing my book are on my agenda.....after I bring my winter clothes out.

Buttoning up

Don and I spent the morning buttoning up for winter. We gathered all the lawn statuary, drained the fountains, and tarped everything for the winter onslaught. I cut back the peonies, brought in the rosemary from the herb garden to dry, and pulled up the impatience I dumped a pot of geraniums which were still blooming away. We had our first frost this morning. When Chris comes next weekend he will put the swing in the shed for us.  

  Today is the first Literary Club meeting for me this year. I missed the opening luncheon while I was away.  It is such an enjoyable group. 

Do you believe in mediums?

Last night Don and I went to Jamestown Community College in Jamestown NY to take a one night seminar titled Recognizing Spiritual Contact. The lecturer, Willa White, has been a registered medium for sixteen years and resides at Lily Dale, a spiritual community near Jamestown. I have been to Lily Dale two times. It is famous for the abundance of mediums who gather there in the summer and offer all kinds of classes as well as readings. I got a reading once but was very dissatisfied with it as she didn’t give me any specifics. I am skeptical and I need them to tell me something that no one else could possibly know. When I had a reading from Judy in Cuba she told me many details like names and places that she could never have known. Lily DAle is an interesting place. They gather visitors together in the afternoon and each medium comes out and does a quick five or ten minute reading to the audience. 

   Willa was a delightful, energetic, and funny woman who talked about her gift and how she uses it. She talked about the different ways that spirit can make themselves know and some of the audience members told stories of contacts that they had. However I didn’t feel like I learned any new information. 

   Don and I had dinner at the Red Lobster where he always enjoys the shrimp feast. On the way home it was drizzling snow when we got to Bradford. But this morning I notice that it still hasn’t frosted the ground yet. Our leaves are still green and hanging on the trees. It looks so strange to see them green this late in the year. 

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper - Shallow (A Star Is Born)

A STAR IS BORN

Go immediately to see this movie! I can’t say enough about A Star Is Born starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Who knew that Bradley could sing? And take all the things you thought you knew about Lady Gaga and just call her Stephanie and watch her Oscar worthy performance. This is the third remake of an old story of a fading music star and a new young girl who makes it big but this is the best one yet. From the first guitar licks and rock and roll song by Bradley to the last tear jerking song by Gaga this movie will have you in the palm of its hand all the way. It is by far the best movie I have seen in a long, long time.

Did I mention that the music written by the two stars is absolutely phenomenal?

It’s a great love story that mesmerizes you all the way through. 

Yard sale

There comes a time when you realize you have too much stuff.  I’ve been at that place for a few years now and knew it was time to let go. I also helped the process by not buying a lot to bring into the house. I loaded up my van last week and brought things to Linda’s to have a yard sale.  I had nothing compared to amount of stuff she was letting go of. We spent all week in the heat and humidity carrying things in the van from her basement up to the carport. 

We thought we had a nice selection of glassware, bakeware, dishes, oak furniture and many holiday decorations. 

But what we didn’t count on was a hurricane. Michael made its way up to Fredericksburg and it started to rain on Thursday afternoon. 

Things were safe under the carport...or so we thought until the wind came along with the rain blowing right through all the tables.   We rushed to cover them using a roll of plastic sheeting that Linda had.  All night the rain fell and the wind blew hard. We feared that in the morning we would find things blown down but were surprised that most everything fared well. The books which were covered did get damp but that was all. 

In the morning we woke up before daylight to put some of the things out in the yard. We had the sale for two days. Like all yard sales the customers came in bunches then there would be a lull before more arrived.  Diane is coming up next week with her sale stuff and they are going to do it again.  I’ll be going home tomorrow.  This is the longest Don and I have been apart since I went to Europe and I think he is missing me. It is lonely for him without s.adie there to keep him company. 

I’ve had a great visit with my sisters. 

A common life

As The Years Pass, I Am Coming More And More To Understand That It Is The Common, Everyday Blessings Of Our Common Everyday Lives For Which We Should Be Particularly Grateful. They Are The Things That Fill Our Lives With Comfort And Our Hearts With Gladness -- Just The Pure Air To Breathe And The Strength To Breath It; Just Warmth And Shelter And Home Folks; Just Plain Food That Gives Us Strength; The Bright Sunshine On A Cold Day; And A Cool Breeze When The Day Is Warm.”

― Laura Ingalls Wilder, Writings To Young Women From Laura Ingalls Wilder

This darling shop was on the way to Diane’s.  Such a sweet cottage. 

Vacation

If I look like I’m having fun you are right.  Linda and I are in the back of Diane’s boat going to see some of the house tour homes by boat. It was a perfect day for a boat ride when the wind was blowing you around but when we stopped it was baking hot.  To top that off we had a steep climb up stairs, steps and banks to get to these final houses. It was a rough climb and add to that eighty six degrees of heat and I thought I was having heat stroke.  Luckily on the way home we stopped at a Mexican bar for a drink and nachos where I got cooled off.  

We also stopped by boat at Jeff’s brother’s lake house in the process of being built.  

What a fun weekend.  

Yeah fall.

The last blooms of summer.  We still haven’t had a frost so this hydrangea is still blooming.  Becky, should I cut it back after it frosts. And do you think it will be ok in the pot all winter?  ...Becky is my garden geru.  

Sad

I don’t mean to make you sad so if you want to you can just skip this post. We have lost our baby, our best friend. I am suffering physically from the loss.  The stress during these last few weeks has caused an outbreak of lichen plantus in my mouth. It’s an autoimmune disease that I have suffered with for quite a few years but was in remission. It causes raw sores and redness to appear in my cheeks which are painful. I called the dentist this morning and got antibiotics, a numbing mouthwash and a treatment for it. That should work. The brave face that I have been putting on the outside cracked. We will be all right but we will take the time we need to grieve. This post is a tribute to Sadie…so much more than just a dog. (that isn’t Sadie but it looks like her).