Allegany Reservior

This is just twenty minutes from where I live. When the kids were young we would pack a picnic and wait for dad to get home from work, hop in the car and be fishing on this lake in about a half an hour. 

Autumn quotes

River ride

I am loving my bike and today went for a four mile ride on the Allegany River trail.  

It was so gorgeous and the weather was perfect. 

Autumn colors

It’s time for fall decorating and I love the bright colors of fall. 

Playing dress up

While so much remains precarious, our style is something small we have control over. ‘It’s an empowering way to put ourselves in a better mind set.'” —Fiorella Valdesolo for The Wall Street Journal,September 5, 2020

All dressed up and no where to go.  That’s how I’ve been feeling for about six months. I’ve always loved to dress up. Nothing pleases me better than putting together a cute outfit. When I was teaching I was the matchy-matchy queen. My scarf matched my earrings, my earrings matched my necklace, and on and on. That was the style then. Now of course it is not that way and a lot of my costume jewelry never sees the light of day. It seems that dressing down is more popular than ever and if you arrive dressed up a little you are the one out of place. 

As I put my summer clothes away I noticed that there were a lot of blouses that were too dressy for everyday wear and I didn’t even wear them once during the summer. With the world at a standstill for the last six months there just wasn’t a need. But every morning where my coffee group started meeting again I try to wear something that will make me happy. Some days I put on a scarf or a necklace but I still long for the days of brooches. 

Fall is my favorite season and I loved getting out my sweaters and vests. There are scarves to be worn too.

My family

I haven’t posted pictures of my family lately. I haven’t seen them since last Christmas and the kids are really growing. Sean is twelve and Sara is ten. 

 He is and Wendy recently went to Tennessee for a visit. These are my two boys.  

A poem that spoke to my heart

I was reading the fall issue of Oprah magazine and one of my favorite columns is What I Know For Sure. In it was a poem by Harmon Rashid that sums up what I’ve been feeling. 

We fell asleep in one world and woke up I another.

Suddenly Disney is out of magic Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn’t stand up anymore, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress and Mecca is empty. 

Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love.  

Suddenly you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for.

The world containers its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it’s sending us a message:

“You are not necessary.  The air, earth, water, and sky without you are fine.  When you come back, remember that you are my guests.  Not my masters.”

We got a time out. We required a reset so we could see without obstruction what is essential. We need to heal our planet. 

Fall is here

Crisp mornings...leaves falling..yes, fall is definitely here. 

Fall weather

I know there are lots of places still having hot summer weather but in north western Pennsylvania the nights are nippy. It’s getting hard to  motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning when those blankets feel so warm. But I get up and go for a walk every day with my friend Sandy. One morning it was down to forty two. But we only walk a twenty minute mile so it wasn’t so bad. 

I’m trying to get a little bike riding in this fall before I have to put it away for the winter. Today I rode all alone for the first time on the University trail. The joy of riding outweighs the intimidation I feel riding an electric bike. I love to have the freedom to ride without the struggles of heavy pedaling. There were just a few people walking today on the trail today. 

Last night we went to my in-laws for a soup supper. Charlotte had made my very favorite soup....unstuffed pepper soup. The cheddar bay biscuits were a great accompaniment and Don’s strawberry pie was a big hit. Afterwards we played Five Crowns. It is good to enjoy some company after so many months of confinement. 

Questions

It is Wednesday and time for question prompts from This side of the Pond 

1.What's one thing you learned at the ripe old age of whatever age you are now?

I finally learned that you can’t change people and just to let them live their own lives without my interference. Let them row their own boat...as a wise friend once told me.  

2. Do you know any foods that can help you look younger?

  No, I wish I did because I’d eat a bushel of them. 

3. Something you miss from the 'good old days'? When were the good old days anyway?

I miss how you could just drop by your friend’s house unannounced and sit and visit. Now I feel I have to call first and give them a heads up.  

4. What are two or three of the most rewarding things to be found in growing older?

You feel more at peace. Little annoyances don’t bother you as much.  You are more content. You have longtime friends who have supported you for years. You don’t try so hard to be liked by everyone. 

5. What's your favorite part of your life right now?

I am learning to enjoy being at home more. Since Covid I haven’t been traveling. I have found home activities to be extremely satisfying. 

Sunflower time

Today I started decorating for fall. With a low temperature this morning of 38 when I got up a Fall is certainly in the air. This year I decided to use restraint when getting out the decorations. I wanted to see if I could simplify. I’m not the kind of gal who can just hang a wreath on the door and call it done but I do think that I’m beginning to get the idea that if you don’t put so much out you don’t have so much to put away.  
I began with a new theme for my mantle. It started with a picture I picked up at a consignment store at my sister’s town in North Carolina. It had sunflowers in a blue and white vase. Perfect for me. I added two sunflower pictures I had painted and vases full of sunflowers. 

Fall

Do you believe in magic?

I believe in magic. Subtle, everyday magic. Each morning before I give myself a chance to to doubt otherwise, I smile knowing that this day is laced with wonders, and it’s my plan to focus on finding them.”

– “Mining Magic” by Suzanne Robbins, 

I believe that magic is all around but you have to look in the right direction to see it. Sometimes you have to seek it out. If you do the same thing stay after day maybe you won’t ever find it. You have to be willing to have an adventure.

That is what happened today. I asked my friend Sandra if she would like to take her bike and ride with me. We travel to a nearby town because I knew a place that had a walking trail. It is behind the University in Olean New York. The trail winds its way along the river and it is pavedwith just a few low hills. I was able to put my new bike in the back of my van. When we got there I unloaded it and put a few things like water in the new basket. And so we took off. It was such a wonderful time traveling on the bike. I pedal the bike when I wanna do and when I didn’t are use the pedal assist to push me along. It’s the perfect way to ride a bike at my age. I get all the enjoyment of a bike ride with less effort. We rode 5 miles and I was very proud of myself. Afterwords we stopped at a store so Sandy could get some paint brushes for her new paint by number kits. Then we stopped at a farmers market for Apple. It is that season. Next we had lunch at Sprague’s .  It was a magical day. Riding along the river was so peaceful I did enabled me to get out and enjoy a beautiful fall day.

Kayaking

Football is back!

I was really doubtful that football games would be played this year. WTH the virus raging I wondered how they would manage but tonight was the first game of the season. And it’s one of my favorite teams...the Chiefs. With all the changes Covid has made in my life I am happy to have a night of fall normal. 

I had a wonderful birthday weekend. Chris and Wendy came up for a visit. They had asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I told them that I wanted to go on a picnic. So Saturday we went over to Allegany State Park. WE made it a simple picnic by stopping by Tasta Pizza and getting a few subs. I took drinks and chips and we had a simple picnic. It was a very cool day so we had to wear sweatshirts. The park wasn’t very crowded. I had asked Chris to bring their bikes and I put mine in the the back of the van. So we went for a ride. Then Chris decided we should ride around the lake. Now you must remember that I have only been riding on my new electric bike for a few weeks and maybe had only ridden eight times. Chris led and Wendy rode behind me. Chris rode very fast. I had no trouble keeping up with him just using the power button on my bike. But I was not experienced in riding that fast. Almost twenty miles an hour. I had to concentrate in order not to have an accident. We wizzed over the bike paths and in no time at all we were back in the picnic area. I will not be riding that fast again. I do love my new bike. I have been taking it down on the University trail and riding with my friend. 

On Sunday I had a cook out at my house with my in-laws. It was the first time all year that I have had company at the house.  There has been no one here except Chris and Wendy and occasionally some of Don’s friends. With Don’s health concerns I was afraid to have anyone here. It was a beautiful perfect day and we ate outside then sat and talked all day. It was so good to have people here. just like a Norma day. 

When we do some normal things it seems strange. We have been so very careful just staying home. I wonder how much longer this virus is going to continue. 

Tomorrow I am having my coffee friend up to the house to play marbles. I’m making individual trifles so today I made and angel food cake. I’ve also put a few outdoor things away now. I took down the curtains on the breezeway and took some metal decorations down to the basement. I am transitioning to the fall season now. I always love getting out the fall decorations from the basement. I am wondering this year if I really want to put so much out. Maybe I will try to keep it simpler But when I open the bins and see all the pretties it is like Christmas. 

Are you getting anxious for fall?

Wednesday Hodgepodge

At a blog called This side of the Pond there is a series of blogging questions called Hodgepodge Wednesday where she poses a few random questions for bloggers to answer. Since during this time of Covid there isn’t a lot to blog about I thought I would try a few. If you like you can give me answers in the comment section. 

1. Tell us one thing you’re looking forward to in September. 

      I always love the fall and for this year I am looking forward to cooler weather. Our summer has been extremely hot, a lot more than we have ever been used to, and I will enjoy the nice weather of fall. I also look forward to our birthday month. My two sisters and I all have birthdays in September. We always get together and exchange presents. This will be the first year that we will all stay at home. 

2. Do you enjoy browsing second hand shops? What was something you bought or “inherited” second hand?

I love going to shops like Goodwill or antique shops. it is fun to find a little treasure that once belonged to someone else but you love to bring it home and put it in your house. I haven’t been to many places like that this year because of the pandemic but I did stop at Goodwill locally and picked up a treasure. I have some small pressed or cut glass small bowls. I love to use them for just about anything...ice cream, snacks, etc. 

3.  What’s a product or service you use that you’d rate as second to none?

     That has to be Amazon. I have depended on them for so much during this time of quarantine. They are fast and usually have everything I need. And I love streaming movies too. 

 4. Something you do so often or that comes so naturally to you it’s second nature?

         I guess playing the piano would come to mind. No matter how long it is that I stay away from playing when I sit down my fingers remember what keys to hit. I recently got some new piano books that have the most beautiful arrangements of contemporary songs. Sometimes I even amaze myself when that gorgeous music comes from my hands. 

Another book down

I have been so happy since our library opened up again. You have to make an appointment to go in and pick out a book or you can call and they will reserve your book choice for you. As you might know I like a stack of books to choose from and once I start one I can’t put it down until it’s finished. 

My latest read is We were Liars by e. Lockhart. I have seen this on the best sellers list for a while. It is a Young Adult book but don’t let that stop you from a good read. There is a secret happening just below the surface and you spend the whole book trying to guess what has happened. The ending is really a surprise. 

We Were Liars focuses on the theme of self-acceptance, family morals, and the possibly-deadly consequences of one's mistakes. It is centered on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer gathered on their private island. However, not every summer is the same—when something happens to Cadence during the summer of her fifteenth year, the four "Liars" (Cadence, Johnny, Gat and Mirren) re-emerge two years later to prompt Cadence to remember the incident.

On another note I finally rode my bike again today. I got an electric bike a few weeks ago. But my handlebars slipped while I was starting out one day and I fell on my knee. It wasn’t hurt too bad but it was scraped and bruised. It took Don a while to try to fix the bars. We took the part to Chris (my development and design engineer) who declared that the part was not designed well. He took the same part off one of his old bicycles and it worked perfectly. So today was the first time I took it out. I managed to get it in the back of my Pacifica van and take it to the University trail. I met my friend Sandy and we rode the whole trail which is mostly on the flat. Now I am waiting for a basket and fenders that I ordered. I love the electric bike which gives you a boost of power to help you up the hills. 

98 years

Happy birthday to Don’s stepmother who turned ninety eight years old on August 31. She still lives at home and is very mentally sharp. The family got together for a dinner and pie to celebrate. 

Family photos were taken.

We are very lucky to have all of them in our lives.