Festival Season

 When Fall arrives so does festival season.  Festivals, craft shows, county fairs, you name it and we have it. We skipped the fair this year but managed to make a quick stop at a little Amish festival that featured log home building.  Forgetting my phone and camera had me bummed.  Jack's phone took the pics but my computer wouldn't download them so no go with that fun stop.  The temps this week have fallen into the crisp, cool, and lovely range for going to outdoor events. This weekend is Jack's 50th high school reunion. He went last night to a meet and greet and then to the homecoming football game.  I sat that one out and did outside work here at the Pines instead.  Sitting in the bleachers on a chilly night isn't on my fun scale but I know he enjoyed it and meeting with old classmates again. Tonight is a gathering again but it's indoors and that's one I'll go for!  My 50th is also this year but it's next month and I decided not to make the trip to Chicago at this time.  One of the festivals cancelled last year was on for this year and this weekend so we decided to head down to Malabar Farm State Park for the activities.  We've gone many times in the past and enjoyed the vendors, the outdoor reenactments of  Civil War and Revolutionary War. There were many vendors selling all kinds of things from crafts to food. This time I did have my phone so I was able to capture the moments. 

Malabar Farm was the home of Louis Bromfield. He was an author and conservationist and won a Pulitzer Prize for one of his novels.(That's Jack on the bench..not Louis! Ha!)  He was a good friend of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall who got married at Malabar.  I even went on a ghost hunt at Malabar! But today it was just walking around and enjoying a Fall morning and seeing the sights.

The front steps to the "Big House" as it's called. Very pretty with all it's flowers.

All the mums looked lovely too.

One of the tents set up in the camping area where the folks doing the reenactments stay. Hmmm....looks like lunch is roasting on the spit! 

Music can be heard all over and this man sure played a mean bagpipe!

The costumes were really well done.  I know folks put a lot of money and time into being realistic for these activities.

Of course Jack usually meets somebody he knows! This gentleman's wife used to work in Jack's Chiropractic office.  He also does Civil War reenactments. 

Beware of getting lost in the woods...you never know who'll you'll run into!

Perhaps you'll find Abe Lincoln checking out the troops.

It would be more fun to find the smokehouse where the hams are getting ready for tasting!  As you would expect, the air smells heavenly with all the campfires and food cooking outdoors.

Here's another home at Malabar. It has a famous history also.  Of course it's also haunted. It the Ceely Rose house and she murdered her family.  I learned all about her on my ghost hunt a few years ago! 

You can go from one end of the farm to the other by horse drawn wagons.  We walked down to the vendors but took a nice ride back since it was all uphill from there!

Speaking of vendors....many crafters were featured and I had to snap a pic of these hooked rugs for my "hooker" blog buddies! There were tons of wool to buy and many patterns also. I know they would have enjoyed this booth!

This farm/State Park is beautiful.  The area around here is super beautiful when the leaves are changed. It was a fun morning and although I didn't buy much we did enjoy our time today.

My big purchase?  A little witch named "Agnes".  She was only $5! A steal, right?  She'll fit right in my Halloween witch collection.  We had a nice lunch outdoors and then headed for home.  The day just was perfect to start our Fall adventures as Jack would say. I made a pumpkin pie after we got home and that just seals the deal for that "Fall" smell throughout the house!  Have a good weekend everyone!

 The hot and humid have returned.  I looked back at my blog from last year and we were much cooler in September with even a bit of frost.  Looks like this will be a warmer Fall as the days ahead seem filled with 80de. temps.   The warmer temps had me outdoors this morning early before it got too hot so I could catch up on weeding.  I complain about not feeling like my old self since my surgeries but in the Sping I had to hire the Amish kiddos to come and weed.  So I'm happy I can get it done myself now.  It might take me longer but what do I have to do anyway?  Well, I have kept busy.

I did a little painting in our little master bath. A bright shade of pale yellow and painted the vanity white. I still have a few other projects here but I like the new color.

Canning the garden produce has kept me busy too.  I'm getting a bit tired of the tomatoes but I know come winter I will sure miss the fresh off the vine goodness!  I've made spaghetti sauce this year and I need to tweak the recipe a bit.  But it will be a good base for those Fall and Winter dishes.  I was able to make a batch of applesauce from the apples on our tree but we also took a trip the orchard. 

They were just getting ready for "pick your own" time.  I'm not interested in that anymore. I'll just pick my selection from the store thank you!  Mums were out for sale and other things like squash and even sunflowers.

This is the first year I've seen them grow sunflowers.  Very pretty!

The apples from the orchard were good but I had enough of our own apples to make sauce as well as a dish my Mom always made in the Fall.  She called them "apple slices"...like a giant apple pie but it has a glaze on it and you cut it into squares...or I guess you could call them "slices".

It makes a good amount in the sheet cake pan and I was able to take some to my BFF Donna as well as sending some to Jack's office for his staff. Not good to have these around if one is trying not to eat sweets!

This Sunday I did a little volunteering for the Cancer Society.  There was a fund raiser at the Fairgrounds and I helped at the tables that were selling raffle tickets for baskets.

Here's my good friend Gayle! We had a nice afternoon doing a good deed for pediatric cancer patients and their families. 

Tuffy the  Ashland University mascot was there so I made..I mean asked...Gayle to pose. It was hot on Sunday and I don't know how that guy kept his cool all afternoon!

There were other booths and fun things for the kiddos to do.  Food trucks and music made it a nice way to raise funds and for families to enjoy the time. 

I always get a new figurine every Fall from the Lori Mitchell collection of her cute trick or treaters. I've been joking that I will go as the bride of Frankenstein for Halloween since I have so many scars from my surgeries.  So I thought getting this little bride of Frankie was a good idea!

Finally, a walk in the garden had me watching butterflies on the sedum.  A peaceful way to end the week.

Not So Long Ago

 September is a little over a week old and as a country we are remembering the events of this day 20yrs ago.  Time has not taken away the memories of what I watched on TV that beautiful Tuesday morning, 9/11/2001, or the fear and sadness I felt.  Although we had no members of our families in any of the places that were terrorized that day, I felt as if all those people were my family. I felt shell shocked at the devastation and watched endless news reports as they searched for victims and I listened to the stories of the survivors.  I've done that almost every year since and especially today when so many memorials were being held and televised.  I know that in September, 2001, just as we had moved to Whispering Pines and were looking forward to making new memories here, the rest of that year seemed tainted somehow.  Much of the joy of my favorite season had dimmed.  We went on that year and celebrated holidays with family and friends as usual but always in the back of my mind it felt a bit hollow. However, I was heartened by the way our country pulled together. How prayer and God became more important.  How political divisions didn't matter.  We as Americans were fighting back.  We honored the people who died that day.  We revered the police, firefighters, medical personnel, and others who risked and lost their lives saving others. We've built monuments, made what was devastation into holy ground. Today was one of remembering as the events of that day were shown on TV.  Survivors, family members of those lost and the nation again shared tears, prayers and togetherness,  I wish that feeling of being one as a country could last. Even as we are divided by our feelings about the pandemic, political leaders,  police and other issues, this is still the best country in the world.  I will stand by and love America even with all it's imperfections. Every one of us can make a difference by being kinder, more patient with each other.  Everyone is trying to figure out life in their own way and everyone has troubles we don't know about.  So today I again remember and again will say: "God Bless America"...and I will pray that He will continue to do so.  Amen

Hello September

 September 1st.  As we slip out of Summer and ease into Fall the first few weeks give us just a taste of the season that is beloved by many...including me.  The air takes on a different feel and the foliage starts to slowly turn colors.  The gardens quiet down and the canning season winds up.  I  think September is like a new coloring book just waiting for Mother Nature to get out her crayons and fill in the blanks.  The end of August brought us sadness as we said goodbye to our little Arnie.  But it also brought smiles as Jack and I celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary yesterday.  

Jack surprised me with a lovely bouquet of red roses. I love them! I felt bad that I didn't get him anything until he  pointed out the Halloween Oreos I just brought home from the store.  Gotta love a man who doesn't ask for much!  A quiet dinner out was a nice way to end the day. Happy Anniversary Babe!  Today we went to the funeral of a good friend.  We met him and his family at  our Church right after we moved here in 1977.  We have a lot of memories of our time with him and family over the years.  He'd been struggling with his health the past few years and was in lots of pain and we know he's gone on to a happier and restful place. We helped with the luncheon afterwards and were very ready to head home and rest a bit!  After a simple supper I took my camera and headed to the woods.  Our temps have cooled down so nicely and the humidity has left.  Temps in the 50's will have the windows open tonight.  Here are a few pics of this golden month with the blank coloring book just getting started to be  filled in with color.

The buckeye tree is usually the first to start to turn. The red leaves do stick out next to that buckeye.

Up closer to the Creepy Woods these trees are already shedding some leaves.

The view from the back! 

Along the paths in the woods you'll find black walnuts...careful where you step or you could go sliding!

It is a lovely path to follow.  I enjoy taking these quiet walks before I get chased out by the mosquitoes! All that has happened here at home and all over the world can make one sad and feel like nothing is going right.  But I can't deny the beauty of the day.  The beauty of the seasons changing.  The knowledge that all is not lost or bad.  Good people abound.  We will see those we love who have passed away again someday...including all our pets who have gone to heaven.  My walk had me stopping at the fence to see a new member of our neighbor's alpaca family:

Momma and Daddy and new baby. I don't know her name...or maybe it's a he?  Anyway, super cute like all babies are and proof that life goes on and sometimes we have to just hang in there and smile.

RIP Arnold

 This morning we had to make the hard decision to let our Arnie go to the rainbow bridge.  There I hope he finds Ferris, Eddy, and Chubbs waiting.  Arnold had struggled this summer and this weekend he couldn't walk and had that far away look in his eyes. Even dinner time didn't excite him and that little dude lived for his meals.  We knew when we rescued a senior dog we wouldn't have him for a long time, but we will treasure the 3 years we did have and hope it gave him a good life in the end.  He loved car rides, and the drive thru if french fries were involved, and sitting close to Jack at any meal because he knew he would get a treat.  One that just "accidently" fell on the floor.  He was a good traveler and we enjoyed taking him with us on our trips to Chicago.  RIP Arnie...our hearts are broken on this rainy Monday.  

Rae will be so sad today.

Jack will miss his napping buddy.

 

Goodbye sweet boy. 

Killer Tomatoes..And Peppers..And Green Beans

Remember the cheesy old movie "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes"?  It's so stupid it's funny.  Anyway, I kept hearing the theme song from that flick while preparing our harvest of tomatoes for canning.  I came home from Chicago and Jack had lovingly picked them and had them waiting patiently for me.

I lined them up so nicely.  Romas and then the bigger ones...(I can't remember their proper names!)  I call them killer because of their "killer"..ie fabulous..taste!  The Romas got made into spaghetti sauce and the others were canned or eaten.  Nothing better than a fresh tomato from the garden with a little salt thrown on!  Or maybe a tomato sandwich?  However you like them I'll be preparing them.  See those cute green peppers in the green bowl? Underneath those cuties were also green beans.

The peppers got made into stuffed peppers or sliced for the freezer for use on another day. A little spag sauce in the middle.  How about those green beans? I know you want to know!

The beans made it into jars and soon will line the shelves.  I know it's much easier to  head to the store and buy produce in cans or frozen.  I still do that too but there's something about growing your own and "putting it up" as the saying goes.  There must be many other wanabee farmers out there because finding jar lids is like a treasure hunt going store to store.   I finally found some at our local hardware store.  They were up at the registers and you were only allowed to purchase 2 boxes at a time.  We do live in an Amish community but I've never had a problem getting lids until last year.  Folks probably figure you'd better grow your own food incase there's another run at the grocery store.  Still can't grow toilet paper though! (No more Sears catalogs either! Ha!)  So this is my first run of the harvest season. Our produce has done well and we'll give a high five to the Alpaca poop from our neighbors. That stuff is amazing and it doesn't even stink!  Canning and freezing will be on my list of  "to dos" for the next month.  We'll savor the fresh tomatoes while we can.  Winter will have us dreaming of them soon!  Just so you know I didn't spend all weekend with veggies, here's a pic of a new cake recipe:

It's a bundt cake that's a take off of one of my families favorites...Texas Sheet Cake.  Jack said this cake looked like Texas Sheet Cake's little brother!  The frosting is the killer here.  When I make the sheet cake I always double the frosting so I did the same here after Jack test tasted it and said it needed the same treatment.  I'm taking half  of it to my son's house tomorrow.  We'll see if it gets 2 thumbs up! 

Chillin' In Chitown

 I drove to Chicago on Wednesday so I could be here to help my sister who had surgery on Thursday.  I'm holding the fort down and taking care of her dog, Hope.  The surgery went well and she's coming home today. They told her 3-5 days but she was doing so good she could leave earlier than planned.  Dialysis had to be done today before she could leave so it makes her homecoming a little later.  I'll probably be heading home on Wednesday if she's doing well. I miss Jack and Arnold.  Hope has been a good pup, but I'm not used to young, energetic dogs since we've rescued senior dogs the last few years. But she's does have here chill mode too!

My sister had a beautiful fence put in this past week.

It encloses the back yard and besides looking great it's good for Hope to run all she wants!

Many neighbors have stopped and complicated her fence and yard. This is the house we grew up in and although it's 70 yrs old this year it's been very well taken care of between Mom when she was living and my sister who's lived here and took care of Mom for 13 years. So, that's all I have for now. The weather has improved since all the crazy storms and even a tornado that came through last week. Glad I missed it! I prefer chillin' to stormin'!

Summer In The Country

 The summer season is moving along and the garden is coming into it's glory.

These are the first fruits of our labors and from here on out it will be canning and freezing and eating those delish, fresh tomatoes. We've had a couple more since this pic. I'll be going to Chicago on Wednesday for a week to help my sister and that's when I'm sure all heck will break loose and I'll come home to tons of produce. But that's why we plant it! Jack will make sure it gets picked while I'm gone. I better make sure I have my mason jars ready!  August brings on a couple of birthdays. First one this month is Cameron's. I can't believe he's 14! Wasn't he just a baby? When he was born we were getting ready for our Alaska cruise. After 14 years I guess we should get ready to do that again! Maybe in a few more years? I want to do an East coast trip first.  We had a nice cookout on Friday and even though we had family and fun I only took these two photos...I guess I was busy with other things!

Ready, set, sing...

Blow! His other Grandma was there and brought the candles that keep relighting. He finally got them out!  Happy birthday Cameron!  On a final note we've had a deer family visiting us on a regular basis and eating apples from our tree.  We keep chasing them out and even shooting the shotgun in the air to scare them away.  That works for about 24 hours.  Yesterday I caught these littles eating the apples on the ground.

We don't care if they eat the ones that fall but I caught this next pic.

This rascal was pawing at the tree and knocking apples down for his sibling!  That got me out in the yard and yelling.  They took off for the creepy woods but came back later with another buddy!  Deer season is still months away but we'll be out there protecting the produce as best as possible.  That's Summer life in the country!  

Goodbye July

 The sun has set on this last day of July. I'm usually pretty excited about Autumn and yes I'm still a fan of that season. However, this summer has flown by and having each day to myself to do outside work or inside projects I've found that I'm enjoying summer more than I have before.  Our weather has been  wet and sometimes really warm and humid.  But we've also had nice weeks like this weekend.  Day temps in the 70's and night temps in the 50's.  That's open window time to blow the stink out as my Grandpa used to say!  July had some fun times with our visit to my sister's and celebrating July4th.  The gardens are growing and producing and soon red, ripe, juicy tomatoes will be on the menu! We've hit our Farmer's market each Saturday and scored some good produce there.  It's nice we can support the local farmers and crafts people.  Plus we've run into many of my co-workers and friends.  August will arrive tomorrow and I have a few things coming up on my to do list.  I've been working on our bedroom and getting rid of clothes, linens, towels and other things that just needed to be given away.  This past week Jack and I moved all the furniture to clean and dust and vacuum.  I washed walls and hung curtains and a new bedspread. (since I took about 5 old ones to Goodwill I felt OK about getting a new one! Ha!) I'm going to paint the master bath this week.  The master bedroom and bath are what realtors would call: Cozy.  (i.e. Small)

We took the headboard off and I'm looking for a new one.  The old one was a bit big for the room. We inherited it from Jack's parents.  His Dad had it made special for his Mom by the Amish. It is hand carved out of cherry wood and lovely but it was time for a change.  Not sure what we'll do with it now but hopefully we'll find it a good home. I took this shot after it was removed but maybe I'll get a pic of it and show it one day.  This week we were going to host my sister and then her daughter's family after they got back from Cedar Point.  The problem came with getting my sister set up with dialysis here in Ashland.  Apparently they are booked solid this week and couldn't get her in. So her kids are still going to Cedar Point but not coming here.  Midge will stay home and get things ready for her surgery coming up on the 12th.  I'll be going out there and helping where I can until she gets home and on her feet. As you can see the month of August will also fly by!  So bye bye July.  It was a pleasure to do business with you! (We had an Doc who always would say to us at the end of the day: "It's been business doing pleasure with you!" Insert head shake here!)  Take Care!