Rainy Days

The weeks are seeming shorter and shorter, every one flies by faster than the one before. Didn't I just ask how it could be Friday already? And here we are at the next one. I guess that's how the years fly by leaving us with the question, "Where did the time go?" Next week my youngest son will celebrate his 21st birthday. I honestly don't know where the years have gone.

Yesterday and today have been cold and rainy. November is settling in and I am grateful for the days I was able to spend outside this week. Autumn winds always leave me struggling with allergies but I don't think I would really want to trade fall for eternal summer. I love autumn too much.

The gray day and Ben's birthday gathering tomorrow evening will find me peeling apples and building pies today. (He made a request for both apple and pumpkin.) Tomorrow I will get out my fancy mixer and make pizza dough because I think it's time for another party. Maybe, just maybe if I keep gathering them all back every so often, my kids won't ever disappear completely.

Adventures in Mount Hope Cemetery

Today was an adventure. My friend Deborah and I plotted and made our escape. Since it was our first joint venture, we didn't wander especially far, but instead made our way to the city of Rochester, NY and the old Mount Hope Cemetery.

Mount Hope is one of Rochester's oldest cemeteries and is situated in an area of rolling hills and mature trees. It's almost like being in a sprawling park. In days past, families would often picnic there on warm summer afternoons. The roads through the park twist, turn, and tumble over hills and soon I was feeling just a little disoriented, although not entirely lost.



Somewhere in the maze of roads and headstones are markers belonging to my grandmother and her parents, but we didn't chance to happen upon them today. We did pass by the simple white marble headstone of Susan B Anthony. It had been decorated with flowers and stickers claiming "I voted today." I had to smile and realize that our photos of her gravestone are a bit more unique than the many others I found online.


This afternoon city workers were busy blowing fallen leaves into piles which lined the sides of several roads. We resisted the urge to scuff our feet though the wonderfully crunchy heaps when the workers were within eye-shot...

... but when rounding a bend at the backside of the  cemetery and feeling quite solitary, I couldn't resist a good old fashioned plop backward into the pile.

(This is getting long, isn't it? I'll finish it up quick.)

We found the marker for the Bausch and Lomb family...
(Think contacts lenses and eye glasses.)

Towering obelisks reached skyward as leaves tumbled to the earth...

"The Weary Pilgrim," an incredibly beautiful sculpture by Nicola Cantalamessa-Papotti, rested at the grave of Aaron Erikson.

 A river (or perhaps it was a sea) of leaves blankets the hills and valleys.

We walked a good portion of the cemetery, took a bazillion photos and wore ourselves out before finding some lunch at The Distillery across Mount Hope Avenue. It was, a wonderful day!

Ladybug Day at the Lake

Tuesday is my morning to go out to Ladies' Prayer and Bible Study so I left home fairly early this morning. The afternoon found me running to the other side of Rochester where I picked up my new computer. It will take me a while to get used to this new machine...

I took a detour after stopping in Webster and made my way down to Lake Ontario. I was looking for residual fall foliage. I found even more than that, a beach full of tiny friends. The ladybugs were having a picnic!

 I first thought they were only on driftwood logs
 along the shoreline, but I actually had to watch my step on the beach. Those ladybugs were everywhere!

I don't imagine there will be too many more mild and balmy days before the winds of winter set in, so I've determined to enjoy these last few. Tomorrow promises to bring a new adventure and I'm hoping for one last chance to capture the beauty of autumn.

I like to imagine a Ladybug picnic or a Ladybugs Day at the Beach. Linda says there were ladybugs on her beach at her lake too. It must have been a grand celebration! A last hurrah, of sorts.

Morning in the Orchard

The bus stop was just a little bit brighter this morning than last week.
Morning sunshine on bronze and golden leaves sent me scurrying back inside for my camera, but after a click or two of the shutter, I found myself at a loss as to what else to capture. Although every morning is fresh and beautiful to me in real life, I find my photos are all starting to look familiar. ha ha! (Why wouldn't they? Don't I live here?)

The trees are nearly naked after the relentless wind of the past weekend. The few leaves still clinging to tired branches have turned from orange to burnt sienna and I still find them beautiful.

This is my fifth year of waiting for the school bus on weekday mornings. I don't always take my camera along, but when I do I'm often rewarded with some kind of treasure...

Sometimes little girls...

Sometimes a little girl grown bigger...

 Sometimes a feathered friend...

And sometimes falling leaves.

Put It In a Box

It feels like this week has gone by in a flash. It can't really be Friday already, can it?

I baked six pies yesterday and I gave five of them away. There is something entirely satisfying about filling the house with the aroma of apple pie, and yet, somewhere along the way, one inevitably bubbles over, dripping its juicy contents into the bottom of my oven. The following pies are then "smoked," as is my kitchen. The whole house would be smoke-filled unless I open the vent and suck all the delicious aroma (and smoke) out of the house. I'm finding that "smoked" pie brown faster and end up a pretty golden brown.

I think I need to make a list of people to whom I've given pies and another list of people who might like one. Not because I need to know how many I've given away, but because I don't want to leave anyone out. (Now you know I'll never make any money at this, but I will be smiling (and fat, because folks like to eat pie together).

I must also learn the best way to pack pies. I like the idea of boxes, but don't want to spend exorbitant amounts of money on already made pie boxes. Yesterday I turned three giant Honey Nut Cheerios boxes inside out and they were perfect. Only thing is, that means someone has to eat a whole lot of Cheerios... (Good thing for grandchildren.) Perhaps I will need to save my cereal boxes throughout the year so that I can turn them into pie boxes in the fall. They work out so perfectly that it seems an utter shame to waste them in the recycler.

Seven, Apple Pies,

Yesterday my oldest grandson turned seven. That's kind of hard to believe. I'm pretty sure grand- children shouldn't be allowed to grow up quite so fast, and the really sad thing is that all the others are racing along right behind him. (Did you know when I started blogging I wasn't even an expectant grandma yet?) sigh

I am in a pie making craze. Not wanting my apples to rot or be eaten by mice (They're in boxes out on the wood pile...), I have determined to bake at least a dozen this week. (Okay, so maybe I didn't really determine this, but I'm well on my way in spite of it.)  Maybe this evening I can actually deliver a pie to last week's intended recipient. Now if only I could remember all those folks who I promised a pie. Oh, dear...

Today and Yesterday, and Maybe Tomorrow Too

It was an absolutely wonderful, gorgeous, perfectly splendid kind of day! I stayed home and cleaned the downstairs potty room. It took me an hour. I even cleaned the window screen and chased away the spiders. And then I washed the kitchen floor, with a fresh bucket of water, of course. (You know, putting my glasses on and then looking at the floor is rather revealing...)

Yesterday I took advantage of the sunshine and bright weather by taking Sofie for a walk int he orchard. She was very pleased with the adventure as I typically leave her home. The apple harvest is nearly complete. I believe the crews who come in to pick apples will be headed home by the end of the week. It looks as though they won't be bringing in the entire harvest this year. Perhaps they will have left some good pie apples out in the back corner.


I've given some thought to baking and selling pies... but I know not how to market them or which days to tag as baking days. Perhaps I should get this figured out soon, like while I still have apples. I have plenty of disposable pie tins, lots of shortening, and several bags of flour. All I really need is a little bit of time and a ton of motivation, along with some hungry customers. Anybody hungry?

It looks like our Indian Summer is on the way out. Dark rain clouds moved in late this afternoon blowing our sunshine and fair weather away. Tomorrow won't be quite the summer-like day that we had today and I likely won't be out chopping up fallen leaves and trying to set my lawn mower ablaze. I hadn't raised the mower deck and the leaves got packed up under and around the engine. I knew there was a potential problem when I smelled smoke, and then again was quite certain when I saw it. I'm happy to report that neither myself nor the tractor blew up. The only loss was a few blackened leaves with glowing red edges. What an adventure! On my next attempt I made sure to have the mower deck at its highest position and watched that the leaves didn't collect up on the deck or behind the wheels. I'm a good learner. :0)

Going Home

I spent a little time in my childhood home this morning. An appointment with the county water authority found me spending several hours in the little house where my sisters and I grew up. Although I'd taken along some things to keep me busy, I found myself instead wandering the rooms, moving a few pieces of furniture (there are a few left), and wiping down dusty surfaces.

My sisters are ready to sell the house and move on. James and I are not so eager to let it go. With the advent of adulthood, most of our seven children have moved out of our home and away from the farm. (It's an animal-less farm...) Keeping up with 3½ acres, 3 barns, and a house is a big job even with help. Without our kids it will eventually be nigh unto impossible. One day we will be looking to downsize, and probably in the not-too-distant future.

Mom has been on my heart often lately and the day of her passing wants to play itself over in my mind. From the beginning I have either pushed the memories away or stuffed them back inside, refusing to let the pain surface and the tears flow. I endured that morning without the support of close family members. Strangers came and attempted to revive the empty shell that once held my mother's soul, but she had already taken wing and flown away. They couldn't bring her back and she wouldn't have wanted them to. I didn't really want that either. Besides, God had just spent several days getting us ready to say goodbye.

I have a hard time releasing. I have a difficult time with change. I desperately want to live in two separate places, here in the house I have called home for the past 13 years and in a little house on Mohawk Street where I was once a little girl. This is a feat which is impossible. I'm not quite ready to let go of either home, though I am trying. *sigh* Maybe we could keep Mom and Dad's house and call it "The Cottage".

PS. That's my dad's old rocking chair. I think I love it.
:0)

Gallivanting

Fall is fleeting in upstate NY. Most have the trees have turned to gold, red, or bronze, shed their leaves, and now stand at least partially naked in the cold autumn winds. We decided to grab the opportunity and together headed out this morning into a rainy drizzle. We stopped for breakfast in Geneva and then headed south toward Watkins Glen.

Had the weather not been bone chilling, we might have paid the parking fee and ventured into the glen. Instead we drove a few miles further to the sleepy little town of Montour Falls and took a peak at their waterfalls. We found them sleepy too. Not much water coming over the rocks today, but pretty just the same.

We had all afternoon to drive, so we headed west, away from Seneca Lake and the town of Watkins Glen, toward Keuka Lake and one of our favorite wineries.

There is something about autumn that can make even a cold, gray day feel warm and cozy. Both the colors and the landscape conjure up thoughts of warm sweaters, fireplaces, and steaming hot cups of coffee.

I found myself soaking in the shapes of trees and buildings, the earthy colors of autumn, and the grey blue skies and clouds, and wondered at the artists of old who didn't carry a camera in their packs. If they captured the landscape at all, it was either in their minds or a sketch on paper. But then again, I don't suppose they were in as much of a hurry as most of us are today.

Unless I sneak away early this week, which isn't likely, my autumn travels are  over for this year. *sigh* Maybe next year I will have a little more freedom while the leaves are in full color and the sun is still warm. For now I have a few treasures in photos from this year and maybe, just maybe, if the water authority comes to Mom's house early tomorrow, I might find a moment or two to wander one of my favorite farm markets.

Just Stuff

Last evening our house was filled with the aroma of roasting peppers; chile, pablano, cayenne, and red bell peppers. Smelled so good! And looked so pretty all piled up in the pan afterward.

Today I took my crabby self out to run errands. I went all the usual places and then a few more. I was on the hunt for a burnt orange colored, double sized, fitted sheet. I checked Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Kohls. Only Target sold single sheets and they weren't in the pretty shade I desired. I perused Goodwill and came out with a small yellow serving bowl and a small crock pot, but no colorful, double sized, fitted sheet. I briefly considered K Mart and Walmart but ended up at a Savers instead. The sheet I found was not orange. It was red. I decided to take the red one and will use it to cover my pretty, burnt orange, suede-like futon cover that so readily collects cat hair. Maybe I will find a burnt orange one another day. Well, it could happen...

Remember my Random Acts of Kindness Pie? Well, God had a different plan for it than I did. The intended recipient, did not end up with the pie. His wife could not make it to our Thursday night Bible study, so I left it instead down the street at Martin's door. (You might remember him as Jasmine's friend.) I put it into a cardboard box and wrote note on the cover so he wouldn't be afraid to eat it. Perhaps next week I will send a pie to the other individual. I'm pretty sure he can still use the encouragement.
:0)

A Little Bit of Golden

It was a golden autumn day. I took the little people out to run in the yard but it only gave them more energy upon re-entry and sapped mine. Nothing an oft interrupted nap and a couple cups of coffee can't cure. ha! (Okay, so maybe the attempt at a nap wasn't so successful, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how hard I tried.)

 It was the kind of day that would have found me traipsing trails through the woods somewhere if I dared to take three rambunctious youngsters with selective hearing. Instead I found a nice big box, and while they bounced on the yet-to-be-put-away-trampoline, I picked the remainder of our October chile peppers. The kitchen will smell nice tonight while they're roasting.

PS. My blog settings are still set to accept anonymous comments, but I've been told by several friends that they aren't able to leave any. :(
I do think you can set up a blogger account without actually having a blog, or maybe a google account would work too.

Twenty-nine

Happy 29th to my beautiful daughter!

Once upon a time we were a family of four; a mommy and a daddy and two little boys, and then God surprised us with a new baby girl. She filled our house with girly screams and girly toys and clothes. She brought her own special ray of sunshine and her own brand of torment to especially one of her two brothers. She wiggled her way into our hearts and our lives would never be the same.

Happy Birthday, Bethany!

And Maybe Some Apple Pie Too

Today was quiet, dark, and drippy. I tossed the pie- making idea back and forth for most of the day. Remember Betsy's Random Acts of Kindness? Well, I have an idea in mind. It involves pie and someone who I think could use a little bit of encouragement.

I made more than one pie this afternoon, because it always feels like there should be one here too. *sigh*

 We'll all be nice and pudgy by the time the holidays arrive.

:0)

The Valley of Decision

I've started going to a new Bible study on Thursday evenings. We're reading "The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkeurst, examining scripture, and learning to make wise decisions, or maybe to make any decision at all. "Miss Indecision," that is me. I am scared to death of making decisions, especially big ones. If I am totally honest, sometimes I even have trouble making little decisions, like what ice cream flavor to choose... unless it's soft serve pumpkin in October, then I know exactly what to do.

Every day is laced with choices (Like what to make for dinner... ug!). I typically get by without getting too stressed out, but making a final decision on something big and important can be pretty scary. I was blessed last night to read that not all decisions have a "right" or "wrong". Sometimes both decisions are good and we just have to choose one or the other. (It's okay to have chocolate ice cream sometimes and vanilla on other days, or even to try the soft serve pumpkin, especially if it's October.)

All this to say, I'm learning, or at least trying to learn, to make a good decision and go with it. Pray, weigh the options, pray some more, know the ramifications, pray some more, and make a choice. No second guessing or looking back over my shoulder at the other options. Just trust God and go for it.
(I'll let you know how it works out...)

And for your enjoyment, some friends we found on our outside adventures last week. Sometimes going outside is the Best Yes.
:0)