October

Autumn so far has been pretty but cold.  For someone who misses summer already, enough said.

Still having problems with Blogger so spend too much time going through all your wonderful blogs to see what I may have missed.

Our apple trees are heavy with fruit so our neighbor brought over an apple crisp she made for B.  He enjoyed it immensely.

I made our annual Medicare wellness appts as well as our annual checkups with the dentist.  Trying to get those taken care of before winter.

B raised the edge of the snowblower to avoid stones from the driveway ruining the blade this winter.

I put some Fall decor out in the house.  Not much but enough to get thru to Christmas when I change it again.

B and I ran away from home the beginning of October for two reasons...one, because we will soon be stuck in the house alot throughout the winter and two, my 75th birthday is on Thursday.  We went to Appleton, Wisconsin for 3 days as it is only 4 hours away and is a nice place to run to.  We shopped, walked around and enjoyed the city, ate some good food and relished in the stress free few days. 

 

And So It Begins

 

October Begins...

Dentist annual checkup-I am fine but B has some problems with his dentures.  We need to go back at the end of the month for work on them to be done.

We went on our annual trip to the Keeweenaw.  This is in the northern most part of the Upper Peninsula.  It is about a 3 hour trip but it is worth it for the beautiful colors of Fall.

 

 

 

B and I decided to take everything off the back deck.  Most everything was removed and put in the garage for the season.  However, since the umbrella table and couch have become too heavy to move on our own, we elected to leave them on the deck covered in a tarp for the winter.  All that is left to do is the front deck but we are going to work on this in the next week or so. 

Saturday was the hottest day for October.  It got to 86 degrees here!  Amazing!  However, our house was nice and cool so B decided to paint the ceiling in the guest bedroom so we would be ready to put the flooring down in two weeks.  The ceiling turned out nice but the room is in chaos and that will probably drive me crazy until we get the flooring in and I can straighten it up.

*Message to Jackie and Maebeme and others.  I want to let you know that I do read your blogs every day and enjoy them alot.  However, for some reason, I cannot get my comments on your blogs to post.  So I thought I would let you know here that I appreciate your blogs and the posts you share.

Autumn

 

Nature's Medicine

This year, it seems, has been one of upheavels of all kinds and anger.  There is so much going on between cruel and bullying attacks during a presidential election, people turning against each other over so many things.  I rarely turn on the news anymore, only watching local news for the weather.  Yesterday I decided that I needed to be part of something that never changes.  Something that comes at the same time each year without fail.  I went out for a walk on my road and immersed myself in Autumn. I walked down my dirt road and looked at the trees covered in their Autumn colors of red, gold and green.  I felt the chill of the changing temperature fill my lungs.  I watched and listened as a flock of geese in "V" formation flew across the blue sky toward their winter home south.  I enjoyed the quite solitude that comes when one lets the world of nature push away the "noise" of 2024.
I eventually had to come home from my walk; but for one brief hour, it was good to be surrounded by something that had not been changed because of the self-centered meanness of others.  I am certain I will take many of these walks in the future, if only to remind myself that there are things that remain constant in this world.
 

Happy Autumn!

 

Hello September

I greet September with a mixture of regret and anticipation.  Regret in that the summer, my favorite season, is coming to an end.  Soon warm, sunny days, blooming flowers, afternoons at the beach, and lazy days rocking on the front porch will be replaced by cold, frosty mornings, wool sweaters, the storing away of summer furniture and preparing the yards for the coming months.  I will miss being able to have all the windows wide open and feel the summer breeze as it fills my house with the sweet smells of freshly mowed grass and lilacs.  My morning routine will no longer be sitting on the deck with my coffee watching the birds, chipmunks and squirrels scamper across my property having their breakfast and enjoying the morning warmth as much as I did.  And yet there is an excited anticipation of September.  The colors of Autumn-red, orange, gold, green-will cover the trees and yards showcasing a beauty that only God and Mother Nature can create.  The taste of hot chocolate with marshmallows in  large china mugs and freshly baked brownies as an afternoon treat.  Watching children jump into piles of leaves as they enjoy the simplicity of play.  The sound of the school bus rumbling down my road at 6am and knowing that since I am retired, I can just turn over in my bed and go back to sleep.  The beginning of football season and the anticipation of cheering loudly for my team even though they are on the tv and cannot hear me.

So with anticipation and regret, I bid farewell to August and greet with a welcoming smile the month of September and remember what is written about life's seasons.

"To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace. "  ( Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Happy Autumn

 

The Downside of Autumn

There is a downside to Autumn.  It reminds me that my least favorite season is around the corner.
I believe that Winter has its good points as well as its bad points.  Good points include, at least for me, figure skating on tv.  I enjoy watching the competitions on Sundays.  I love the sight of freshly fallen snow before cars make their messy tracks in it.  I love to listen to the sounds of the trees crackling in the cold as the wind moves them and of course, Christmas isn't Christmas without snow.  But that's where the good stuff ends for me.  After Christmas, I wish the snow would go away.  I dislike the freezing cold, snow shoveling, fear of falling just going out to get the mail and the feeling of being trapped in the house until April.  I am not into winter sports and my days of playing in the snow ended with retirement.

Of course this is all my own preferences.  There are many people who love winter and wait for it all year.  I give them a lot of credit.  They see joy in the winter weather where I do not.  To me, winter is a bridge we must cross to get to the good stuff...spring, summer and fall.

So I will patiently wait to cross the bridge and see the first signs of spring.

The First Day of Autumn

Autumn is once again upon us and yes, it can be a beautiful season.  The trees will explode with leaves of gold and red and yellow.  The air will be crisp and bring thoughts of apple cider, homemade soup and warm quilts. However, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Autumn is not always the way you see it on a picture in a calendar.  For instance, this year the leaves are all green although some are trying to burst out into Autumn colors.  The temperatures are bouncing around from low 50s to over 80.  It's as if Summer wants to stay and is giving the new season a fight to remain.  Yes, Autumn is a beautiful season but in this point I am on the side of the season of Summer.  I am rooting for it to hang on as long as possible for I know what is coming after Autumn and I don't like it.