Late October: Red Sunset Maples

Some years our Red Sunset Maples are in full color by late October, and other years they are like this year - about 50% color.  The tops are red and there is a lot more red over all this year.  Some years these trees are more orangey yellow.

We've had quite a few drizzly days and so my Autumn tea under the trees has not happened yet, but hopefully soon!

I take the photos of my trees from my front door because I think it gives a better view of the trees. The tree is in front of my bedroom windows and I love being able to see it whenever I am in the room.

 Tim's mom turns 99 years old this Saturday, and he is going to fly down and surprise her!  He'll have the whole weekend with his sisters and mom.  

Keep praying for our nation.  I think there will be a lot of rioting after the elections, too.  We are prepared with extra supplies, which I don't think we will need, but will come in handy over the winter.  I just need some AA batteries. I'd encourage you to think about what you might need for meals, or prescriptions and get them before election day.

This is an election between light and darkness, I feel it.  The forces of darkness don't like to lose their stronghold on our nation, but people are waking up, and I pray that we as a nation will chose the path to freedom, peace, and LIGHT!

Let's Chat

 

some of the petals from my roses

How was your weekend?

Ours was quiet. Tim and I ran an errand together on Saturday that required a bit of a drive and we took the scenic route.  It's beautiful around here right now.

Then he and Kyle went and mowed at our friends' house.  They have some health issues and we live closer than any of their grown kids, so Tim and Kyle take care of it for them.  They also dealt with the part of the tree along our creek that came down in a big storm this summer.  

I made an English apple pie, and made chicken and rice for dinner.  

Yesterday, Tim and I went to lunch, Kyle preferred to stay home and make some pizza rolls. Ha! Teenagers!  Tim said its weird that we can now go out to lunch on a Sunday and its like a date! Ha! Men!

He is right, though.  Changing times.

We are a week away from our election (thankfully) and things have taken a weird turn.  Apparently a group of Chinese who oppose the CCP have started to release videos and photos from H. Biden's hard drive.  They want to show how the CCP gets blackmail on world leaders and then control them.  I've wondered why the Biden family would allow Joe to be humiliated.  Its got to be hard to see him struggling with dementia, and yet keep promoting him.  Everyone knows that if he were to win, it wouldn't be 6 months before they were replacing him.  Yesterday they announced that win 9 days to the election he was calling a lid.  That means no appearances or interviews.  This is unprecedented. Who goes into hiding with a week before the election?  (Also unprecedented is the media's refusal to cover any of the scandal to protect a candidate.  They certainly were willing to use false things to try to take down the current president.)

I think big things are brewing and I don't think its going to be good.  Can a political party change their candidate with a week to go?  What about all the people who have already voted for Joe?  Would their votes automatically go to the new candidate?  Who knows what is going to happen.  It's like a movie.  

Ah, let's get back to nicer things.

Some trees in our area are just past their peak, but my maples in the front garden are still just getting their color.  November should be beautiful.

Our trees along our property line and in our back pasture are really beautiful right now.  The maples along the creek, are looking beautiful also.   We've had beautiful mild weather this autumn and in the last week we've had rain off and on, so the grass is still green.

Oh, and do you remember me telling you about my chickens scratching up the zinnias?  They did, but the zinnias took root among some other plants that are now trimmed back for the winter, and I have three zinnias plants in bloom!  That's life with chickens. 

The week ahead is going to be interesting.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see an unexpected death, a replacement candidate, social media shutting things down.  Free speech is already over on social media.  

I continue to pray, to trust, and to try to be a light shining to point the way.  Eternity is what really matters.  I think these things that are coming out are showing the darkness and evil that has flourished for too many years, and I'm not talking about politics, though many politicians on both sides are involved.

Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that "there is nothing new under the sun," and that is true. We need revival around the world. I'm praying for it, are you?

I Found Parsons Chairs At A Used Furniture Store

 I went furniture shopping with Rachel yesterday, and while she didn't find any of the items she is on the look out for, I unexpectedly did!

Garden Spot furniture in New Holland is a treasure trove of really good used furniture.  They are closed on Wednesdays because they are buying at sales on that day, and when they reopen on Thursdays, buyers for nice used furniture stores in high end areas come and snatch up much of the treasure. However, while we were looking around, I saw a pair of matching Parsons Chairs and decided to check them out.  

Parsons Chairs had been on my mental 'find' list, and I was thrilled at the price of $65 for BOTH!  A quick consultation with Tim and they were put into the back of my van.

Here is how they looked in the store - 

With the bright florescent overhead lights they were putting of a very grey tone, but I know you can find decently priced slip covers so I wasn't worried about it.  They were in excellent shape and that was my main concern.

However when I got them home, they are much more of a warm tone in my home and blend in well with the overall style and colors in my home.  I won't need to buy covers for them any time soon.

I took these photos this morning and it's foggy and grey out. I edited the photos to brighten them but didn't change the color of the chairs.

Now when we linger at the table or play games, I won't be so stiff when I get up off of the hard dining chairs, and Tim is a lot more comfortable, already doing his paperwork at the table.

I'm so grateful to find these chairs!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Last Of The Summer Roses

 Our nights have been dipping down into the 30's lately so I thought I'd clip the last of my summer roses.  We've had beautifully mild days since September and the roses kept blooming.

I simply popped them into a half pint canning jar. They have such beauty, and their frangrance, especially the dark Munstead Woods, is delightful.

I'm enjoying them on the table next to 'my' chair.  I hope they last and last!

My Closet Needs Some Attention

 Yesterday, I spent some time switching my clothes around in my closet.  I have a fairly big closet and not a huge wardrobe, so I am able to keep all my clothes in the closet, and then things like undergarments, tshirts, leggings and pants are in my dresser.

I also have a lot of storage items in my closet, and if I found a different place for them I could fit even my dresser back into my closet where it had been for several years.

it is not set up like this anymore

It is currently in front of a window next to my bed and serves as a night stand with a lamp, and a diffuser on it. So I would need to have a table of some sort or a night stand in its place.  I'd love to put a chair by this window.

I'm going to keep my eye out on FB marketplace.

I've started to store sheets in the guest room closet and I think I can move other storage onto the shelves in there as well, and free up some space in my closet.

I also need to sort through my shoes, go through Tim's clothes and shoes. I have lots of time on my hands and I need a good project to keep my mind and hands busy.

Once I get it down I'll be sure to show you!

Have you made the switch in your seasonal clothing yet?

Weekend

 We had a really great weekend.  On Saturday we took my parents out for our traditional fall foliage day trip. 

It was beautiful! We have a week or so before we are at peak here in our area, but I believe its going to be a wonderful year for color.

On Sunday, we had a quiet afternoon. As evening came on we went out for a campfire and we roasted marshmallows and hotdogs.

I'm grateful for the changing of the seasons. Grateful that in the fallen world, there is still beauty to be found.  

How was your weekend?

Friday Five And Some Thoughts

 Many years ago now, Tim and I got rid of cable for watching TV.  We found that the only thing we were watching was the news and it was negative and telling a narrative, and so we decided that with the internet we could read news, hear it on the radio, etc.  We found we got a much broader perspective on events happening here in the US and around the world. (our local npr station used to play the BBC world service news late at night and I'd listen to that, too, when I used to have to pick Rachel up after closing at CFA)

Last night, Tim and I tuned in to a live stream of NBC online so we could watch the town hall meeting.  From the way the people were presenting the differing news stories, you could tell there was an agenda, and its an agenda of fear. Everything from the number of positive coronavirus tests (not deaths, just positive tests), you'd think that everyone who gets the virus is going to die.  They've made people afraid to even get the virus.

Same with the unemployment numbers, except they forgot to mention that our unemployment is where we were at the end of the second term of O's administration.  They exact same numbers, and we've currently had so many out of work because of extreme lockdowns. (I live in one of these states) 

They didn't mention any of that.  To me that's an encouraging sign that our strong economy before the virus is coming back!  They should have been telling that story, but they weren't.  

They didn't because they hate the president.  We were not surprised at Savannah Guthrie debating the president last night rather than being their to facilitate voters asking questions only.  The positive thing was it gave the president a chance to speak to these issues.  Oh, and guess what?  She is married to the man who was Al Gore's traveling Chief of Staff during the the 2000 presidential election.

I've been concerned for years about human trafficking.  I haven't mentioned it here but this isn't the place I talk about those issues.  Child sex trafficking is a real problem, and getting scarier all the time.  I'm deeply troubled by Huntr Bdens laptop and the photos that purport to show s*x with minors. The former VP wasn't asked about this issue at all last night at his townhall and social media owners are shutting everyone down, including a major newspaper and the press secretary for the president, who mentions it.  They are working to not allow you access to this information. 

 They are hiding and protecting politicians they support, and tearing into those they don't support.  That's why so many people think or thought the president was involved in things that turned out to be actually done by the other party.

My heart is so troubled by how close we are to losing our freedom of speech, right to dissent, etc.  I'm okay with people who have different political views. Its their right, and I support it!  I'm not okay with media telling only the narrative they want you to have.

That's all I'm going to say for now.  

Now to my five - 

1. Kyle is so much help to me. He is one great young man.

2. Our hard work paid off, and looked great until the chickens came back to scratch away!

3. My bed looked cozy the other morning, so I snapped a photo.

4. I've been knitting and finished this cowl.  It may be a gift or I might keep it.

5. My battery operated candles.  I use the remote to set a time and they come on at 6:00pm and go off at midnight.

I got my first set of 9 as a gift from Rachel last year for Christmas.  They were purchased from Amazon.  I bought another set with a birthday gift card, because I love them so much!  The link to the exact set I bought is wrong because it shows a birch bark candle set, but this link {here} will take you to a set that looks exactly like what I purchased.  

I don't use scented candles in my home, only essential oil diffusers, but I love the coziness of candles and these battery ones give me all the cozy feels.

I hope you have a good weekend.  I'm praying for our country, and I know you all are too!  Thankful for each one of you.

disclosure - If you order through my amazon link, I will receive a small credit.  It doesn't affect your price in anyway.

Help For The New Blogger Photo Issue

 We've all had to adjust to the updates made to blogger.  I was surprised during the process at how the changes later changed, and one of those changes had to do with photos.

Many of you likely have figured this out but I thought I'd share what I've learned.

At first, there was an obvious icon to click and have a drop down to adjust the size of your photo.  Then that seemed to go away and all I could figure out (and some of you mentioned it also) was to try to drag and click the borders of the photo to adjust it.

Not so good or easy.  I've seen very distorted photos out there in blogland.

Here is a quick photo tutorial - 

Here I have loaded a photo, but it's smaller than I like to use on my blog.

So I click on the photo and there are options under the photo.  

Click on the icon in the middle. When I scroll over it, it says 'image size.'

It will then give you the options for the  size of your photo. I always use extra large.

And Viola! Your photo size is now the size you want without dragging those borders around!

I hope this helps you!  

I also wanted to say that the tea in the photo was a gift from my son and daughter in law for my birthday.  Tim and I had some last night and its a nice citrusy flavor.  The tin is delightful!

Weekend Happenings

 Well, I'd love to show you my cleaned up garden, my chickens in the garden, my granddaughter blowing out her candles on her birthday.  However, when I send photos from my phone to my email accounts, it is now taking until the afternoon for them to show up.  In the past they would show up almost right away.  I've been dealing with this for two hours now and I am DONE. 

So, I'll leave you with a video of one of the joys of having a teenage son.  Tim loves it!

This and That

 As our election is quickly approaching, the crazy is getting crazier.  

I'm praying for us all friends.  Our nation is fragile and we need to get back to the founding principles, stick to the constitution, and love our neighbors.

We've had amazing weather so far in autumn and while tomorrow is supposed to be nearly 80 degrees, its fleeting.  Our trees are beginning to change, and I am hopeful that this year will be a good one for color!

I'm forever grateful for this home and property that we have.  It was definitely a God thing in finding it.  We've owned our home for 19 years now, and still find joy in hearing kids at play, the chickens clucking (even if they do scratch up my cottage garden), the birds singing in the trees.  Kids have played in the creek, ridden horses, played with dogs.  They've learned to shoot BB guns, bow and arrow, and at the gun club have learned firearms safety, and target practice.  Our oldest son hunts every year.  We had big veg gardens here for many years and now I usually just do a tomato or two in a pot, and this year I added strawberries again.

We have a big birthday weekend ahead.  One granddaughter will be four tomorrow, and one will be four on Sunday!  They came less than 24 hours apart but they each got their own birth date!  

Here they are not long before their first birthdays!  The girls shirts are from Old Navy (3 years ago) and say "Loved By My Grandma."

We are grateful for our kids and for our grandkids! What a blessing they all are!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  

Autumn Delights

 I just love this wreath with Bittersweet.  I love using natural items in my decor, and there is something I find delightful about gathering in harvested items this time of year.  We don't have any bittersweet on our property, so I enjoy looking at photos online.

source

This recipe looks like a winner!  Three ingredients and if I use my homemade caramel sauce (takes 5 minutes to make) it would be on my eating plan.  This would be a great appetizer or snack.

source

I think this puzzle I found on Amazon would be so fun to put together!  

source

One of my favorite autumn poems.  

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens

and all up the vale

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail.

Pleasant summer over

And all the summer flowers

The red fire blazes

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons

Something bright in all

Flowers in the summer

Fires in the fall!

by Robert Louis Stevenson

A few photos of my tea for one last year.  I need to invite a friend or two this year.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Disclaimer: As always if you buy through my Amazon link, I get a little bit of commission and it adds nothing to your cost!