Happy Halloween...............

Halloween to me is happy memories - memories of three little girls and their trips around the neighborhood, the different costumes we made, our Halloween party where our dog ate all the props.  Then there was the one where the girls were all gathered around a candle having a "séance" and Brenda snuck outside and scratched on the window screen.  Have you ever heard 15 hyperactive girls all scream at the same time??? My ears still hurt to think about it. 

Memories of when I was a little girl and Mother loved to help us get dressed up for the big night.  We were usually gypsies and got to wear lipstick and go through Mother's jewelry box and adorn ourselves until we were dripping with "jewels".  Paper mache (!!!!) jack-o-lanterns with real(!!!) candles.  Horrors! I remember trying to keep mine burning in the wind.   And the masks that never fit my face so I always had to look out of one eye hole.
  
The laughter, the fun times all gone now.  The only thing left is the memories and they can be taken out, dusted off, smiled at, chuckled about and enjoyed for another year.    Diane 

                                                                                                           

Snow falling on autumn...............

The big storm that was predicted for our area ended up mostly just cold but I caught the snowiest part when I took Rascal for his walk yesterday.  It was beautiful.             Diane 

Peace...................

.....is what this image says to me.  Some of the wild turkeys are grazing for seeds, some are settled in the shade of the trees.  I wish this to everyone...............peace.                  Diane

Loved to pieces...............

Bean made these mug/bowl/café au lait bowls for us some time ago and they're my favorite, I think, of all.  We use them for soup, chili, cereal, all sorts of things.  We've used them so much that you can see they have been loved to pieces.                  Diane

I miss the Cat Bird..................

 Today I had to clean some bittersweet nightshade out of my lilacs.  It had become very entwined and was pulling the lilac down.  (My fault for letting it go so long).


My reason was that removing it would mean that the Cat Bird nest which nestled in the lilacs would probably be torn apart by the removal of the vine.  I really wanted it to stay so the bird would come back next year.  Alas, it came out, too.  This nest was so interesting - soft grasses in the middle, even some soft feathers, then made with weeds and barks and sticks.  The most interesting thing, though, was the addition on the outside of different pieces of plastic, even a plastic label.  It looked like some of the pieces of plastic had been torn apart so they would serve some sort of purpose. 

I hope the Cat Bird comes back next year.  It was so nice having her.         Diane 

 

My First...................

Twenty five years ago last night I got a call that I had a new granddaughter.  I never had a granddaughter before and twenty five years ago I made a trip to Billings, Montana to the hospital to see this new little creature which I automatically loved with all my heart.  And over the years I have only loved her more.  Now she's the mother of my first great-grand child.  This is a picture of them this summer.  I love it.   Happy Birthday, Lindsay.                 Grandma               Diane

Valuable things..............

Most everything is put away for winter (I think!).  You wouldn't think this was a storage area, it looks more like a junker's stash.  Well, when you think about it I guess it's both. 

                                                                                                                          Diane

The sudden change of seasons...............................

 The changing seasons never fail to amaze me.  Just like clockwork one changes into another without anyones help. 

 This year it was more dramatic than most with the storm of October 8th.  In our town people are still cleaning up branches and broken branches still hang treacherously in many trees.  The tree services are overwhelmed and the city departments are swamped. 

Some trees have lost all their leaves overnight but there's still a lot of color for people like me who wander around with their cameras just marveling at the new autumn.           Diane

Below is a picture of a few vehicles bringing broken trees to the city dump.
               

                                   thank you to the person who took this for the local media

Sweet little Robin.................

The Robins are getting ready to fly to warmer climates.  We miss their sweet songs and friendliness when they're gone and always welcome them back in the spring.  This little soul is eyeing the cherry tree.  It's a challenge for them to land on the light branches of the cherry but they don't give up easily.  We have the grapes, too, so hopefully they get their fill on one of them.        Diane

When in doubt, do................

At least that was my motto the other day.  Walking past the flowers at the supermarket I was struck by the beautiful color of these.  They now grace my dining room and I feel good every time I look at them.  Hope you find beauty in your day.                   Diane

First snow of the year...................

 All the trees still have their leaves, in fact most hadn't started turning color yet...............

............when we got two days of rain followed by a 8 inches of wet, cold snow.  The poor trees didn't have a chance. 

Did you ever stand outside and hear CRRRAAAAAAAACCKK - whumph!!!! ??  One branch after another snapping?  As I was taking this picture a huge branch came down and hit the people's garage across the street from us - you can't see it but it's just to the left of the center of the picture.  It was scary.  Later I stood in the street talking to him and one came down narrowly missing his front porch.   Leonard and I walked down the alley just in time to hear a big branch go down and a terrified little rabbit came running out and looked back and then looked at us.  I think he wondered if we did that. 

Today the snow is melting some and people are busy cleaning up the mess.  I think we got the better of it anyway compared to some of the other wild weather across the country.       Diane

October

 It's all going to work out fine.  In all the chaos today about the shutdown, life goes on, pretty much, I imagine, the way it did before the government was involved in everything we do.

The air is crisp and the sun is still warm on your skin.  The colors of the leaves are magnificent and the sky is a glorious blue.  Such beautiful days you just want to open up your arms and try to keep it all.  And it feels so good to close up the house in the evening and enjoy the cozy warmth that isn't there in summertime.  My little cottage awaits me for a quiet moment in the autumn day.   

This is a good month, a month of celebration for me.  God is good.      Diane