Happy Weekend and Welcome October

  Hello Friends, Popping in to stay hello and Wow September has really flown by here. October is one of my most favorite months though, so I welcome it's arrival. Here in the midwest the skies are a gorgeous blue along with the autumn colors and October is mine and Hub's birthday month too.

  We have had gorgeous weather here-highs in the low to mid 70's F still, with night temps getting into the 40's and 50's F so for me perfect weather.

  I am still driving down to the woods home packing up Larry's scope shop-this is really a huge job. I wish my friend that comes to help me (we do pay her for her time) could spend more hours in one day, as it costs me gas to drive there, Larry doesn't want me there by myself working, so it's slow going.

 I feel like I am working again haha. I was a telephone operator with the phone company years ago (started there when  AT&T and the Bells were two different companies-I retired in 2003 and by then many of them had merged back together again with southwestern bell buying AT&T. They kept the AT&T name for branding and better recognition)  I always had to drive at least an hour to get to work-more time in the winter months, so since I am driving at least an hour again to the woods its feels like I am back to work.😀

 Haven't had the energy for much else, but I am still spinning a bit each week. I am liking my spinning so far both on the bison yarn and the merino-silk yarn. So I am finally seeing improvement for nicer yarn.

 This morning just as the sun was coming up the fog came in on the lake-the lake is much warmer than the air temperatures now. I captured some nice photos early this morning. Those Ozark hills on the other side of the lake from us almost look like mountains amongst the fog. 

(photos will enlarge just click on them)

This last photo-the sun is up behind the fog

I have gotten some nice happy mail last month, I need to take photos and share with you soon.

If it is not too windy tomorrow I would like to grill something outdoors-not sure what though.

Happy weekend everyone

Good Morning Sunday & a Little Catch Up (updated w/ photos)

 Good morning, and also Happy Autumn as it is now official that Fall has begun. We did get a bit of a cool down for a few days, we missed the rain but got lots of wind instead. At the woods property-that area got Lots of rain, so didn't get back there on Thursday-it would be a muddy mess along with very high grass to drive through to get to the scope shop.  I will be back there on Monday.

  We have already gone through 1500 coin size paper envelopes packing up scope lenses. I needed to order more this weekend. It's going well, we work hard for 3-3 1/2 hours before my friend needs to leave to pick up grandkids from pre school, and Larry doesn't want me there by myself so it's going slower than I want it to. Hopefully we can get lots done this week.

  I didn't get photos but we did find a father and son team to cut down two dead trees at the lake that would either fall on our house or most likely on our boat and dock. The father was a lumber jack out west so he is a professional. They are Native Americans so they enjoyed all my Native American themed plates and paintings, Larry's mountain man pieces too.  I think we found some new friends.

 The doctor visit went well, it's a long drive from the lake house, and its an area we haven't been to before-it's the main hospital for the lake area. The doctor was honest about everything, but he was clear what needed to be done is very painful would take 8 weeks or more to clear the pain, and doesn't have to be done yet. Larry is in so much all the time, more so now than before-so he opted out of this, I would have too.  Next month we drive to Springfield, Mo for heart tests and to see his cardiac doctor, which we haven't seen since covid-He has been doing video chats instead.

  My flowers are still pretty but many are dying back now. My zinnias and marigolds are lovely now. I have been collecting seeds from the calendula and cosmos.

My pineapple sage got so large, I think it's because there is a drainage spout for excess water nearby. It finally started blooming this week-it will be so lovely once covered in these red flowers. and here is Jan Berry's site for what to make with this plant here She is my go to reference for recipe ideas using herbs.

You can see the red blooms up on top to the left

The calendula is in the front-I am waiting for the seed heads to dry so I can collect them

Am very happy with the creeping thyme I planted from seeds, I will be able to take plugs from these and transplant to other areas

There is an area up on top of the driveway in front of a row of bushes along our driveway going down the hill. Part of it is the neighbors so I already talked with them about it. I killed off the grass, so now I need to dig that up add some soil, and decide what to plant there. Too many park there-not a good idea as they could easily go down the hill into our house if not careful. Hoping to get that area planted this fall. For ground cover thinking mints-they spread well and smell good too. Mine really grew so that needs to be transplanted to other areas. I will pick up some bulbs too for that spot.

  I did bake up a yummy apple-rhubarb-jumbo raisin crisp yesterday. Turned out yummy. I may bake us up some brownies today.

I did bake up gluten free brownies using King Arthur's mix (all natural ingredients)

 Hope you are all doing well, this week looks like another very busy one-need to take advantage of the nice weather.  Happy Autumn and new week from the lake

Saturday's Sunrise

  

Framed and on the Wall (updated a bit)

   I have shared about my sister's poems in past posts.  Two that I have always loved had already been published and copyrighted in book form with other authors during her college years. 

   I decided to not do more with those two poems,  since they did get published. One of my most favorite poems of hers, was about the sandpipers that we enjoyed watching during our vacation trips as kids at the Indiana Dunes State Park. 

  Years ago an artist friend of mine did a painting for me that I was going to use as the cover for the poetry book, and she had also given me the copyrights for that purpose. 

    I have decided now Not to pursue a book publish further. After needing to shred most of her work (and had found at her request is what she wanted) that left only a very few poems.

   So, I have now decided to frame this painting, enjoy it in my craft room, and remember happy times at the Dunes. This does bring back happy memories of our family way back then. (50's and 60's)  

   I did use dip pen and ink to write out Betty's Sandpiper poem and place it on the back of the painting.

  This painting is now hung next to a window in front of my work desk in my craft room space. This is the best photo with no glare off the glass.  I love this barn wood frame too, it is handmade to order and I found the craftsman on Ebay.  I am very pleased with the workmanship, it also included the glass and hanger.

Note: Click on the first photo for better viewing This painting does have me smiling.

The photo below is the full version as seen walking into my craft room My sister Betty Lou played the flute during her high school and college years so I decided this was a good placement for this painting and her poem.

    Looking at this photo here as I type-Wow the blues match (the ocean waves and on the wall figure)  That's amazing!  It was meant to be.

    Ugh we are back in the mid to upper 90's F again this week. Thursday looks like a cool down-so hoping this is the last of the 90's for this summer.

  Being so hot we are taking time off from driving to the woods home, I was burnt out from all the weed eating of our lawn here and it just caught up with me today. I figured in three days I used 13 battery charges for the weed eating project.

    My friend that meets me there and helps  me wrap and pack all the glass lenses, was sick today too. We'll head back Wednesday and Thursday. I haven't been to the grocery store in 6 weeks so that is a must for early tomorrow. Friday a new doctor and visit for Hubs so another busy full week.

  Happy New Week!

Happy Weekend

  Just popping in to say hello,

   It has been a busy week. I made trips in to the woods home to begin the packing of Larry's scope shop business. It is allot of work-all the glass lenses need to be wrapped seperately and then placed into coin size paper envelopes.  There are Lots. Much to do there to get ready for a sale and we are headed back to the 90's again.

  Since the person we hired to mow our lake house lawn-it is large-decided to not show up or even give us a call, I have been "mowing" tall thick grass with a weed eater-battery powdered. It works really well, just hard on the body working through 4 batteries at a time, which is around 3 hours. Slow going but getting there.

  I got a surprise in my garden a couple days ago. An echinacea bloom-I am soooo happy to see it. Since this one is pink then it's one I planted from seed. Sadly the two roots I bought did not survive. I thought one did but so far no more blooms.

The perennial garden is winding down, but I do still have blooms and butterflies If you look near the lemongrass you will see a butterfly.

  I was bummed last week I had forgotten to water, so the petunias in the big copper pot look pretty sad, but there are still a few blooms coming on. The deer continue to eat my geranium flowers and leaves. As soon as the plant recovers and blooms again-the deer eat it again  Oh well.

  Have not taken any new photos, but we are very much enjoying seeing the eagle pair again-they have been very active-fishing on the lake, and singing up in that tree-such a blessing to be able to enjoy them.

 One day this week I made a really delicious dish. I seasoned up and sliced thin a flat iron steak-than prepared it as for fajitas-but instead of shells-made beans and rice-sooo  good

Happy weekend

Lovely Moon Over the Lake Tonight

   

This first photo was just a bit above the lake so no reflections yet

A few minutes later

Yesterday morning early

Remembering 9 11

 

Lovely Huge Moon Tonight

  I grabbed my old camera, the moon was huge just over the lake early tongiht. This time I got a soso photo.

  Early this morning just after sunrise when the sun was very very bright-lots of birds. Ducks swimming to the left of the dock and to the right on our grass a group of Canada geese Now and early spring they love to do this.

  This is the only photo I captured today, but we enjoyed a large flock of crows, and watched a pair of eagles flying all over the lake just past the above neighbors dock-probably fishing.  We have heard them singing most mornings now this week-such a joy and a blessing. I missed them this summer when they were raising their family. 

   

  Another fun thing before sunrise is to see and here and the fish jumping out of the water catching food. Some of them are very large.

  At the beginning of lawn cutting season, we bought a battery operated weed eater with wheels-light weight for me. I thought I would cut grass with it instead of dealing with a lawn mower on these hills in our yard. We ended up with someone cutting it for us most of the summer-and then he just quit, along with not completing the dock project with Larry-sigh. Too many these days are so irresponsible.  Sooo the past two days I have been working on getting the grass cut. Works pretty well until I get into a thick patch of grass when it uses up allot of battery life. We do have three batteries we can charge up-so that helps. So far I have about half done. Hope to get more done tomorrow. After this will cut before the grass gets too high. We had allot of off and on rain before Labor Day week.

  I see September will move fast-we have much to do with appointments and working at the woods house.

  I won't be around for link ups for awhile, but will be popping in to see what you are up to.

   The Queen was such a special lady and leader, I found these quotes by her  (just click in the middle of page and video will come on)

  Happy weekend.

Feels Like a New Week Today

 Good morning Friends,

   The lake was so rough since early Friday and total bonkers all day and late evening Sunday, that today feels like a new day and a new week. I'll take it haha.

   When we moved to the lake neither of us had any idea how rough the lake's waves would get on busy weekends during the summer. It started getting much worse during the years of covid as the blue states with their ocean boats decided to buy up property here on the once family-fishing lake at Lake in the Ozarks. It is really sad to see this play out. It is what it is, reading comments on the lake groups on facebook many had major dock and boat damages from this onslaught on Sunday. It was so loud and nerve racking that I closed up the blinds on the wall of windows, and could still hear the roar of the waves and boats anywhere in the house.   The casino will begin building soon as well. ugh  

  Enough of all that, I was planning to start working on weed eating or killing areas of grass and weeds today but it looks like it could rain any minute. So I will need to hold off on that project for another day.  

  We enjoyed having our new friends Dusty and Mary over for baby back ribs and fixings yesterday afternoon. This morning early the guys went out early fishing. So glad Larry now has someone nearby to go fishing with. I may even try fishing one of these days. Calmer waters lets us fish off the dock.

  I know fall is in the air as the eagle pair has been back in their spot singing early mornings now-I had missed them while they were raising their young.

  My spinning is better this time around. I enjoy using the drop spindle.  You can see some of the bison yarn in the back. This orange-yellow-white yarn is a very soft merino and silk. Finally getting the yarn finer and not so bulky.

  Last week I worked on my late sister's poetry and writings. I have been wanting to publish it for her, but after sitting down and really reading all of it, most of the poetry was about her personal life struggles during college and the two years after before her tragic car accident. I saved nine poems, two were published already in a college book of poems (I did get permission from them to re publish) and I still have the pretty art work that a friend painted for me years ago for the cover-she gave me publishing rights for that as well.  After all these years (since 1979) I was truly ready to say goodbye-hadn't realized what a burden that has been all these years.  I shredded all of her personal poetry, and this time during re reading found a note from her that she hoped no one would find those more personal poems.  So they are no more. 

  I just ordered a barn wood frame for the artwork and will include her sandpipers poem on the back. Growing up as children we often camped out at the Indiana Dunes State Park where we would enjoy watching the sandpipers running into the great lakes when waves receded and then get chased back as the waves moved in on the sand. Good memories.

  I may hand write out the nine poems into little books and possibly share those with friends. One of my blogging friends mentioned that she knew someone that did that-hand wrote her poetry into little books and then sold them Loving that idea-I won't sell her poems but will gift them instead. 

  The cooler mornings last week gave us some pretty views-early mornings 

    

Enjoy your week

  

Prayers For America

 

Hello September