As Our Life Goes On

It was a dark, drizzly and chilly day. I miss the bright sun and I need that natural sunlight in order to feel energetic. As I rummaged through the freezer this afternoon I found a forgotten container of berries. The berry crop was sparse this year because our blossoms arrived too early for the bees to pollinate them. A berry cobbler for dinner seemed to bring bright thoughts to mind but darkness falls early on days like this.  The upcoming time change this weekend will cause very early darkness. I am a fan of bright lights during the Winter. 

We were indeed fortunate not to have endured any severe effects from Hurricane/Storm Sandy. A trip around the yard this morning revealed quite a few downed limbs and branches but these were all dead branches that had been hanging in the trees waiting to fall in a heavier wind. These windfalls are soggy and wet as is the yard. There are a lot of puddles and wet leaves from the red Japanese maple litter the driveway.  Our thoughts and prayers are with those who suffered terrible consequences during this event. 

The tree at the right in the picture just above has been dead for many years.  Many insects and birds have lived within the interior of this tall tree. A few days ago I walked to the bottom of the big hill out back and found that it had finally collapsed. It stood as a leafless sculptural element in that swampy area for so long that I will actually miss it. The wood may be too punky and soft to salvage for firewood. I wonder if anybody that regularly walks along the bike trail which can be seen just behind the tree in the first picture has noticed that it has fallen. 

There are things in our yard that could certainly be affected by very strong winds. The very tall and fragile half dead tree at the side of our house would be of highest concern because it is close to the house.  Two things that should not blow away are the newly installed cast iron fence and the old cast iron gas street lamp. They posts for these items are set deeply into the ground and surrounded by a 2 1/2 foot deep cement fill.  The upcoming storm caused by Hurricane Sandy is a worry for us even though we live in Northeast Ohio but we are very concerned about those who live in the coastal areas where the impact on property and lives will be great.

There has been a drastic change in sleeve styles on clothing in the last few years that I have found particularly annoying. Yes, I am talking about the little short cap sleeves that seem to be  on just about every knit short sleeved shirt, top or t-shirt. These sleeves seem to bunch up and feel uncomfortable under the arms. Aside from that they are not flattering or attractive at all on many older people. You know what I mean if you are a senior citizen. I am definitely referring to what happens to the skin on the arms as we age. The skin long longer is taut and tight and it tends to hang down in saggy, wrinkled ugly bunches. That is not a pretty sight. I have been able to find some half sleeves and 3/4 sleeves that hide this unsightly skin but this style is not as easily found. The person who designed this style must have been a young person or perhaps this was designed to save on using extra fabric. The only way to combat this style is not to buy it. 

Leafless sculptural bare trees against grey skies ready for Winter  -Caroline

I do hope that some wrens will make this little house their home next year. There are indeed some trees that seem to hang onto the leaves tenaciously but most of the leaves on the trees around our home have dropped to the ground. Leaf blowing and mulching will go on until all have fallen.  Rain, wind and cold weather are expected this weekend so that should take care of the leaves that seem to be tightly attached to the trees. 

Many of the trees have now lost their leaves. The leaves that were brilliant reds and oranges have faded to dull rusts and golds with an occasional accent of red from the sumac bushes. We took an hour long ride after supper through the Pippen Lake area again and found that it was still very pretty with gold being a prominent color. A carpet of yellow-gold leaves covered the ground on the roadsides. 

Today I picked large bouquets from the hydrangea bush in the back yard. They are hanging to dry before being displayed in a vase or basket which has not yet been selected. They will be pretty for a while before drying out completely , turning a dull brown and collecting so much dust that we won't be able to tolerate being in the same room with them. Such is the life of things that flower. 

The day has just flown by. There have been many chores to finish.  Exercise class and a walk around the yard were not neglected though. This is the end of my blog for the day however. 

Quite a few leaves have already fallen but they are by no means done coming down. Keeping up with the leaf blowing and mulching is a seemingly unending job at this time. The leaf mulch will add organic matter to the soil. There seems to be a cacophony of leaf blowing and mower mulching sounds wafting through the air this afternoon as others in the area tend to their yards.

Yesterday afternoon there was an unmistakable thud just outside of the the room where my computer work is done. I went to the window to see what type of bird had tried to fly through the clear glass on the breezeway. The windows had just been carefully cleaned for a special occasion at our home and likely they were a bit too clean. This has happened before even when the windows were a bit less clear.  This poor male cardinal lay stunned and on the ground for at least 45 minutes before it flew away. Only some red and grey downy under feathers remained on the window. We are so glad that it lived but will he remember not to do that again?

Going round the bend Could this be heaven's entrance? Spectacular sights -Caroline

We did not have to go far to see the glorious colors of Fall yesterday. The trees in our back yard were glowing in the sunset last evening.  The flower garden in the foreground has a few blooms left but too few to show up in pictures. The grass growth has slowed down but the leaves have to be blown and mulched frequently. 

We took our 1979 Oldsmobile for a late day drive yesterday. Destination was the secluded road between Lake Rockwell and Lake Pippen near Brady Lake, Ohio. Both of the lakes are Akron water reservoirs. The woods on each side of the road are kept clean and there is no trespassing. There are massive old maples and oaks throughout the area. Other people were doing the same thing that we were doing so it was difficult to get a picture without a car in it. One photographer stopped and got out at times and hung out of the passenger side of the car that he was in at other times.  When were were entering the road we felt so privileged to see an American bald eagle landing on the top of a leafless tree. It wobbled a bit as it landed as the tree flexed under the weight. It was an immature bird and the head had not yet turned white. We were aware that these birds nested near the area but this was the first sighting that we had seen at this reservoir.   The setting sun seemed to add extra c

Brilliant red and golds Colors only God can make Made for our pure joy -Caroline

Preparing for a party needn't be all consuming. We did a little bit more cleaning and polishing than usual and the house still looks good even after the party. It would be great if it would just stay that way all the time. The flowers and gourds were our only decorations for the Saturday evening covered dish. The arrangements were placed in different spots around the house. The child vase holding the violet colored flowers was in the bathroom. The larger bouquet was on the dining table and the gourds were on the table in the picture. The flowers all came in one bundle for only $3.99 from the Aldi store. I thought the purple flowers looked best separated from the others in the large bouquet. The gourds were in a little mesh bag for $1.99. They were inexpensive Fall decorations that worked well. We will be able to enjoy them for a while longer and remember the good time had with our friends. 

This grey tree frog showed up on the door of our breezeway last evening. We had a covered dish party and the frog was very noticeable as it started climbing up the window which was slightly wet with raindrops. It posed for pictures that some of the guests took with their cell phones and then retreated from the camera flashes.  We suspect the outside lights and lights on the breezeway were attracting insects for this frog to eat.  As usual there was plenty of good food brought to the covered dish party. Food, friends, music and lots of conversation made the evening fly by fast. 

The late day sun illuminated the trees with a golden color as this photo was  taken.  There is still a bit of work to do to the old street light lamp post. The top has to be leveled just a bit and a method of closure for the door has to be found. The brick path through the garden will be the next project. Next Spring some plants will be moved into this side of the garden. We are really pleased with how the light looks. There will be a candle burning in the lamp tonight but we will be looking for a solar light that will have the right look for the inside of the cage. 

You have probably noticed that the Christmas trees that are cut for home use stay green long after they are cut before turning brown. This is also true of the stressed pine trees that are planted in our yard.  Our best efforts to keep the trees in our yard watered during the drought were not enough to keep them completely hydrated. It is only in the last week that we have seen many dying branches in our trees. This is true of the the trees that have been here many years as well as the three trees that were newly planted in the Spring. There is nothing that can be done to fix this. 

The leaves are falling so quickly from the trees that it is very difficult to keep up with the blowing and mulching. When you do go out there to use the leaf blower and mulching mower please be sure to wear ear plugs or the larger ear protectors. These loud machines may injure your hearing.  The beautiful trees shown above are across the street from my favorite thrift store in Streetsboro, Ohio. Their beauty makes me forget the ugliness of the almost empty shopping center where the thrift store is located. The road entrance to the parking lot and the parking lot are both full of very deep holes that one must dodge in order to get to parking places in front of the few stores that remain in the nearly abandoned  center.  Wow! I went to this place just a couple of days later and every pothole in the entrance road and in the parking lot were properly repaired. It was actually dangerous for cars and people before this took place. 

Some of my favorite things about Fall Brilliant colors against a grey sky Crunching leaves under my feet as I walk about the yard Warm sun on a crisp cool day God's gifts of sight and sound to enjoy these things Thanks be to God! -Caroline

I suspect that the large spider that spent a lot of time on the shed door this Summer has headed to the inside of the building. Hopefully I don't encounter it unexpectedly while searching around for a something that is needed from the shed . It seems that spiders and snakes always cross my path at the most unplanned times and I become startled by them. This big spider may have eaten quite a few mosquitoes. The little blood suckers are  numerous this Fall and some have made their way to the inside of our home. There is nothing like hearing that familiar buzz around your head in the middle of the night. 

They're small and ghostly These white and frilly mushrooms  Growing in the yard -Caroline

The Amish people in this buggy that we saw on our recent trip to the northern part of Portage County were able to enjoy the beautiful trees for a longer time than we were. In our hurry to get everywhere fast we have to absorb all that is around us in a shorter time. We saw three different buggies on our trip. It seemed that the horses pulling these black coaches were all well fed and in good condition. A couple of the horses were quite attractive.  The back roads in our area of Ohio always offer interesting and varied sights. 

Winter is coming It's time to check the furnace And to blow the leaves So much work to to in Fall Will there be enough time -Caroline

Our destination this morning was a junkyard in northern Portage County.  The junkyard did have the one part that was needed to repair our 1981 Suburban. The part we needed is no longer made new so a used part was the only option.  The leaves, especially the maples, have turned breathtaking colors. Some trees were iridescent orange and red colors. We traveled down back roads to get to our destination. The sky was dark and rain was on the way. We did finish our tour before any rain fell. The little used back roads were great places to be early in the day as we could travel at our own rate and enjoy the scenery.  The Spring in our area was extremely wet. The Summer was too dry and too hot. Now that we are into Fall the weather seems more normal though a bit wetter than usual. The trees are extremely pretty this year. They will most likely reach the peak colors a bit early. 

Mindless endless noise Chattering talking loudly Constant connection Cell phones ringing in the stores Conversations heard by all -Caroline

I know it is not Thanksgiving yet but cooler weather is coming up. How about a pumpkin pie with a cut-out of a witch on it for Halloween! This is a repeat post of my favorite recipe found on a Crisco can many years ago.  I have never been accused of making pretty pies but they taste good. Pumpkin pie has always been one of my favorites. It it not something that I make often but around the holidays it is always the thing to have. Some nice dollops of whipped cream on top will make this a super ending to a meal. This recipe makes 2 pies. HONEY PUMPKIN PIE 1     29 oz can pumpkin (large can) 2/3 cup honey  2/3 cup brown sugar (dark brown is good) 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 4 eggs 1     12 oz can evaporated milk (not the sweetened kind) Mix together in order listed until well blended. Put into 2 pie crusts (purchased or your favorite crust) Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then turn oven down

It is good to hear that a blight resistant species of the American Chestnut has been developed. The large sprawling trees used to be prominent tree in the Eastern United States. Research is such a great thing. The chestnut on the tree  above is a Chinese Chestnut. The Dutch Elm disease wiped out many of the very tall elm trees from our forests but there may be hope for hybrids or resistant trees. Isolated elm trees still stand in our area. The ash trees now face the emerald ash borer and it is good to find out that research is being done to solve the problem or create hybrids that are resistant. There is a huge ash tree at the back of our property that is probably on the bike trail right of way. It is extremely tall and large. At this time the leaves are turning purple, orange and yellow and it is just so pretty. It shades a huge area of our yard. The ash borers have been found in the city park just about a mile away so it seems that the ash trees in our area are certain

The newly stripped and painted lamp post is now bolted to the cement base. Russ worked very hard to get the project this far. The completion of this lamp will be sometime in the future. The top of the lamp needs a lot of work before it will be ready.  The work on the brick path through the garden will be the next project.  Other work on the house and on our vehicles is higher on the priority list right now.