Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Happy Day After the Day After Labor Day!

 

September is here, at last...

...now let's just hope the weather will take the hint!
We have been experiencing the most humid and muggy weather of the season here.

As usual, I am MORE than ready for cooler weather and fall leaves!

And that's not all.

I look forward to eating some of these every fall.
I actually saw them on the shelves a month ago...nothing like rushing the season.
~

So once more for old time's sake, here are the questions for this last Hodgepodge.

I, for one, am going to miss it but, Joyce, I totally understand!

Thank you for everything you have put into the Hodgepodge over the years,

 and creating such a fun way to share our lives and connect to new friends as well!

 

1. What has been the highlight of your summer so far? (It's still summer people!)

Our visit to the Cass Scenic Railroad in West Virginia in June was most definitely the highlight so far. I think about the experience often and would love to return one day. I highly recommend visiting there if you happen to live anywhere close...or whether you don't!

 



2. What do you wish you'd done more of this summer? Less of?

More of getting projects done, less of not getting projects done. 😏

3. Something you're looking forward to on your September calendar?

Although I am not really all that crazy about getting another year older, I will be doing just that on the 15th. In all seriousness though, I am very thankful to the Lord for every day and every year that He sees fit to let me breathe the air. I have scheduled a week off work that will include my birthday...a working week, I might add. No fun vacations, but dedicating most of the time to my #2 answer. Wish me luck!

4. Best/favorite book you've read this summer?



It took me a while, but I finally got through it. This book is big and thick...and packed with so much history about the country during the time (and before) the Ingalls Family were pioneering their way across the country and finally settling, again and again. Much of the book was about the relationship between Laura and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, who was a best selling author in her own right. Their relationship was quite tempestuous, to say the least and I must say a little surprising to me. Some of it made my heart sink a bit. Although "Little House on the Prairie" had always been (and still is) one of my favorite shows, I had never read any of the books! Well, maybe you can guess what I'm currently reading. Better late than never, I always say!

5. Share something positive, encouraging, or uplifting here.



When a butterfly lands on your hand, how could it not be positive, encouraging AND uplifting?

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Joyce, once again I thank you for the Hodgepodge. I will be looking forward to any little surprises you may decide to toss our way!

 

So until next time, enjoy what's left of the first week of September!

 

windowsill

“The voyage of a lifetime starts at the windowsill.”

~Khang Kijarro Nguyen

~

Recently, as I was going through my photo files, I found quite a few windowsill shots.

I didn't realize I had so many of them so I decided to include them in a post.

So often I'll walk into the kitchen and find the late afternoon sun filtering through the petals

of whatever happens to be in the vessels (or the vessels themselves) that's sitting on the sill...

...and creating such a lovely still-life display that I have to stop whatever I'm doing
and go grab my camera.

Sometimes, depending on the time of day, the scene is more of a silhouette...


...and sometimes it's just fun.

~
As you can see, my windowsills are quite shallow.
You can be sure that the farmhouse will have nice deep ones. 😉

AT MY WINDOWSILL

Early in the morning,

When all is still,

I sit and wait

At my windowsill,

And watch the sun

Come over the hill,

To paint the sky

With beauty and skill.

~Linda B. Ross



Most of the photos I came across were taken of my own kitchen windowsill 
but I found a couple from other places as well.

Remember our beloved cabin in Virginia?
These colored bottles always made me smile as I caught the sun sifting through them.
When we moved out, I gave the blue ones away to Adam and Carrie.

Now I get to enjoy them sitting in their windowsill when we come visit them.

It's always fun to change things up for the seasons.
Anyone else ready for fall?

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are window through which you must see the world."
~George Bernard Shaw

BOUQUET

Today, while I was busy at my tasks

She came to me, and proudly held to view
The flowers she had gathered, with the words
"See Mommy! I have picked them all for you."

I smiled with high delight, and gathered close
The limp grey weeds, the wilted dandelion...
And placed them all in water, in a vase
Upon the window sill to catch the shine!

I often think, Lord, this must be Your task
With prayers and deeds we bring to You each night,
How poor and small they are, they fall so short!
And yet, how beautiful within Your sight.

To understand our aims, unworthy deeds ...
And bless the "flowers" shining through the weeds!

~Charmain Blattner

"Give me a window and I'll stare out it."  

~Alan Rickman

So tell me...what's in your windowsill?


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Late September Hodgepodge

Falling leaves hide the path so quietly.
~John Bailey
~
Yes, we can actually say it now...it's officially fall, even though it doesn't quite feel like it yet.
It's in the air though...the mornings and evenings have that certain something about them
that let you know the atmosphere is changing.
~
I snapped these photos at our local Lake Michael last Friday morning.



I got there just in time to catch the sun peeking out from behind the trees.
Fog was hovering over the lake and it was really quite beautiful.

Just that little hint of color lets one know that it's only a matter of time.

And speaking of time, it's time for Joyce's Hodgepodge...

...where she asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.

~ 

1. What pets did you have while growing up? Tell us a little something about them.

The first pet that I remember was Tippy, our sweet family mutt. He was a gold colored mixed breed that had a furry tail that curled up over his back.

He was a very even tempered dog...except for that one time. He was lying on the steps going into the house and he was in my way. When I couldn't get him to move, I just stepped right on him (I was really little) and he bit me in the leg. Served me right, didn't it?! He forgave me and I forgave him.

Throughout the years, there were several cats, none that I can remember having names although I'm sure they must have. I do remember dressing one of them in doll clothes and pushing it around in a baby buggy. My mom put her foot down on having any more cats right after she came into the kitchen and found one of them on top of the table eating noodles right out of the pot. BAD KITTY! There were a few other animals in later years, one being my tiny pet chameleon, Cam. He was beautiful and I enjoyed watching him change colors to match his surroundings. He would sometimes lie on his back in the palm of my hand and I would rub his belly. Then there was Bugger the hamster (yes, that was his name) and after a photo shoot (yes, even back then) in my mom's flower bed, he somehow got away from me. After hours and hours of searching for him, I finally gave up...he was lost in the great outdoors, never to be seen again.😢

2. What is one thing you absolutely must accomplish today?

Jim is home after working a 9-day stretch...laundry is on the to-do list or sure.

3. Where were you ten years ago? What were you doing there?

Ten years ago I was right here doing the very same thing (well, not blogging)...but I was living in the same house, working the same job, doing the same thing I have done for the past 24 years. There is something to be said about continuity but I have to say, am ready for a new adventure! Lord, are you listening?? 😩

4. September 26th is National Dumpling Day. Did you celebrate? Apple dumpling, xiao long bao (steamed Chinese dumpling), chicken and dumplings, pirogi, matzoh balls, or gnocchi...which dumpling on this list would be your dumpling of choice? Have you ever made homemade dumplings of any kind?

That's pretty funny, I just saw where it is National Pancake Day...but I guess they are somewhat related...I mean if you are talking about both being full of carbs, right? Actually, I don't eat much of any kind of dumplings but it's not because I don't like them. Jim is not fond of wet, bready substances but now if you are talking about an apple dumpling, well that might be a different story because he does love him some pie! My dumpling of choice would be either gnocchi (Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup...YUM) or the good old fashioned chicken and dumplings my mom used to make. And no, I have never made any dumplings that I recall.

5. 'There are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find an adventure and those who go secretly hoping they don't.' William Trogdon
So which kind are you?

I really think I am the first kind. I have always had an adventuresome spirit and even though I can be perfectly content and satisfied by the normal day-to-day, a change of scenery and routine can be quite exciting...and a little bit scary, as I may be finding out soon!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Temperatures are dropping here this weekend and we're planning to have one of these!



See you in October!

The Hodgepodge is falling! The Hodgepodge is falling!!

The weeks are flying by faster than ever it seems.

How can it be Wednesday again already?
And in another couple of days, fall officially arrives and I am ready!
But you knew that already, didn't you?
~

We are having another little warm spell, this week before it officially become fall.

It has been pleasant...in the low to mid 80s with big puffy clouds filling bright blue skies.

Little by little, the trees are beginning to show some color and according to the weather man,

 it's supposed to be a very pretty fall...I guess this depends on several factors...

the summer's amount of rain, drought, temperatures, etc.

We do hope to be able to find some time for a little drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway,

one of most favorite places in the country.



So if it's already Wednesday again, it also means it's Hodgepodge day...

...where Joyce asks the questions on her blog and we answer them on ours!
So here are the questions for this week...

1. What's something you'd rate a 10/10? Tell us why.

Wow...thinking of something right off the top of my head is not easy...whatever it is has to be pretty awesome to rate a 10 out of 10! So after doing some pondering, here is what has come to mind...and most of you will probably think I must be very strange. But I have to say that my brother's "home going" (I choose not to call it a funeral) service a few weeks ago was a "10" as far as that type of thing goes. My brother spent all of his adult life in South Carolina and although I knew him well, I found out so much about him at that service that I never knew before. The pastor and other friends who spoke had known him for 40+ year and told stories and gave testimonies of how he had touched their lives and many other's as well. Although we were all were dealing with the fact that we would no longer have him here on this earth, the spirit of this service was so very uplifting and it actually made it kind of difficult to be really sad, considering all of the circumstances. Does that make sense to anyone?

2. What job would you be terrible at? What makes you think so?

It would be a toss up between a teacher or a public speaker. Although I love children, I don't have the patience that the job would require...although I can remember some of the teachers from when I was in school and wondered to myself how and why they decided on that as a career! I think I mentioned a coupe of hodgepodges ago that just the thought of speaking in public makes my stomach hurt.

3. When did you last take a fall? What's something you're falling for (in a good way) these days?

The last time I remember taking a fall was the winter before last. I actually had two falls, just weeks apart. My first one came when I was gingerly trying to navigate the icy three brick steps that go down into the side door of the garage to get something out of the freezer. I fell hard and my butt hit the corner of those sharp steps and I could swear I saw a few stars! A few weeks later, for my next trick, I stepped down from the deck (three icy wooden steps) onto the brick patio, I lost my traction on the last one and fell, once again, hitting the exact same place that was just beginning to feel better. I was bruised and hurting for weeks. These days, I am falling in love with fall, as I do every year at this time, with the cooler temps and the falling leaves....

...and many of these are also falling. It won't be long now before the deer start gathering in the yard every evening for a midnight snack.

1. According to the Travel Channel here are some of America's best fall festivals-

National Apple Harvest Festival (near Arendtsville PA, close to Gettysburg), Harvest on the Harbor (Portland Maine), German Village Festival (Columbus Ohio), Wellfleet Oyster Fest (Cape Cod), and Wine and Chile Fiesta (Santa Fe NM)
Have you ever been to any of the festivals listed? Which one appeals to you most? Does your hometown have any sort of fall celebration, and if so will you make it a point to attend?

No, I have never been to any of the above and if I could choose one on the list, the Apple Harvest Festival in PA sounds like it would be right up my alley. We do not have a celebration in my town in the fall (we have the Dogwood Festival in the spring) but every fall we host a huge fall festival at our church as an outreach to the community. Every year more and more folks attend and last year we had over 450 I believe. My back is already aching just thinking about painting all of those little faces for 1 1/2 hours straight...oh me oh my!

5. What is your goodbye message to summer?

Buh-bye, summer...don't let the door hit you on your way out!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Tasha says she's read for fall too...the crunchy leaves tickle her belly!

Have a good one!

A Hodgepodge for All Seasons

Happy Wednesday, friends.

It's good to be back to normal (what ever that is) after a couple of bumps in the road, 

some expected, some not so much.

And then everything really gets put into perspective when events like Harvey and Irma happen.

We were able to dodge the bullet here in central NC once Irma changed course and headed west.

We have several loved ones that were right in Irma's path but thank the Lord,

they are quite drenched but safe and sound.

~

So we're here for the Hodgepodge...

...where Joyce asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.

Here are this week's questions.

~

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

I am a visual person so I say yes, yes, 1000 times yes. For example, there are just no words that can really describe the vastness of the sea...

...or the solace and refreshment of a cool, shady trail in woods.

What words would you use to describe the minuscule details when you get up close and personal with a geranium bud?

Words aren't needed to tell the story of a cold and wet cardinal as she waits her turn to grab a morsel.

What about the raw emotion that pictures like these portray? Words just aren't needed here.

source

source

But on a much lighter note, sometimes a picture tells a different kind of story. Like the time you bring home that extra bread stick from Olive Garden so it doesn't go to waste...and then you forget about and find it three days later in your purse, hard as a rock. Yes, I found it Sunday morning before I left for church.



And it's an ongoing story as well. I may never get the garlic smell out of my purse! Now, where did I put that Febreze??

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?

No, I have never been anywhere even close to the Pacific coast. I have never had a longing desire to go there, although if someone were to offer me an all-expense paid trip, I would certainly take them up on it and I'm sure I would enjoy it. Visiting Ireland and Scotland now, that's a different story...bucket list for sure.

3. How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you suppose that is?

I consider myself fortunate to have always lived where I can enjoy all four seasons and I can't think of any real ways that the changes affects me. There are things I love about each one of them and I'm always ready to welcome the change when it comes. Although summer can be full of fun things to do and all of that, the heat and humidity does get to me a bit but as long as I have my A/C, I'm good! I do get rather giddy when fall is in the air because it is my favorite season. But even when the trees have lost all of their leaves and the wintry winds begin to blow, I take delight in hunkering down in front of a cozy fire...and there's always that one little thing to look forward to...Christmas, which is even better if its "white"! But after a couple of snowfalls, I'm pretty much done with winter and you will find me out looking for signs of spring...and the world goes around and around and we start all over again. If there even is a season to season transition that bothers me, I guess it would be the spring/summer one. It seems many years it starts to get hot before we have the chance to enjoy much springtime weather. That's one of the joys of living in the south!

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age?

Funny you should ask! My birthday is this Friday and I am hoping to enjoy a yummy meal out with the hubs somewhere. The All-You-Can-Eat shrimp special at Red Lobster always coincides with my birthday, although I am not sure that's what I'll be having...I must ponder that for the next couple of days...and no, I never lie about my age.😉

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?

To never take 'just a regular day' for granted...as hard as it is to do.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

                                                                    'Til next time.....                                                                  

A Sight to Behold

Hello, peeps!
As I write, it's a chilly, blustery day and tonight temps are supposed to dip below freezing...
...into the mid-20's....WHAT???
I thought this was supposed to be April in the south!

So this past Friday, although somewhat cool, was a beautiful day with bright blue skies...

...a perfect day to enjoy an afternoon stroll at Riverwalk,
about ten miles down the road in Hillsborough.

Riverwalk is a two mile segment of the Mountains to the Sea Trail along the Eno River
 and features paved pathways for walking, biking and wheelchairs.
It crosses the river on some pretty amazing bridges and connects the Historic District
with the West Hillsborough Gold Park and businesses.



Not far over the bridge, this came into my view.

At first I couldn't believe what I was seeing and then my brain kicked in...yes!

 

A few months ago I had seen a program on our PBS channel about a local artist, Patrick Dougherty, who has created these awesome sculptures in different places over all over the world.



I had temporarily forgotten that there was one practically right under my nose!
Ironically, I found out that he named this one A Sight to Behold...



...exactly my thought the moment I laid eyes on it.



What truly amazing artistry, to say the least...



...and from what I understand, he builds them, depending on their size,
 in as little as a couple of weeks!
Local folks are also welcome to volunteer their assistance by gathering the sticks and such.
If you are interested in checking out some of his other sculptures,
you can find him at his website, Stickwork.

Inside, it was quite cozy...



...although I was glad it wasn't raining...



...and I wondered if this is what it might feel like to be a raccoon or a possum,
or some other critter living inside of a dead tree :)

I was beyond intrigued by this unique and whimsical piece of art.



We just never know what we might discover when we set out for an afternoon stroll, do we?



And I can assure you...



...I obeyed the rules :)



So I'm thinking spring is finally back this week...one can only hope!
Enjoy your week, my friends!

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