Happy Halloween! (Updated)

I hope you've had a fun, safe, lovely and Blessed day today! (Click on photo's to enlarge).

We started out at the cemetery this morning, first to visit my Nana.
























This Mockingbird watched us the entire time we were visiting Nana and began to sing as we got ready to leave.























Then we headed across the highway to another cemetery...























"My daddy always said there's a separate God for children." (Fried Green Tomato's). There's also a separate place for children here.























Happy Halloween Boo! Lord how your Mama loves you. On days like today, I embrace the grief so I can let it go until the next time. Hubbs is just the most amazing, loving man - holding me as I cry for a daughter lost, crying his own tears though she wasn't his.























Cemeteries are beautiful places.























Could this be the same Mocking Bird from Nana's cemetery?























Once home, I finished up some last minute preparations for the trick.or.treater's and got started on making a roast beef for dinner. (It came out So delish!) This is our front porch. (Hubbs said this is the Halloween version of sitting on Santa's lap, lol!)


























Our living room mantle.























From the back yard, I caught site of this Gyr Falcon sitting in the tree across the street. Yesterday we saw a Paragon Falcon (which is much larger than this fella) flying over head.





















And now it's time for rest after a busy weekend. More photo's may follow soon (in a slide show).

Tomorrow is All Saint's Day, and November 2nd is All Souls Day as well as Day Of The Dead. If you haven't taken some time already to remember your loved ones who have passed, perhaps do so in the coming days. I find it a nice, comforting annual ritual.

Pumpkin Blessings!

*Update: Here are the rest of the photo's from Halloween~

All Hallow's Eve

It's been a perfect chilly Autumn day here on the coast, most of which was spent with last mintue Halloween preparations like stuffing the scarecrow with oak tree leaves for the front porch, buying treats for the trick-or's and gourds to carve tomorrow (while watching terrible old horror movies on TCM) and getting ready for an American Legion function this evening. (Which was a good time at a beautiful chatteau. We have another AL function this coming Wednesday evening as well). Once home tonight, I prepared the memorial/remembrance table for my daughter B, my Nana, my Grandma and hubby's Mom, an annual ritual of mine for several years now. (I don't remember when I started doing this, sometime after losing my daughter who would have turned 11 December). I will do this again each night through All Souls Day. (It's a comfort to me). I got the idea in my head earlier that I'd like to go to an old cemetery tomorrow morning, camera in hand. I've got two in mind and will decide during breakfast which one we'll take a ride to. Trick-or-treating begins in out town tomorrow at 2pm (until curfew at 8pm) so the rest of the day will be spent watching horror movies, purging the spare room and giving out treats. Not sure what we'll pick up to make for dinner though I'm thinking a batch of potato soup with some crusty french bread or ciabatta rolls. I also haven't decided whether or not we'll go on the historical society's lantern tour tomorrow night. (Have a friend to invite if we do).

It's All Hallow's Eve; I can't believe it's here already. For me, the most wonderful time of the year is nearly over. Bah! Humbug!

Posted from My Palm Centro.

Autumn Tuesday On A (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

Tales From An Autumn Walk

We've been having some unseaonably warm temps (and humidity) this week making it a tad uncomfortable but a southwesterly breeze is better than no breeze at all! Yesterday I just had to get out of the house and take in Autumn, which is in full swing here on the coast (peak as of Halloween), because Monday I wasn't up for it and I knew today would be stormy off and on throughout the whole day and given the time of year, I don't want to get caught in an unexpected down pour and miss Halloween, ya know? ;-) So I packed my tote with a bottle of water, a journal, my camera and The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman (the novel I'm currently reading) and headed out.

Well, it was warmer than I expected yesterday morning despite the cool breeze and by the time I took this photo, I was already working up a good sweat and this is on the same street we live on! (We do live on a rather long street that runs the length of town and runs through 2 other towns as well). Isn't the light in Autumn beautiful?

Because I thought the street I normally took into town was blocked off at the bottom for the Borough Hall renovation, I veered off onto a different side street. We live in a very hilly neighborhood to say the least and by the time I got to the Historical Society Mansion (all decked out for their haunted tours on Halloween) I was thinking that perhaps this walk wasn't a good idea! (The walking wasn't easy at first physically for me and jeepers it was Hot!) I stood here, looking at the Mansion for a bit then decided to keep going. (At least from this point it was down hill into town!)

Aside from the volunteers who 'haunt' the Mansion at Halloween, I wonder what haunts it the rest of the year?

Almost down town, I came upon this fence and just had to take a picture of it! This is one of my favorites I took yesterday! Ah the garden in Autumn!

After my errand at the hardware store was complete, I headed across the street to the park to rest and cool off. I found a completely shaded bench and plopped down.

The trees here are such a stunning shade of orange!

A crisp breeze was at my back thankfully (as the sun had been on it my whole walk into town and I was wearing a black t-shirt). Despite the noise coming from the Borough Hall reno, it was so nice sitting there, people & leaf watching. I took out my journal and actually began to write.

"I've never done this before, just sat down on a bench in (____)'s Park and we've lived here nearly 5 years! (5 years as of December). I'm sl glad for this shaded bench right now. I'm too hot & uncomfortable to continue right to the thrift shop. So here I am, resting, drinking water and cooling down. I'd forgotten how uncomfortable walking with a stent in can be. Ack. Funny, though it's been unseasonably warm (as if Autumn never has anything but chilly temps? ha!), Autumn is in her full glory and I can sense Winter's approach already. Maybe it's those bare, grayish brown branches against this powder blue sky. A woman from the bank has joined me in the park, on another bench. I went strait for the shade, she went strait for the sun. I don't want to get up, I'm quite comfortable and cool now! No one looks as someone reading on a park bench as being strange or eye roll worthy, but I wonder about someone sitting on a park bench writing like me? It makes me smile to see a couple automatically hold hands once they're out of their car and walking, not one making an effort to do so & the other not. I love when we do that. The bell in the Baptist Church up the street is tolling, it's noon! Huh, what's up with the sweat pants and clogs look today? I've seen it twice since sitting here. I should get moving to the thrift shop. Leaves are falling around me like snow."

And so I made my way slowly to the other side of town, stopping at the creek.

This is the fence alongside the creek.

I've always loved this house! It's all decked out for Halloween. Really, it looks like I should be living there. :-)

Just a random shot along the way home.

I stopped for lunch at a favorite local spot and had a bowl of stuffed pepper soup which was delicious! (I've never had a soup there I didn't like but I think this is my new favorite). I read my book until a friend met me there and then we walked back into town for a bit and then sat in (____)'s Park to talk for a while before I made the trek home. It was fully cloudy by the time we left the eatery, getting windy and a tad foggy too. The perfect Autumn day at last! Have you ever noticed how no matter how dim it is on an Autumn day, the foliage brightens it as if the sun were shining?

Home at last!

For more photo's of yesterday's walk, head over to New Jersey Through My Eyes for a slideshow.

Join Me For Tea Under The Full Moon?

Psst! 'Tis quite a magical time of year ya know! Well, course you do, that's why you're here. How silly of me. What's that? Oh, you'll have to excuse me, had garlic knots with extra garlic for dinner this evening. One can never be too careful at this time of year. Let me go rinse again with some minty mouth wash.

Come in, come in! I'll just be a moment. 'Scuse cobwebs but they're in keeping with the season. The spiders are so generous to help with the decorating, aren't they? I've been a tad under the weather anyhoo what with the surgery last Friday & all so I haven't cleaned in a bit. You don't remember? I told you all about it here. That's why I'm not having a tea party here tonight but heading over to Frosted Petunias. You'll walk over with me, won't you?

There! I hope that's better. Oh good! I know, the sun is setting and the dark of night will be upon us shortly. I do hope the clouds and fog are good natured this evening and let the Moon shine through. Let's be on our way!

What a beautiful sky this evening!

Just look at how Autumn's foliage brightens at dusk!
Isn't it glorious?

Smell that? No, not the garlic silly, the heady scents of damp leaves and earth. Heavenly! And the apples. Smell the apples? All we need is a bit of cinnamon. I have some here in my cloak... What? Well of course I do! I said I'd bring the; well, chai is tea too, it has cinnimon in it and while I may not fancy it myself I know others do...

What was That?!

A squirrel?

Are you sure? Positive?

Huh, I thought I saw a...

Oh, nothing. Never mind. Let's just pick up the pace a bit. At this time of year, sometimes every snap, crunch, rustle and gust of wind gives me pause. Oh I know, but I can't help it. Do you know how many horror movies I've seen?! True, but I can't help myself with all of the scary movie marathons on cable at this time of year.

Oh my! Feel that? It's going to bea crisp one tonight. Thank goodness we'll soon have hot, steaming cups of tea to keep us warm under the brilliant white rays of Moon light. Now where are my gloves?

What? Oh look! We're nearly there! Yippie!
Hear the clinking of tea spoons in cups and on saucers?

I'm glad we're not so late that we've missed it!

To join me in more Halloween Moonlight tea party fun, please visit Frosted Petunias.

What could be better than tea with friends under the full Moon?

Turning Upheaval Into Revival

I've been good at doing just that (turning upheaval into revival) for so long now, I think I've run out of steam with it. I don't think I can do it any more. I don't know if I want to. Guess I'll have to wait & see.

I am worn out. Physically and emotionally. I feel so old yet I'm "only" in my 35th year of life!

Last Friday's surgery was harder on me than I expected.

Much harder.

I know, I should have expected it to be, after all, 2 surgeries and a life threatening illness within 3.5 months is a lot for anyone, but perhaps it was better for me that I didn't anticipate it being so hard afterwards. I was nervous enough.

I've managed to get out twice this week but the outtings were very short because I'm in pain and exhausted. I'm glad I got out though. I can barely stand to be in the house any more. Especially at this, my favorite time of year. I feel as though Autumn is passing as quickly as water through my fingers from a faucet.

With gardening, 'there's always next year' has never bothered me in the least. But to wait through another year for Autumn to return? To suffer through another hot & humid Summer? I can't bear the thought. Honestly, gardening is what gets me through the warm months so I'm glad for that much during Spring & Summer. I live for Autumn and then Winter.

I've spent too much time here at home since I got home from the hospital in July. Way too much time. But what choice did I have? What choice do I have? In one way it's been good - I've purged A Lot of stuff from our home & basement and I intend to keep doing so.

I can't read. Nothing holds my interest when it comes to books. Magazines seem to be easier on me so I went through my stack that had piled up since the Summer. (Before this I couldn't even manage them). So frustrating!

I can't write outside of the occassional blog post. (Not even in my journal). This is something I don't recall happening before, overall writer's block. I've always been able to at least journal (and blog).

It's all relative. I know it could be worse, could have been worse (or even the worst, I could have died in July and was pretty dern close to it).

33lbs lost and I'm finally Looking like me again. I wonder when I'll Feel like me again? But, really, who was I? Who am I? I'm not sure now.

I'm overwhelmed. Angry. Sad. Un-inspired. Discouraged. Clueless. Drifting again. Numb. Faith shaken. Changed. (And not for the better).

I'll get through this, one way or another. It's going to take time this go-around, a lot of time I think.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

Apparently I'm not the only one in our home who loves Panera's mac & cheese, lol! (Glad I finished it before letting down my guard for a moment - he's licking up what's left of the cheese).

Posted from My Palm Centro.

A Walk Through The (Dis)Enchanted Forrest (Halloween Party Post)

Welcome & thank you for visiting my
post!

For more Halloween fun today & throughout the weekend,

visit A Fanciful Twist.

For more Halloween & Autumn Fun, check out my "Autumn Tuesday" & "Halloween Thursday" posts by clicking on their labels in the left hand column.

~Happy Halloween & Pumpkin Blessings!

*Update for those friends wondering, I put this together prior to surgery yesterday to make sure I would be able to post it for today! (Though it didn't post at 12:01am like it was supposed to). Anyhoo, I'm home and resting (uncomfortably). Surgery went well, my kidney tube and stone are gone! I have an internal stent on the left hand side but I'm okay with that because it comes out in the doctor's office in 2-3 weeks (no back to the hospital) and especially because it meant they could take that nephrostomy tube out! (The last nearly 2 weeks of that 15 weeks was rough with that thing, my body was simultaneously trying to heal around it and reject it - ick). It was a much more evasive procedure than I expected (given my stent surgery 5 years ago) and boy howdy am I feeling it today! But I'm snuggled up in bed, the winds howling & gusting outside, Halloween blog party hopping on the laptop, snoozing, reading Little Women & Artful Blogging and taking my meds. Now I am OFFICIALLY on the road to recovery!

Autumn Tuesday

Autumn is in full swing in many areas, including where we have our weekend/vaca home in north west NJ; the foliage was just about peak this weekend. I took these photo's on Sunday. (Quite chilly too as I mentioned in this week's (Muggy) Monday Musings post). To view a photo in full size, just click on it.

I have an ideals Country Roads magazine from 1985 which I cherish. I found it at a thrift shop years ago for 50 cents. (I have a few Christmas issues and an Easter issue, found at antique shops over time as well). Unfortunately they've stopped publication. Anytime I miss Autumn, all I need to do is look through this, my favorite issue of ideals.

Today I'm going to share with you some of the poems from Country Roads.

There is orange down in the valley;
I see crimson 'long the lane.
Yellow Spreads across the mountain-
Now that autumn's here again.
There is nothing so enthralling
As a mid-October ride
To see the Master Artist's work
Enflame the countryside.
~Earle J. Grant

October Song
It's showering yellow leaves today,
The lowmost limbs are bare
And there's a lusty pungency
Like challenge, in the air.
I'll take your challenge, Autumn,
Lay down my years, my load,
To roam like a child in the woodland
And down the river road.
Then when age makes me prisoner
This zest, this tang, shall stay
And set mu old lips to singing
It's showering leaves today!
~Kunigunde Duncan

Roadside Bounty
The autumn harvest lies beside
A road we'll take one crisp, clear day
When fall descends upon our land
And takes our breath away.
The farmer's crop will be displayed
For city folks out for a drive,
And country neighbors - they'll stop, too,
To pick a pumpkin for a pie.
There will be gourds, in orange and green,
And yellow squash, some pale, some bright;
That russet-colored Indian corn
Will hang upon our door at night.
With Nature splashing fruitfulness
In blazing colors o'er the land,
It's easy to feel grateful for
The bounty of a roadside stand.
~Amanda Barrickman

Fall Fashions
I walked the lanes of autumn
On a bright October day,
And fall displayed her fashions
Of red and gold so gay.
The woodsy scent of autumn,
The haze that cloaks the hills,
The fields adorned with pumpkins -
All are autumn thrills.
I strolled amid the splendor
Of autumn's gifts to man,.
And said goodbye to summer
With memories in hand.
~Mildred L. Jarrell

Autumn Witchery
Autumn's magic pattern of
gold and scarlet flame
Is woven in the woodland
within an earthy frame.
This fascinating alchemy
has a sweet, wine-tangy smell
As autumn uses witchery
to weave her magic spell.
~Roy Z. Kemp

October
What is more enchanting than
October's autumn treats?
Her trees with ruddy foliage
transform our humdrum streets.
October's such a gypsy, though,
her charms we must recall;
For, once she's lost her raiment,
we have lost our fall.
~Edith Tollefsrud

Autumn's Artwork
There's beauty in an autumn morn,
Its colours, red and gold.
The sunrise casts a work of art;
Its secrets yet untold.
There's beauty in an autumn eve
When sunset shadows fall
Upon the brown and yellow leaves
Ere winter comes to call.
~Helen Roberson

Alone
With the Fall
The summer people have moved back to town;
I am alone with fall.
Grapes in the arbor are hanging down;
Woodbine is red on the wall.
Shining horse chestnuts dot the lawn;
Thorn-apple trees are aglow -
The summer people have packed up and gone.
I was glad to see them go.
The lake and the beach, trees and the sky,
The late-blooming asters and trailing vine,
The formal garden, the geese on high -
With no intruders, the country is mine.
~Bernice Kreitz Abrahamzon

Muggy Monday Musings

It's been an uncomfortably warm and still day here today until late this afternoon when the winds picked up and the temps dropped off. Storms with some crazy crazy lightning passed through tonight and we're supposed to have showers tomorrow. It's storming again now as a matter of fact! (I'm so glad I was done food shopping before the down pour started!)

The scent of rain always reminds me of Spring so it's a shock to the senses to inhale its' pungent scent on an Autumn evening.

Saturday was awful. Nephew.in.law's memorial service. I still can't get the image out of my head of our niece carrying her husband's box of ashes out of the funeral home afterwards.

Gentle word of advice? If you are married or in a long term relationship and/or have children, no matter how 'young' or 'old' all involved may be, please Please get some kind of life insurance! Even if it's only enough to cover funeral and burial costs, it's better than nothing, better than leaving your family in a position where they may be unable to pay for the arrangements and need help doing so. (And even if you are sick/have a disease, you can still get life insurance in most cases).

It got down right cold Saturday night into Sunday morning while we were at home #2 (up north) after the memorial service. Low 30s! Jacket, scarf, gloves, wool socks and campfire required. Not to mention turning the heat on inside. We 'borrowed' our neighbors campfire since it was late by the time we got up there and we were exhausted. It was nice & cozy sitting 'round the fire talking with them.

During the middle of the night, I woke up (and not because of my allergies for once) and had no idea why, then realized that I was hearing the winds blow dried leaves around. As I settled back to sleep, I heard a growl coming from outside. A distinct & definite growl. Likely it was either a bear or a coyote, but I wasn't getting up to go find out, lol! Hubbs told me Sunday morning he heard something walking around outside before dawn, crunching the leaves. Likely it was a bear or deer. He was too tired to get up and see what it was.

The foliage is just about at peak up there too! So stinkin' gorgeous I can't begin to tell ya! (Of course I took (oodles) of pics, this is Me we're talking about after all).

Mother's had a bad cold since last Monday. She sounded a teeny bit better today though she sounded tired. Mother was in a MOOD when I called to see how she was feeling. I should have hung up when she started off with, "I'm not trying to start anything with you, But..." but I humored here & didn't. Bad move on my part. She really does love to spread her misery. I've gotten good at not letting her bother me but I was just perturbed the rest of my day today.

I can feel that my self is truly off. Last 3.5 months finally getting to me or am I getting nervous for surgery? Probably both. I'm hoping Friday's surgery helps to change that. But I'm not so sure.

I feel different. Kind of numb. Disinterested. Disconnected. Disengaged. And I don't like it.

Tomorrow's rainy day lunch is a toss up: Butternut squash soup w/cauliflower or potato cauliflower soup. Either way, I'm already looking forward to it!

Also on Tuesday's agenda (aside from my new Autumn Tuesday post!) is laundry and cleaning/purging the bedroom so I can come home from the hospital to a nice, cozy place.

Halloween Thursday (Something New!)

Yes, I know it's Friday & not Thursday.

On Thursdays this October, starting today, I'll share with you bits of Halloween legend, history, writings and other surprises.

For those who've been with me for a while now, you already know that Halloween is my absolute favorite time of year! (Again, I know how shocked you are at this news flash).
Everything about it makes me happy, the colors, making jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins & turnips, the images, the spooky & scary side, the creepy & magical sides, the decorations, the Fun of it all. (I'm not big on the candy side of it believe it or not!)

"...She loves Halloween. She loves it for all sorts of reasons. The decorations. The mystery. Remembering the little chill that went up her spine as a child, feeling her way through the dark, trying to get a little something for her trouble. Trick or treat! Now, she likes to watch the children traipse through the neighborhood in their disguises..." From Sufficient Grace: A Novel by Darnell Arnoult. (One of my favorite southern lit novels of all time).
I believe my love of Halloween started when I was young. My Mom decorated for it inside of the places we lived and she was the only mom I knew who did. She always made sure I was home to see The Great Pumpkin. (She did bribe me with cash so she didn't have to take me trick-or-treating after a while but she was a single working mom so cut her some slack!) She still has many great decorations but sadly doesn't put them out any more. (And she stopped having a Christmas tree years ago too).
Have you ever read Edith Wharton's short story "All Souls"? Her ghost stories are the best but this one is my favorite. I first discovered it in a collection of Halloween themed stories entitled "The Ultimate Halloween," purchased in 2001. Since, I've read Wharton's story annually the week of Halloween. Talk about mood and tension!

Now I realize that All Souls Eve is actually on November 1st (as All Souls Day is on November 2nd) so while technically this story doesn't take place on Halloween, if you've read it, you'll know why I make the exception. If not, I highly recommend The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, in it you will find "All Souls."

"Who that has lived in an old house could possibly believe that the furniture in it stays still all night? Mrs. Clayburn almost fancied she saw one little slender-legged table slipping hastily back into its place."

"A noiseless world-were people so sure that absence of noise was what they wanted? Let them first try a lonely country-house in a November snow-storm!"

"More and more the cold unanswering silence of the house weighed down on Mrs. Clayburn. She had never thought if it as a big house, but now, in this snowy winter light, it seemed immense, and full of ominous corners around which one dared not look."

I love Tim Burton's movie adaptation of "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving, which I'm sure many of you have seen, but have you ever read the short story? I have it in the Penguin Classics Washington Irving The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories, purchased in 2000.

"The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander in chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon ball, in some nameless battle during the revolutionary war, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk, hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on wings of the wind."

Halloween
Molly Capes
**
Bolt and bar the front door,
Draw the curtains tight,
Wise folk are in before
Moonrise tonight.
**
Halloween, Halloween,
Chestnuts to roast,
A gift for the fairy,
A prayer for the ghost.
**
Who will have their fate told
This night is known,
Whose hand is full of gold,
Who goes alone.
**
Halloween, Halloween,
Snapdragon blue,
A lover for me,
And a fortune for you.
**
Stars shiver blue and green,
Moon's wide and white;
There tattered clouds between
Witches take flight.
**
Halloween, Halloween,
Apples a-bob,
Elves at the keyhole
And imps on the hob.
**
"Twelve" calls the deep bell
To the hollow night;
"Twelve" whispers steeple tops
Far out of sight.
**
Halloween, Halloween,
Fires burn high,
Who shall say certainly,
Who can tell truthfully
What solemn company
Pass through the sky?
**
From Ghosts and Goblins Stories for Halloween.


(I just love (free!) vintage Halloween clip-art!)

Autumn Tuesday (Something New) & An Update

Autumn is truly my favorite time of year.
(I know, for those of you who've been with me for a while, you're just shocked).

The mere sight of colorful leaves, pumpkins or Halloween decorations makes my soul burst with joy and brings a smile to my face as does the crisp, chilly wood smoke scented air.


In addition to my regular posts, I've decided to share with you writings and other surprises about and in tribute to Autumn throughout the rest of this Season.

Today I'm going to start off with some favorite passages from "New England Fancies" by W. Elmer Ekblaw. My copy is a first edition, signed by the author from 1935. Hubbs bought it for me 3 years ago in a shop down town.

"Autumn Haze"

"The season of subdued enthusiasm has come. Summer wanes and the winds of October bring the chill that warns of Winter.

The peace that comes with work well, and well-nigh, done hovers over all Nature's domain, and nothing soothes the restless surge of our hearts so well as the peace of Autumn, the peace of harvest, the peace of garnered stores, the peace of homes prepared for Winter.

Young and old, we set ourselves to the slower step of September now past, the softer mood of misty mornings and hazy evenings.

The haze that hangs over hill and harvest, that drifts between the woodlands at dawn, that steeps the horizon in mystery at noontide, and that settles over the hollows and the valleys at nightfall, symbolizes best the change in atmosphere, the change in rhythm and reason..."

"Apples Are Ripe"

"Apples are ripe in the orchards, and their harvest is on. Wild apples are ripe in the fields and forest bush, and the wild folk know full well where they fall. Baldwin and Ben Davis, Gravenstein and Golden Delicious, Winsap and Willowtwig, Russet and Rhode Island Greening, Saps of Wine and Sheepnose-their names are legion, and every name recalls memories of delightful Autumn days, cider and apple butter, pies and dumplings!"

"Apples are ripe in the orchards. We harvest and store them for Wintry days ahead when wind piles high the snow and frost chills our bones. Then with a juicy Baldwin toasting on the hearth, a rosy Winesap baking brown in the oven, or a jug of Jeniton cider tantalizing from the mantlepiece, we may hark back to the days of opening blossoms, or ripening grain or harvest abundance, and feel secure in the faith that they will all return."

"Autumn Color"

"We take too much for granted all this loveliness, this splendor, this mantle of luminous color over our hills. We motor though it unmoved, we tramp through it and do not feel its charm, we cast our eyes over it unstirred by its wonder; and yet it is the most inspiring of earth's incomparable majesties, worth the traverse of a continent, or the mightiest ocean, to behold."

"The Winter Sleepers"

"When September passes over into October, and the harvest moon gives way to the hunter's moon, the first chill winds creep down the hills as sunset draws the curtain of dusk over the evening sky, and the woodchuck and the chipmunk, the bear and the jumping mouse, put the finishing touches to their snug underground dens, nibble the last of provender, and stealthily withdraw themselves from the snow-awaiting world, to sink into Winter slumber."

Just a quick update: Tomorrow morning I report to the hospital for pre-op testing (blood work, paperwork, etc) and on Friday, 10/15, I'm going in for a day stay surgery to correct a portion of the tube which leads from my left kidney to my bladder and hopefully get the nephrostomy tube out of my left kidney as well. Hubbs and I decided the more evasive procedure is the best one because it doesn't just correct the problem for now, it hopefully corrects it permanently so I won't have any more problems passing any kinds of stones in the future. I had a similar surgery on the right hand side 5 years ago (though that one was more evasive than this will be) and I haven't had a problem on that side since. I'm praying this brings everything to a healthy close for me in this department and I can finally & fully move on from this horrendous experience. After all, it will be 4 months passed since this started once I'm finally finished with recovery!

The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways

During dinner this evening, after a beautiful, crisp Autumn day, a good day spent with Hubbs, we found out that our niece's husband passed away this morning. We don't know what happened yet. He had heart surgery last week, apparently had complications afterwards but last word gave the impression he was doing better. He was thirty years old. They have two daughters, our grand nieces, who are under the age of four, one born earlier this year. Our niece is now a thirty year old widowed mother of two. I cannot imagine nor do I understand. My heart is broken for her and the girls. All of our hearts are. I've been holding Hubbs close since we found out and praying for our niece and the girls. If you could keep them in your prayers too, I'd greatly appreciate it. They need all of the support and comfort possible.

Happy October Everyone!

Let the countdown begin!

Halloween Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

I've found a delightful poem to share with all of you about this happy, glorious month!
(click on title for source)

It Must Be October by Pearl N. Sorrels
The harvest moon hangs round and high
It dodges clouds high in the sky
The stars wink down their love and mirth
The Autumn seasons is giving birth
Oh it must be October
The leaves of red bright gold and brown
To Mother earth come tumbling down
The breezy nights the ghostly sights
The eerie spooky far off sounds
Are signs that its October
The pumpkin yellow big and round
Are carried by costumed clumsy clowns
Its Halloween lets celebrate
Come one come all and don't be late
We know now its October
We'll roast and toast some luscious food
For apples we'll be bobbin
While tales are told around the fire
Of timely ghosts and goblins
Oh how we love October
The moon has grown pale
The stars have grown dim
Our Halloween party is over
With a hi-de-ho homeward we'll go
What a delightful month October

On a more serious note, I'd like to remind everyone that October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For help and information, please click here. Help spread the word, please feel free to add either of these to your blogs: