A Poem for October

 

 

 

 
Some October, when the leaves turn gold, ask
me if I've done enough to deserve this life
I've been given. A pile of sorrows, yes, but joy
enough to unbalance the equation.

When the sky turns blue as the robes of heaven,
ask me if I've made a difference.
The road winds through the copper-colored woods;
no one sees around the bend.

Today, the wind poured out of Canada,
a river in flood, bringing down the brilliant leaves,
broken sticks and twigs, deserted nests.
Go where the current takes you.

 Some twilight, when the clouds stream in from the west
like the breath of God, ask me again.

I don't often post poems but this one, by Barbara Crooker, is so dear to me and I decided to share it with you.

Thanks for visiting,  GM

This and That

 

September is going out with glorious sunshine! A whole week of it (which we don't take for granted here on the west coast.)  As I left on my walk this morning I marveled at how much sunshine affects our moods ( at least it does mine). 

I hadn't walked very far when I saw a dragonfly lying on the road. I picked it up and put it in a sunny spot to see if it just needed drying off. Unfortunately when I came back it was still lying there obviously dead. 

This is "my" bench near the lake. I like to stop here and watch for birds. Today as I sat quietly I heard a rustling in the bushes and a young raccoon came out. He paused to look at me then ambled off.

 Kev asked if I'd post some pictures of my DH's tractor collection. So, Kev, here are a couple...

That's my post for today. Now I'm planning to go outside and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.

Thanks for stopping by,  GM

Thrifty Buys

 It was a windy and wet day here. I managed to walk in spite of the weather and got a little wet. Mostly my feet.

My DH wanted to go to the thrift store to look for something he needed and of course I went long. I found this curious item which was only .20 . I know it's a type of hanger but why would anyone go to the trouble of sewing the unusual cover. The fabric is upholstery thickness and there is a zipper on one side. Any guesses?

I also bought 2 small items. A pretty dish that I will use as a spoon rest .....

And a Winter/Christmas plate that was marked down from $3 to a dollar.  In December I'll make good use of it.

I can hear the wind throwing the rain against the house. I wish the big old tree on the lot behind us would fall and land in the empty lot to the west side. Whenever we have high winds I worry about it landing on our house. It's only a matter of time until it falls. A 3 story medical building is going to be built on that lot ( plus 2 more adjacent lots) and when they finally begin building we believe they'll take down any tall trees that are a menace. Not that we're looking forward to the noise of construction so near to us. 

Thanks for visiting!!  G.M.

Saturday

 As soon as we got up this morning we noticed that there was far less haze in the air. We had a bit of a shower when we walked around the lake but we were just happy to be able to walk again without worrying about what the smoke was doing to our lungs.

I picked up this book that I requested at the library ( I didn't have to go into the library because you can show your card at the window and one of the librarians brings it out to you.)  I was a little disappointed because I thought the stories were true and based on his life but they are not ( although he was a doctor in Ireland and he also practiced in Canada for 31 years.)  So far it is easy to read and interesting enough.

This author has also written An Irish Country Christmas and An Irish Country Village so if I enjoy his style I will have more winter reading choices.

In my kitchen... the pears I bought just yesterday were developing brown spots and needed using today so I made some Pear Crisps in ramekins as I usually do. 

Of all  fruits I think pears are the most likely to get over ripe very quickly.

 So it is almost one o'clock now, lunch is done and I'm ready to continue reading Patrick Taylor's fictional tale. Are you having a pleasant day?

Thanks for visiting,  GM

Birds

 I was sitting on the porch with my coffee and noticed a Robin come for a bath. All he really wanted was a little peace to enjoy a quick dip but the House Sparrows, brash and pushy as usual came along and barged right in.

I can just imagine the Robin telling the Sparrows to get lost!!

Shortly after the Robin and Sparrows left this Goldfinch dropped by.  We don't see Goldfinches very often. Maybe it was on its way South. 

 I sure enjoy watching the comings and goings at the birdbath.

I'm having a relaxing day after yesterday when I had no less than 23 things on my to-do-list.

Some days are just like that. I hope yours is going well.

Thanks for visiting,  GM

Flowers

 

 I noticed that the plant shop had Echinaceas  on sale so off we went. I chose a yellow, an orange, and a white one. I already had some pink and yellow ones so these will make a nice addition to my Coneflower area.  I like Coneflowers. They come back year after year faithfully and if they have a fault it is that they can grow tall and need staking. I'm hoping the new ones will stay short.

It's hard to see what I'm planning but my aim is to have a number of them near the base of the birdbath.

While I was at the shop I saw that cut flowers were 50% off so I treated myself to a nice bouquet.

I think yellow is such a cheerful colour.

 Our air quality is still bad but maybe a bit better than it has been lately.  Outside exercise has been discouraged, especially for seniors, so we haven't been going on our walks. A bit of gardening is about all I've done so far ( and it's just past lunch). 

Thanks for coming by,  G.M.

More hints of Fall

 An abundance of tomatoes could well be considered a sign of Fall.  Most of these I have already made into Salsa.

My granddaughter Kate gave me the GATHER sign which hangs from the front door knocker. I found an autumnal garland to wrap around it.   (the knocker is in the form of a tiny spade).

For some reason I cannot make this picture turn . Sorry about that.

I found this picture of Tasha Tudor on line. It's one I had not seen before and to me it looks like one taken in the Fall.

 I hope you are all safe from the wicked wildfires.  Here the sun is shrouded behind a thick haze of smoke which makes the eyes burn and breathing difficult.  The only plus is the lower temperature due to that haze.  I feel for those with asthma and similar conditions. 

Thanks for visiting,  G.M.

Wordless Wednesday_____Hints of Fall

 

 Thanks for popping by.   G.M.

Some Baking and Fall Cleaning

 

 Yesterday I took advantage of a cool morning to do some baking. When we went apple picking I saw in the little store at that U-pick farm that they sell pies, frozen and unbaked, for 10.95 for a 2-crust pie and a dollar more for the crumble topping. Very briefly I was tempted but then I thought about how horrified my Mennonite ancestors would be if I paid such a price for A PIE.  All this to say I made an apple pie with crumble topping  and it is delicious, if I say so myself. I also made cherry crisps in ramekins . That little bit on the plate was just using up the remainder of the pie dough.

Does anyone else cook up pie filling then let it cool before dumping it into the raw pie crust?  I always do that but haven't heard of anyone else who does.

 

The only other thing out of the ordinary yesterday was cleaning the gutters and soffits on the east side of the house. They were very dirty and youngest son had no trouble at all power washing them.   So good to get that done before winter.                        

      

 It's Labour Day weekend in Canada. Not that that makes much difference to us retired ones. Every weekend is a long weekend or maybe I should say life is now one long long weekend. I'm not complaining. I find lots of things to fill my days. 

Thanks for visiting today, 

I hope you're enjoying a lovely peaceful Sunday.   G.M.

Apple Picking

 

 Picking apples is such a tradition that although we can buy apples cheaper in the store we still go and enjoy the experience.  We had perfect weather too.  Besides apples we were able to pick some blue plums as well.  I definitely see some delicious desserts on the weekend.

 We left the pumpkins for another day. Too soon for those just yet.

Are you planning any U-pick activities this Fall?  

Thanks for coming by,  G.M.

Wordless Wednesday.... Morning Walk in the Park

 

 

 

Although it's supposed to be wordless I just want to explain this last picture.  One thing that the Covid virus has brought about is more little gatherings like this one in the park. My guess is that these seniors used to meet in a coffee shop.  Now I see them bringing lawn chairs and coffee as they settle down under these trees.  Today must have been someone's birthday. I think this is so neat.

Thanks for coming by today.  G.M.