Hallowe'en

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"Folks think a witch who has familiar spirits

She could call up to pass a winter evening,

But won't, should be burned at the stake or something..."

from THE WITCH OF COOS, by Robert Frost

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Damn, I am a ham...gotta give the folks what they expect a witch to look like!

Happy Hallowe'en, and no that's not a mistake.

"This is the old Celtic feast of Samhain.

It is the feast of the dead and was Christianized as All Hallows' Eve, the eve of All Saints' Day.

It is a fire festival in recognition of the end of the summer and the beginning of winter.

In ancient Manx and Irish Tradition, Hallowmas was regarded as the beginning of a new year."

Boo....!

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My little Rider

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Caine came Sunday with his Mom and Dad for his Moms 30th birthday dinner of steamed shrimp, potatoe salad and chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.
But before dinner it was a quick trim of his hair and then playing outside, in the dirt and rocks with his stash of toys that are here.



After washing his hands and face in cake, he didn't like the feel of it. What to do ? No problem with Penny in the house...

A little stretch over the high chair tray and the 'cleaning tongue' went to work.

After dinner we had a fire in the pit, Caines first campfire, and of course we had to toast marshmallows, another first for him. He was really mesmerized by the fire, but he doesn't give in, even when he's exhausted.

Below, he had to have one more sit on Grammy's machine that was put away for the night in the shed. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open !

RIDERS

(Robert Frost)

The surest thing there is is we are riders,

And though none too successful at it, guiders,

Through everything presented, land and tide

And now the very air, of what we ride.

What is this talked-of mystery of birth

But being mounted bareback on the earth?

We can just see the infant up astride,

His small fist buried in the bushy hide.

There is our wildest mount--a headless horse.

But though it runs unbridled off its course,

And all our blandishments would seem defired,

We have ideas yet that we haven't tried.

A busy afternoon, riding on his wonderhorse 'Tex', riding on the 4-wheeler, playing in the dirt, the fire, then it was time to go home. I sent him home with a lion halloween suit made of faux fur I got for him, and I can't wait to see the pictures his Mom has promised.

He cried.. didn't want to leave and Grammy had to carry him to the car and hand him to his Dad while he screamed and kicked and grabbed for me...broke my heart. Wish he lived closer, but I will see him soon...

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Ferrum Folk Festival

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What started as a drizzly day, turned into a mix of sunshine and clouds and made a georgeous fall day!
Bob and I went to the Ferrum College for its annual folk festival. There were many halls in use for various venues. I found this hall first..
The quilts!!!!! These were all from a private collection, and all from the late 1800's.

And the crafts people!

Amazingly talented artisans in our part of the world! Thses bowls and rolling pins were wonderful, and this gentleman is from Wirtz.

These gourds were so cool ! I'm drying some now....aspiring to have them turn out half as pretty..

This man really could carve...
My brother Clay would have loved these walking sticks with the snakes on them!

These brooms were awesome too.

There were knife makers and demonstrations by weavers and those who dyed wool with natural colors and so many other crafts people I could never mention them all. There were musicians and flat footers and horse shoe pitching competions, and Becky, there were border collie demonstrations where these great Border Collies were herding sheep !

There were coon hound barking competions, and mule jumping competions...

and horse pulling competions...my favorite !

Bob and I walked and walked and saw people we knew, and chatted with Aussie dog owners and ate and ate at all the church stands and of course got some fresh cracklin !

We had a great day and I hope you all got a chance to go, and if not, try to make it next year!

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Visual delight and olfactory demise...

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I had to post this picture of our old barn, just to prove our Virginia sky is as blue as the photos of the N.H. sky in my last post.

I think this will be my last rose. It is a Don Juan climber and smells heavenly.We've had a few frosty mornings, and the leaves look a little wilted lately.

This picture was snapped while riding down the Parkway last wekend. Today I drove to do grocery shopping in Rocky Mount, and the foliage was stunning ! Quite distracting ! I couldn't take pictures, I was driving!

This morning I rode the trail with the dogs to the creek. The leaves are getting thick on the forest floor, and the smell is heady. I love the smell of the woods in Autumn!

Now I am sitting with the light on while typing this, and the smell is awful! Stink bugs!They are dive bombing me, and they must be mad, cause they stink!

Today I hard-cooked eggs, and peeled them in preparation for Sunday's dinner of steamed shrimp, potatoe salad, along with chocolate cake and buttercream frosting. Michele's birthday is Saturday, and they are coming Sunday to celebrate..her 30th !

Her choice for dinner. I wonder if Caine will eat that? But the eggs stunk , as they always do!

So I boiled a pan of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves to get rid of the egg smell.yummm.

But NOTHING works with the stink bugs! Its an acrid smell.

To add insult to injury, there are lady bugs everywhere!

If there were an animal or bird that would get those stink bugs, I would get it.

They are like little Sherman tanks. I sent one to our nephew in Baltimore that was collecting insects for a class project, and I impaled it with a pin while alive and sent it through the mail.( I have to admit it gave me an odd pleasure.)

It lived. Probably still stinks, too.

Thats one bug that couldn't smell any worse rotted, than when it is alive!

Tomorrow is Ferrum Farm Days, if it isn't too rainy.

I'll let you know how it goes!

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New England Fall Foliage

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Since I haven't taken any really good pictures of the foliage change here in Virginia due to the weather lately, I thought I would just post a few of the last ones I snapped while visiting family last October.
Can any of my family, or anyone who knows N.H. tell where this photo was taken?



This twin birch is typical of New England, and no I did not doctor the color of the sky, it is really that blue!

We visited a farm that survives by raising apples, peaches and pumpkins, strawberries and sells home-made bakery products and cider, etc. It is a 'pick-your-own' type farm, and familys flock to it in the fall. They supply little red wagons to pull children and apples along through the well marked rows of different apple varieties, and golf carts for the seniors or handicapped. Love the 'Butternut Farm' near Rochester N.H.

Up by the Blue Ridge Parkway in Bedford ,Va., there are a couple of 'you-pick' orchards and the 'Peaks of Otter Winery' has apples also, but we like 'Gross's Orchard' just off route 43. Today is their apple festival, and my grandson is there with his parents. Have fun Caine ! Grandma will be up this week to visit you and go to the park to see the ducks!

Get out to our wonderful orchards and wineries, and bite into Autumn with a snappy, juicy crisp apple!

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Ocean City to fire pits

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We are back....!
The end of September took us to OC,MD for Bob's surf-fishing tournament. Lot's of beach time for me and Jan, Clay fished as usual now.
Didn't see a live horseshoe crab, but here's and old shell.



The guys were tired by the end of the tournament. They drew spots along the beach that had sand bars and a rip tide, so getting the bait up,out and over the surf was really a challenge. Usually they are standing but by last session Saturday when I took this, they were sitting.


Yesterday was Clay and Jans last day of their visit post fishing...
We built a fire pit in the back yard, and while we were having dinner, my neighbor Sam,left, and her cousin Sissy came to say Hello. In the country it isn't odd to have someone show up on horse back or tractor or 4-wheeler. In fact where I am, the car visit is more unusual !




The fire pit turned out well. Heres Clay tending, with a touch of foliage turning red showing up in the background.

Bob was showing me his best side.

Brother John is here for a week now. He came in time yesterday to help get wood. We have no lack of firewood on our property!!

The cold weather is starting, and the mornings are crisp. I seem to get out later in the morning to run the dogs.

I hope to get back on track with my blogs after this week, and I need to go back through all my friends blogs and catch up with them!!

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