Bright and Sunny

Tomorrow is November 1st, which makes this Halloween...the folliage here is hanging on, although the colors are nowhere near what New England has. Below is a picture of Merry Meeting lake in New Durham N.H. , framed in sugar maples.

Below is a picture I took on the Parkway last weekend, pretty and the sky was that azure blue I remember from the North.There is still quite a bit of green, but today that color is draining away fast. Bob and I just ran the dogs, and it is 70 degrees, sunny and very bright, but that winter sun is starting to thicken, and look more like butterscotch than the summer dazzling white heat. The woods were soft and fragrant with all the downed leaves, and the visibility in the woods is better daily. Today there were several nuthatches playing in the trees. Bob had just come back from getting the tank filled with gas that serves the fireplace, and I have moved my computer to my desk in the fireplce room anticipating a nice warm fire while I play on my computer. The room it was in gets quite cold, which suits Bob well while he watches tv. Now he can turn up the sound, and I won't have to use ear-phones trying not to hear the terrible noises that come from the movies he likes to watch. You know, the ones filled with sounds of moans and beatings and sirens and screams. I hate those movies, but he eats 'em up, so my love....have at it ! Iris will be stretched on the rug near the fire and I will be near enough to feel its warmth.

Here is a picture of the darlings in our classroom, that take up my life now.

They are holding up a picture of my friend, Brian Duffy, who is an astronaut. So nice of him to send these for the kids, they were tickled..

Life is very different now that I am back to work full time. The weekends are packed with all I can stuff into them...cleaning and laundry and shopping and such. Saturday Bob and I went to breakfast, then shopped around in Martinsville...Goodwill, the JC Penney outlet, Walmart and a shoe store to get Bob some much needed sneaks.
Saturday night I tackled my closet, getting out the summer and putting in the winter, started laundry and we made a trash run. Today I vacumned and moved the computer, washed some throw rugs and got all my plants in and cut back and hung around various spots. Bob has been busy mowing and fixing things for me..( the honey-do list).

Now its dinner and then clean-up, getting clothes and lunches ready for tomorrow.

A fresh start for a new month..

We are invited to friends Ruth and Bob Eaken at the lake for Thanksgiving, and I think Bob's Mom will come for the week as she usually does. Bob's brother is at loose ends again, and may show up as well.
The kids are due here for a long weekend of the 12th, but they may be moving back in this area, so thats not a given...

The weeks fly by when you work a schedule all week long, and it is getting a rythmn worked out so the machine runs smoothly. As soon as you think that is accomplished, something happens to throw it all off!

There's one bright spot coming up...elections will be done and the ads and phone calls will stop !!!

Now that's a sunny thought !!

Surprises!

I haven't blogged in an age...but I have been busy !

Started back to work in August as a Para-professional working with a 4 year old who's physically challenged...he has CP.

Bob and I went to Baltimore the end of September for his Moms 75th surprise birthday on this paddle boat. Good time...and yes she was really surprised!

We also went to Bobs 24th annual surfishing tournament in Ocean City M.D., and this year we took the dogs with us.They were awesome ! Behaved really well ! Surprised me, for country dogs to adapt well to hotels and elevators !

The weather was beautiful and they caught a ton of fish, ended up 7th in the tournament!

I wouldn't hesitate to brings the dogs on any trip now.
I think they still like the creek better for drinking and swimming!

Thankful for...

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Belle should be a rat dog, or rather a 'mole' dog. She sneaks up into a pile of leaves where nothing is visible to me, and starts digging, tearing at roots and burying her whole snout into the ground.Sometimes you cannot see her head at all !

Since we have had a little rain the pond is back up. Belle is sticking her tongue out at me. The pond lily that Jan gave me has bloomed at the side, but I can't get a picture of it because of the high weeds surrounding it. As the lily's spread out, they will be more visible. Meanwhile, the girls are enjoying their little swim hole again.

This is Bob's "dog", Quarrie. He waits at the back porch for Bob to come home every day. The routine carry in to the food dish can happen each time Bob re-enters the sliding door, no matter how often it is, Quarrie expects to be carried in. He just lays in Bobs hand, so trusting.Funny critters.

Here's my guy when he's not 'working'. He is putting in a new faucet for me...actually the one that was at my brothers house. Jan got a new sink and faucet to match, so this one was hardly used. Finally a faucet I can get a pot under ! And, the sprayer works ! Yippee ! He also fixed my vacumn today and is up Clay and Jans painting. That's what he does when he's not 'working'. You just gotta love a guy that can do things...

And here's my new old sink ! The plus is I had to clear out the under cabinet so he could work on it...( get into it). So newish sink and clean and organized under-sink!

...everyday theres something to be thankful for...Thanks, honey!

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Where has summer gone?

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It's been a month since I last blogged.
Seems any extra time at the end of my long summer day has been spent job searching and all that it entails. It used to be really easy to apply for work. Now that all is done online, it seems much more difficult to me! Meanwhile, the garden keeps spewing forth its bounty...
These are the last of the peaches, and I had to fight the deer for them!

Tomatos are coming fast,but I've found a new way to deal with so many at once. Wash them,core them and freeze them whole with skin on by placing on a cookie sheet in the freezer ! When frozen, put them in freezer bags...when ready to use, you can run them under warm water and the skin will come off easily...of course then you must cook them, but it saves work up front !

Bob loves the yellow tomatos and eats them up before I need to can or freeze them..

To date..( I just did 4 more quarts and a pint today)...I have pickled 27 quarts and 6 pints of pickles, mostly sweet, but some polish dills, and the cucumbers are still going strong! I think it may be due to the new fertilizer I have found...Epsom Salts ! yes, thats what I said.try it!

Bob hasn't had to cut the grass very often due to the incredible heat and drought we have had for this whole month, so he has been getting to the creek and bringing back large stones for stepping. He also has had work (thank you lord!), but naturally it is porches! Figures with the sun and heat he'd be working outdoors! But, its work!

Tomorrow I continue on my journey to find a job, and that alone has taken up a considerable amount of time doing resumes and putting in applications. I had to have a TB test, be fingerprinted and a background check done, just to have my application for substitute teaching put in for Franklin County schools...

I do have an interview tomorrow at Head Start. I will let you all know the outcome.

Somehow the days are flying by me and August is at hand. I'm praying for some rain and cooler temperatures. Hard to believe the kids go back to school August 18th...

Where has summer gone?

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