Last Garden Day of Fall

Fall's End...and it has been glorious!

Today, a special treat, as the temperature reached the high 60's--thereby giving me time to finish out the "gardening" button-down before it is 30 degrees again. Actually, they have predicted a little more than a week before the dip.

Productive day!

Cleaned and stowed all the potting supplies and pots.

Layered out the Compost Box for Next Year (think straw and leaves...the remains of the mums and vegetation, egg shells and vegetable/fruit peels I have saved, newspaper and waste paper...continuing until the box is full...finishing with a topping of  straw and leaves) Over the winter (with a bit of red-worm magic) it all composts into 30 gallons of dark rich soil.

Yeah...I make dirt.

(...it's my superpower...)

                                   The Beginnings of 2018 Compost

The frogs (and mosquito minnows) relocated to  a nearby retention pond...and the frog bog now settling in for the winter.  Going to fill the trough with pine boughs, holly berries and cones soon for winter decoration. Come Spring I have early Blue Muscari (grape hyacinths) overwintering in my refrigerator to start in it.

Planning to decorate the arch with greenery, pine cones and tiny white lights this year, as well.

Thinking rustic (primitives) for the Christmas Decor. Tiny white lights. Hand tied garland. Pine Cones. Brown wrapping paper and twine (or red plaid cloth ribbon)  Red Holly Berries, and such.


Tucked a few more crocus around the Garden Faerie and scattered several more (clumps of three) King Alfred daffodils though-out the borders. It will be a nice early pop of Spring colour.

Tidied up the Ivy with a good trim.

Removed the Fall Patio Decor and stowed it.

Tomorrow, I'll clean and box the Fall Decorations inside and set up the tree...though it will be Friday before I begin to decorate for Winter/Christmas.

Why yes, I DO have the decorating gene.

Looking forward to seeing Nicole, Brittany and Brantley over the weekend!

Now for a deep bubble bath...and going to make egg noodles to accompany the final remains of the Turkey.

The pies are gone.

Thanksgiving, finally over...lol!

More Anon...

The Good Stuff

 

~ This is What Makes

LIFE Wonderful~

 

FAMILY!

Wonderful to to have Tina's Mom,Sister and Niece join us 

and although Brittany, Brantley and Amelia Rose

could not be with us they 

will be visiting me with Nicole

next weekend!

Lennon is planning his vacation time 

next year so hopefully he will be with us for 

his 30th Birthday and Our Thanksgiving Gathering!

Working my way through Thanksgiving Leftovers

(oh look....pie)

and soon to de-construct the Fall Decor 

and begin decorating for Winter

and Christmas

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!

Feeling very Blessed!

Thanksgiving...Black Friday...Movies,Books and More

Feeling a bit Hobbit-like today.

"Oh LOOK...Pie!

Our Family Celebration set for tomorrow....and I had a small bit of turkey, green bean casserole and buttered yams with pecans...and both pecan and pumpkin pies (individual sized) for here at home yesterday when

I WAS KIDNAPPED

by Chris and Tina (whose grandmother had invited me). Loved meeting the rest of her family...and realize now (with all the Scottish/Irish relation) that

1.  When the time comes I will probably be getting a grandchild with red hair...and maybe even twins..which run strongly in her family.

2.  I am not losing a son...I am gaining what appears to be a small faction of the IRA...lol!

A beautiful close family...and nothing exploded...although the teensy,tiny, 12 week old chihuahua puppy seemed very close. He ate until his little round belly looked like a baseball.

 What an amazing dinner. Nearly 20 relatives. Tables and tables of...everything. Ham and Turkey, Baked Beans,Devilled Eggs, Noodles, Rolls, Dressing...a table of appetizers. Two sideboards of pies. Pumpkin, Banana Cream, Peanut-Butter, Chocolate, Pecan. A floor show by the youngest members (3 and under)

By the time dinner was over the Turkey wasn't the only thing that was stuffed, and I was swearing off food for the evening (and possibly ever).

Not to worry...by this morning I had scrounged up a piece of Pecan pie to go with morning coffee...and by noon I went ahead and fixed my small pre-planned feast.

(...and have leftovers for Sunday)

Tomorrow we will all gather for our Family Thanksgiving out. A Post-Thanksgiving Feast.

Yeah....we're Hobbits.

Was reflecting with a friend last night how very BLESSED we are...to live somewhere that there is such an over-abundance of food that we have the ability to eat too much.

That there can actually be too much food.

(...there were times in my childhood I would never have believed this...and that feeling is something you never forget...)


Today is Black Friday and one of the things I am thankful for today is that I am home...warm...safe...a little over-full...and a NAP in my near future...but not out there for the Annual Shop-A-Thon.

Tried it once...years and years ago.

Not for me.

Never Again.

I always write my Christmas cards on Black Friday to mail mid-week the first week of December. And enjoy the relaxation. And leftover pie.

Did I mention pie?

This week's movie

The Justice League

Which has been getting mixed reviews, and now I know why.

If you are a DC Comics enthusiast...pass on this film. You will find that they have taken some severe liberties with the back-story of nearly EVERY character. It will not be a pleasant experience for you. Or as Chris stated

"It Sucked"

If you do not know the back-stories of the characters and just enjoy an action film where the good guys always prevail...you will LOVE this film.

Not a Marvel film by a long shot...and Ben Affleck is looking a bit old and tired as Batman...but overall I enjoyed it.

Your experience may vary.

The Books this week were

Market Cooking is possibly one of the BEST new cookbook's to be released in a long time. Simple fresh recipes. No complicated ingredients. Beautiful food photography and well written. Interesting.  Fresh and fun.

I am buying a copy in January.

USBN: 978-1-57965-628-7

Available on Amazon.

And

A recent release of Fiction by David Walton,

Set in the Amazon jungle, a mycologist makes a stunning discovery. One of the fungi he has been studying is evolving to increase its chance of survival and sporification by infecting and combining with humans...with the additional side effect of a rapid increase of their intelligence. 

At first it seems wonderful with the local tribes being re-programmed by the fungi to save the Amazon Basin and Rainforests...but it quickly gets out of  hand.

Then a secondary fungi is manipulated and weaponized by the military.

Yeah...you could see THAT coming.

Quick,engaging read.

Well worth the look.

And lastly,

I rarely endorse charitable organizations with the exception of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and The American Red Cross, but happened on this the other day and was really impressed.

So if you have someone on your Christmas List who already has everything, or you just want to add a bit of brightness in a child's life

Try this:

http://thingsofmyveryown.org/support-a-child-this-holiday-season/

After reading a few of the gift tag requests there were tears in my eyes. Such simple things that we take for granted.

Example of one of the tags

I know I will be picking a child to gift this Holiday Season.



More Anon...

The Pumpkin pie is calling!

Virtual Day Trip: Pictured Rocks Michigan

Yet another missed while travelling destination.

Pictured Rocks, Michigan...in the Upper Peninsula.

Which is odd because I have travelled extensively throughout Michigan...many times...even to the U.P but never took the time to go the extra miles to see Pictured Rocks.

I have stayed in Niles and picked fresh blackberries, raspberries and blueberries at my favorite U-Pick.

Have taken US 31 up the Michigan Lake coastline all the way to Traverse City.

Saw the Tall Sailing Ships in Traverse Bay.

Stayed in Sawyer and built sandcastles lakeside at Warren Dunes with "Idgy"

Taken all three of my boys  to Indiana Dunes, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and rode out on dune buggies at Silver Shores.

I have hunted Fulgurite.

Fulgurites are the sand covered glass tubes that are formed when Lightning strikes the sand. The sand is instantly melted to glass and the loose sand sticks to the sides. 

Example:

Have swam in most of the Great Lakes (Michigan,Huron and Superior)

Have made multiple trips (alone),with one or more of the boys, or solo with Bill
to Mackinaw City...and over to Mackinac Island on the Shepler Ferry.

Mackinaw being the English version in the city...Mackinac is the French (which the Island is named after)

Have been there in May...and June...and July...August and October.

Never winter. May need to be a Virtual Destination Day Trip itself.

The Island in Winter.

Seen clouds of the blackflies. Huge ribbons of them...so many they actually do look like clouds.

Ate and shared Reba Fudge.The BEST.

Rode livery horses with the boys around the Island.

Took a horse and buggy out solo for a day with Bill around Mackinac.

Brunched and explored the inside of the Grand Hotel and bought flowers at the flower shop.

Walked the shorelines of both the island and  Huron Strait.

Sat in the chill (October) and watched the  outdoor laser show in Mackinaw City.

Crossed the bridge over the strait to the Upper Peninsula.

Met and chatted with quite a few "Yoopers" (as they refer to themselves up there) and tried pasties (hand held spiced meat pie with gravy) and got the recipe.

Took the boys to Whitefish Bay and The Maritime Shipwreck Museum  there.

Saw the actual bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Explored quite a few lighthouses.

Collected the surf tossed round smooth perfectly round stones from Lake Superiors shoreline...and also some unusual driftwood.

But somehow never made it to Pictured Rocks.

So...without further adieu...

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

100 miles of trails,waterfalls,sandstone cliffs, sand dunes and hardwood forests. The best of everything Michigan.

Complete Tour

https://youtu.be/c9PxyGwJavY

 (...the guy filming is a bit chatty...maybe even slightly annoying...you can turn the volume off or down if you want...great views and the next best thing to being there...)

Munising Falls

Miners Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

Mosquito Falls

Chapel Falls

Sable Falls

 Spray Falls

Miners Castle

 Chapel Rock

Kayaking through the Arch

Miners Beach

and even an old wooden shipwreck

I loved all of the waterfalls...and Chapel Rock was my absolute favorite!

Until our NEXT Virtual Day Trip!

More Anon...

And another thing...

If you have a problem with THIS (obvious prank and no contact)

But don't have a problem with THIS

Tweeden grab-assing the guitarist at the very same USO show...and later he patted her ass and she dry humped him.

 I watched the video.

You can,too...

https://youtu.be/RU2u__yBP4M

You MAY be part of the problem.

Just Saying.


Or maybe people need to realize that they were all just playing around and lighten the hell up.

Fall Coming to a Close...Chris' New Ride...Nearly Notorious...A Word About the 1970's...Vonnegut and More

Fall...slowly browning off to a close, now. In  a couple of weeks the trees will be bare. Already we are getting a taste of winter-to-come. Pulled out my brown leather and it is creaking like a saddle. Must pick up some conditioner soon.

Wednesday was a huge day for Chris...who bought his first new-off-the-showroom floor car...ever.

Even had the forethought to get a shot of the mileage at less than 100 miles. I wish I had done this in 1978 with my Oldmobile Starfire.

It is beautiful...they call the color Barcelona Red...and he has named her "Rosaline"  

He is taking me out soon for Brunch and a drive to Turkey Run! Can't wait!  He and Tina and I went for a short drive the night he bought it and it just glides.  The dashboard looks like you could land the Space Shuttle.

Spent yesterday enjoying Almost Home with The Shelburn Bank Gang.

Yes...for a fleeting moment over 35 years ago...when we were young and invincible (and stupid..did I mention stupid)...we had the insane notion we were going to "knock over" the Shelburn Bank.  With only one Marshal for the entire town...one bank guard...no surveillance cameras back then...and both an intricate plan and an escape route...it seemed...with enough alcohol...like a GREAT idea.  

(...it is only with age that you begin to absorb the entire weight of the word "felony, I guess...)

Well, we were Nearly Notorious...remain un-incarcerated...and still live on to laugh about it today.

The building still bearing Shelburn Bank now sits abandoned.  Closed.

We waited too late.

World Class Procrastinators.

Also was thinking a lot about the 1970's, in general, last night. I have been watching as so many many people are now coming out of nowhere (after 30-40 years) claiming sexual harassment.

And this certainly is NOT giving a pass to Roy Moore or Kevin Spacey or even Al Franken or Trump. Especially if you have a 14 year old (male or female) accuser.

At 14...even if you LOOK like you are 19....you are still a CHILD.

But I think the thing we are missing from The Big Picture of 1970-Something accusers and their 2017 targets is this...

It was the 70's.

Sexual Revolution.

It wasn't ALL Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll...but a lot of it was.

There are probably guys out there who could honestly say that woman (even me) grab-assed them, too.

"Respect you in the morning....hell....I don't respect you now." 

I actually remember laughing and using this line once...okay.?

It wasn't I'll love you for ever and ever and ever...it was more along the lines of

"I'll love you this weekend...or this month...or tonight."

And all parties involved were cool with that.

(...yes...and I did just use the word cool in a sentence...sigh...)

It was a completely different time.

We had free love and communes for god-sake. We shunned material "stuff" and were far from PC. And nobody had the "ohmigod I am a victim" mentality that is prevalent today.

My Generation.

Love was amorphous...rules and commitment being tossed aside and for a short while nobody tried to own anybody. We prided ourselves in not trying to OWN anybody else. Children were conceived as part of the group and raised by everyone. BC was available and sometimes even used. HIV wasn't part of the scene yet.

It was on our Bumper Stickers. Seriously.

It truly was a different time. 

Then eventually we grew up. Left communal living for various and mostly valid reasons. Stopped calling each other Sunshine and Rainbow, Goat, Bear and Dewdrop. Walked away from the drugs for the most part...some bearing tattoos that they found themselves lying to their children about

"No honey, that is a Japanese Maple Leaf...why on Earth would I have a pot leaf tattooed on my arm?"

We paid our mortgages, worked our day jobs, raised our children, and little by little the day to day life erased the 70's.

But (as recent news events have reminded us) even if we have forgot them...they haven't forgot some of us.

We laughed our asses off at Dan Ackroyd- SNL saying

"Jane, you IGNORANT slut" 

and her quickly retorting

"Only a Reactionary Ass, as yourself, Dan..."


Can you imagine her coming forward today to claim she was

"Verbally Abused and a Victim"

Context was Everything...and the 1970's should be taken in context.

We watched Archie Bunker...and we laughed. We weren't offended. We knew he was outrageous...and stupid...and wrong.

Kind of like most of the 1970's actually.

Just saying. 
It is a slippery slope.  
The next finger you see might be pointed toward you.

This week's book..newly released

A Compilation of Complete Vonnegut Short Stories from various publications and sources.

If you are/were ever a Kurt Vonnegut Fan (and I certainly am) this is a wonderful...not to be missed collection.

Outstanding!

The news du jour

 Yeah...this sums the whole business up pretty well.

 More anon...