Tis the Day Before Christmas

Christmas Blessing to You All!

It really is the day before Christmas!  Where has this month flown to!  Remember when we were kids, how we thought Christmas would NEVER come!

The gifts are wrapped and sent, the tree looks so pretty and everyone has their lights up.  We had some really cool nights this week...reminded me of being home in Vermont with the north wind whipping around every unsheltered corner.  Our evening stroll in coats and hats and even mittens became a brisk walk.  As we met others on their nightly strolls, we passed on by with a brief greeting, no lingering to visit this time. We did get our first frost that night. That was Friday,  today is a pleasant 68 degrees just after noontime.

Baking day for me.  I made some loaves of Grammie Richardson's Cranberry bread to give to my neighbors and friends tonight.  Then made 4 doz. dinner rolls to take to our Sunshine family dinner tomorrow. They just came out of the oven.... can't you just smell that fresh baked bread aroma?  Oh yes, you are probably enjoying that very same wonderful aroma in your kitchen today.   I will make the Raisin sauce in the morning.  We are having ham this year for dinner and we are used to having the raisin sauce with it.  Nobody here does that so guess it's up to me.  It does make a hit and usually there isn't much left.

Church yesterday was a real blessing.  The choir is so very good and the pastor's sermon was very moving and thought provoking.  He spoke of the meaning of Peace,  'The absence of conflict, strife and hostility'.   And the meaning of the word Shalom which is not just peace but is 'the presence of the goodness of God'. The presence of wholeness, health, harmony, completeness, contentment... basically...friendship with God.

He spoke of Malachi 4:2  where the prophet tells that the coming Messiah would have 'healing' in His wings.  The Greek word 'wings'  or Kanaf, meant the border of His garment.  We then fast-forwarded many years to Luke 8: 43-48 to the story of the woman who believed Jesus was the Messiah.  She battled the crowds just to be able to touch the "hem of His garment, the Kanaf" and she was immediately healed.  And how Jesus told her to "Go in peace.....Shalom". We were reminded that God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be.  He has greater plans for us than we do for ourselves!

Tonight I will go to the candle lighting Christmas Eve service and maybe afterward to a gathering at Sunshine Hall.... or maybe just enjoy being home.  I am looking forward to a visit via Skype tomorrow with my family back home in Vermont.  I am so glad they can gather together at this precious time of the year.

Dennis and I and Lizzie too wish you all a very Blessed and Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year !

Remembering Christmases Past

How the time flies!  The wonderful Christmas season is here already.  For me, it is, at this time in my journey through this life, a good time to reflect on how blessed I have been to have had many wonderful Christmases with my family.
On this, a dark and dreary day in usually sunny and bright Florida, I sit with Miss Lizzie purring in my lap.  The Christmas tree lights are twinkling and a lovely CD sent to me by my sweet friend Debbie, is playing softly.  Tea in my favorite cup is hot and sweet and I am transported back to other Christmas seasons in my mind's very own 'Time Machine' .

Early memories are of the excitement of going out into the woods with my Daddy to get our Christmas tree.  He would explain the difference in the spruce and the balsam tree and how he favored the Balsam for it's fragrance.  We had to tramp around awhile looking for just the right one for us... in height, fullness etc.  Then he would get out his hatchet and cut it for us and we'd tie a rope onto it and drag it out to the car and tie it on to the roof. I well remember the old homemade tree stand too and how he'd fit the base of the tree into it.  We had multi colored lights sometimes but usually all blue ones. Our decorations were not fancy and always the same.. blue and white and silver.  The balls of various sizes and some stars of silver and blue that really caught the light and sparkled.  Always on the top was a shinny silver star. Lots of tinsel too, hung just right... no clumps!  But like rain, frozen in long thin icicles. And last some candy canes and we were finished.  It always seemed such a magical sight, all a-twinkle as soon as it grew dark and we shut off the other lights. I loved to lie on the sofa and 'watch' the tree and I was allowed to just fall asleep there enjoying it.

I don't have memories of receiving a tree full of presents.  But I do remember the ones I did get.  Once when I was about six I got a fine desk with a big drawer and a chair that fit me to go with it. In the  drawer I found pencils and colored ones, crayons and colored paper and all these fun things
My cousin and her husband would always remember me at Christmas.  Shirley loved to sew and knit and once I found a lovely, red coat neath the tree.  Another time, mittens like no one else at school had ever seen.  The backs of the hands had a face of a little girl knit into them and she had braids just like mine that swished back and forth when I waved my hands around.  Sometimes she knit me a pretty sweater with a picture pattern knit right into it.  Or the time I got an Orphan Annie watch.  Wow! That was the best!

Our tree today.  I have reverted to the old blue and white and silver I so loved as a child !

Years later, Christmas with our own children was always a special time.  Our tree was always hung with lots of homemade decorations and of course, the string of popcorn and cranberries that fed the birds after Christmas had passed.  We remember the special times at Church with our family.  We all loved the candle lighting and the carols. When the kids were teens, we loved to invite others to come and gather with us for a candle dipping party.  I once wrote of this in a poem.

Candle Dipping

It's late December now,

We're busy with preparations,

Our homes to decorate 

As Christmas we anticipate.

We've gathered boughs of evergreen,

Made garlands and wreaths, you know,

And now it is time for candle dipping

And wassail sipping.

So we gather.. friends and neighbors

And family dear.

The wax is melting in the big black

On back of the old wood stove.

As sweetly, carols play, a room away.

Our wicks are all tethered,

We're ready to go!

So round the chopping block we move

Till it's our turn to dip our wicks

Into the molten wax;

In and out, up and down, then skip along.

Round and round we go

As each completes the task.

Soon the candles take shape, begin to grow.

Smooth and round and even

They taper ever so gracefully!

What a sight to see!

All hanging there in rows of three

'Tween the tall, old chair backs

We're using as drying racks.

We won't forget these jolly times!

Our gathering together

By the fireside,

In from the frosty weather

At candle dipping time.

                                              Dottie Richardson  

This is how our candles looked soon after starting. Sorry I
don't have any pictures of our dipping parties.

Then came the Christmases with the grown children and the grandkids!  I have this picture of Grampa Denny and son Matt entertaining a whole string of them after Christmas dinner!

And now it is great grandchildren time!  Times are different... family is more scattered and we are here in Florida for the Christmas season these years.  BUT we do try to get all our family together in the summer time and cuddle the little ones then.  So get you a cup of tea, light the tree and turn on the CD and take a trip of your own back down memory lane and visit Christmases past!  

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas season.  

Our Seasonal Tree
All decked out for Autumn

I am hoping you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and were able to spend some time with friends and family.  We had a lovely day here in Sunshine Village...the weather was nice and there was a nice big group of our snowbird friends attending the wonderful turkey and ham dinner at Sunrise Hall.  The table groaned with the bounty!  Lots of good cooks here and every household brought something to share.  We all were so grateful for not being hungry and some worked in church kitchens to help provide a nice meal for those not as fortunate as we are.

Up the highway a bit from us, in Leesburg, there is a homeless shelter that many volunteers are working on.  Work on the shelter has been done in stages. The south wing opened in 2010 and the north wing, which they are working on now, is expected to be finished soon.  It is a shelter for families and is called the Samaritan Inn. They have been blessed with gifts of money and volunteers from churches, civic groups, corporations and businesses.  Residents have to work on a case plan for their lives and are not charged a fee for their stay at the shelter.  They can save their money to get together their deposits for housing etc. The director said, "The whole idea is to give people a boost and a safe haven where they are cared for as they move on with their lives in a positive manner.  This is not a rest stop; this is a work station.  We just can't open the door and take reservations like a motel because everybody has to agree to work a case plan.  We want to help these folks move from dependence to independence and productivity.  Our goal is to have them ready to leave us with a job and a place to live." Since opening in June 2010, the Samaritan Inn has had 34 adults and 57 children.  Of those 60% have left with a job and a home. The shortest length of time someone stayed was 2 weeks and the longest resident has stayed for 18 months.  Each individual's needs are different. On the wish list for the Inn is funding for a ministry assistant and a Christian counselor.   What a wonderful concept !  Getting folks from dependence to independence.... a real 'leg up'  and onto the right path again.  Wish we could see more of this type of help.

Now is the time to be getting out the Christmas decorations.  Folks around here really go all out with the lights! We don't put up too many but every year we do get our BIG star out and hoist it up to the roof peak.  It is visible as soon as one comes into Sunshine Village.  We have had it for several years here.  We are closer to the entrance than we used to be and it still shows up high in the air.  Today I helped with some decorations for Sunshine Hall.  Dennis and some of the guys have built a stable and a manger for the nearly life-size holy family.  Someone found some hay, probably from the farm up the street, and now all the lights are arranged and tonight we will see how it looks.

We are planning our annual Cake Auction and a Quilt raffle to help finance "Christmas For Our Kids". Our way of helping to make a nice Christmas party for some local kids not so fortunate as most.  Every year it is a labor of love and we sure enjoy watching them at their party.

I am hoping our sign language class will soon start up again.  I have been practicing a bit and had a nice conversation or two with my friends Cy and Frank already.  The pool is open most days and is a great gathering place when the days are warm enough.  We have really cool mornings but usually it gets up into the 70's by noontime.  The pool is covered every night with the heater left on so the water stays really nice at about 83-85 degrees.

Her Highness ... Miss Lizzie

I think she likes it here!

Now Lizzie is making me think a nap might be in order.  Or at least an hour to curl up with a book.  Even the sun has gone in for a nap at 2 PM  and my work is all done.  Hubby still at work so I may just succumb to my yawning.  

A quote worth thinking about!

"We would worry less if we praised more.

Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent

            and dissatisfaction."              Henry A. Ironside

Being Thankful

Here it is almost Thanksgiving Day again.  Although shouldn't every day be a day of Thanksgiving?  We truly have so many things to be thankful for.  I once decided to make a list, an alphabetical list of all the things I was thankful for.  I ran across it the other day when looking through a folder of mine.  This was a great idea and I guess I need to do it again soon. Somewhere near the top of a thanksgiving list should be gratitude for our health.  And of course for our families and loved ones.

It has been cool here for a week with a couple days really dreary, just like November days in VT.  Then out comes the sun today and makes us all feel better.  Yesterday afternoon we met our VT friends in Leesburg and went up to The Villages to a car show.  The guys really liked that.  Also had a few shops with sidewalk sales for us girls to look at.  After an afternoon of wandering through the streets we had a nice supper at one of the restaurants there and headed back home.  It was a fun time.

Picked some oranges from our tree here.  Big and juicy Red Navels.  

Our annual fall Park wide yard sale went well on Saturday.  Several residents set up shop and sold things.  This year we didn't have enough to sell to set up.  We took a bag of things to the local youth center's Thrift Shop just before leaving for home last spring.  It was fun to wander around and see what was being offered.  I bought a couple books and a cookie jar shaped like a big red apple.  

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  We are having dinner here at Sunshine Hall.  Looking forward to lots of tasty turkey and all the fixings and hopefully a piece of pumpkin pie.  

"We would worry less if we praised more.  Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction."    {Henry Ironside}

A Time To Work...A Time To Play

I hope you all haven't given up on my blog!!  I am finally setting down to write some thoughts here.  It has been a busy time getting settled, getting over a bad chest cold and finally coming out of hibernation to collect hugs and up close greetings from our other snowbird friends.  We have participated in some of the Sunshine Village activities.... a wonderful pot luck, as usual enjoying the creations of all the great cooks around here.  A couple of Sunday night Ice Cream Socials were fun too.  And not to mention the cleaning of the Florida room..... especially ALL it's windows.  We have seven large screened areas here each has four window panels that are easily removed for cleaning that is 7 X 4 .........28 window sections to take out and wash inside and out as well as the inside and outside of the screens.  Not too grievous a job but time consuming.  I use an old fashioned window washing formula ... vinegar and hot water and soft, lint free rags to do the job.  The windows are not glass but a strong vinyl.  How they shine when freshly cleaned and buffed with the soft dry cloth!!  I am sitting here now listening to my fountain tinkle and glancing out these squeaky clean windows ! NOTHING like clean windows !  Now I have the rest of the house windows to tackle but that is another job for another day.

Back to the writing again after a ride around the Village in the golf cart.  Saw some WV friends come in and had to go say "Hi".  Then those dirty windows were fairly shouting at me so, while I had my helper home (day off) we tackled three more.  Then I finished writing the Sunshine Village Newsletter for Nov.  Kinda late but better late than never. Now it's time to start planning for the Dec. one !

Our sweet white kitty, Miss Lizzie, is enjoying her home away from home.  She has settled in so well here, enjoying the porch and finding her new favorite spots to hang out.  She still gets a bit nervous when she sees us with anything that resembles a suitcase.  Den brought my sewing machine in it's case out to the kitchen the other day and she thought we were getting ready to pack up and be off again.  She gave us a concerned look, kind of threatening like, and turned tail and went to hide someplace.  She surely isn't a seasoned traveler yet. 

                                                                         

My 'Hairy ones' taking a break.

Yesterday was our 'go to town' day and by town, I mean off to Leesburg which is about 20 miles away.  Some things you can't get in Bushnell, the small town just 8 miles from us.  We ran errands all morning as we had a few projects to get supplies for.  Planting a few more perennials was one of our projects so Lowe's seems to be the best place to get nice plants.  On the northern most side of the car port we have a nice white lattice work/trellis that now has a lovely yellow Esperanza plant growing up its sturdy support.  The hibiscus was blooming the other morning after a gentle rain but the Camellia in the front seems to have bit the dust.  We bought some lovely purple plants that they promised would withstand some frost and planted them there.  Our grass, out back and planted before we left last spring, has come up and grown quite well.  A few oranges hang on the orange tree and the little lemon tree we planted last year seems to be holding it's own. Also planted a couple small heather plants.

A close-up of a Hibiscus just after a gentle rain the other day.  This is just outside my porch window.

The Esperanza 

It seems SO nice not to be hearing and seeing all the election ads and slander !  We honestly don't know what to believe.  Only time will tell I guess, how the people's choice will help or hinder our country.  This much we know ..... GOD himself is in control and knows how it will all play out.  My prayer is that we who are called by His name will humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways and that He will then hear us and heal our troubled land.

Tomorrow our dear friends from Ohio are arriving!   Looking forward to seeing them again.  We have a great time playing Bid Euchre, a great card game with them a couple evenings a week.  These evenings are long with darkness falling so early.Also we will be planning for our Ladies day out trips which are always fun.

Quote for this time:   "Kindness don't have no boundaries."  Kathryn Stockett who wrote, "The Help"

The Great Pumpkin Carving Contest

It's that time of year once again!  I am
remembering the wonderful times our
family used to have when the kids were
all small and the old ones were still here
with us.
Every October, toward the end of the
month, in the big old kitchen at the old brick house of my grandmother, we'd gather, on a cool, crispy evening with much excitement to carve pumpkins.
 Each participant came bringing their very own pumpkin to carve.  All different shapes and sizes.  We brought along our favorite carving tools if we had them.  Those too young to wield a knife or other sharp object were assisted by an adult who would do the actual carving, carrying out the specific wishes of the youngster. Besides the big old table that was always there was another long table.  All were covered with plastic tablecloths or newspapers and basins to hold the seeds and innards.  Scoops and big spoons at the ready we soon got right down to business. All this took some time as each carver hoped to come up with the most unusual Jack O'Lantern.  And we sure did come up with some great ones over the years!

My children and cousin Mick's children were young when this tradition was first started.  Actually it was my cousins, Shirley and Vera and her son Mick who engineered those first carving parties.  Always Aunt Ethel and Uncle Herbie were there. Presiding over the grand event as was the eldest among us, Grammie Phillips.  Then over the years as these children grew up and married, their children became the youngsters.

After all the creations were finished and lined up for proper lighting and viewing, all the basins were emptied (some seeds went home with me to roast in the oven) and the tables cleared and reset with yummy goodies to enjoy.  Among these goodies in later years was a birthday cake or two as there were three of us with October birthdays to be celebrated.

Sometimes we would send someone to the neighbor's house to get us a judge, one who would be non biased and not know who had carved what to come over and give their opinion on the spookiest, most artistic, funniest etc. of all our handiwork.  No prizes, just a little innocent pride if our Jack O'Lantern was chosen.  At this point a hush would fall over the old kitchen as all lighted and grinning or grimacing, the carved masterpieces glowed proudly as all other lights were shut off.  It was always such a thrilling sight to us as adults and way more thrilling to the young ones I'm sure.

Some of our earlier creations all lined up and lighted

This was one of our carving nights in the late 1980's

This group is made up of my daughter and my grandson and Mick's children and

grandchildren.

Big and small we love them all !

It was a wonderful time in all our lives.  Times change, people pass on and some move away. The old homestead is no longer in our family.  But we will always treasure the memories we have of these old October nights when we all gathered with anticipation and great excitement for the Annual Great Pumpkin Carving Contest.

I still feel the need to carve a pumpkin just before Hallowe'en.  I'll just get me one at the market on Monday and see what I come up with this time!   Traditions die hard !  Happy October and won't you think about carving a pumpkin too?

New England Clam Chowder in NC !

We got off and away on our annual migration, on a cool, lovely fall morning.  Hubby and I and Miss Lizzie Kitty (first trip for her).  She is new to this traveling stuff, at least for more than 7 miles at a time. She did quite well for the first day out.  She didn't think much of all the overpasses on the interstate!  Riding either up front or on the console between our seats, she would duck each time we went under one.

Her Highness on her pillow on the console

The strange motel room wasn't something she took well to, finally settling in on the big bed with us, we all got a good night's sleep in New Market, VA. Next morning, she seemed almost relieved to be back in the confines of the car...a late morning start as we were only going 250 miles today.  We got involved in a really good TV show that morning, remember "The Parent Trap" ?  This was a remake and the little girls (girl) was just delightful and played the parts so well. Need more wholesome shows like this one.

We arrived in the afternoon at the cousins  (The P & J  B&B), a great, friendly and hospitable AND pet friendly place to spend the day and the night.  The chef here sure knows how to whip up a delicious pot of New England Corn Chowder !  Complete with sandwich choices of sandwich and a healthy salad.  Even a great pumpkin dessert with whipped cream!  YUM!  Good food, good company and a nice visit, and a great night's rest in a big comfy bed. We definitely give this a 5 Star rating !

Posing with our hosts, Phil and Janice

Phil's project...a beautiful 'Trike' named Suzzie.

Leaving early in the morning on Tuesday, 6:30 AM, as we have a long day today to reach Sunshine Village well before dark to unload just the necessities, leaving the rest until the morning when we are rested and up to unpacking.  Today was a LONG one!  The dregs of my chest cold made me an unhappy traveler!  I wanted to take a nice long nap in a bed!!  We finally arrived at 5:15 PM and unloaded the cooler which had a partially thawed container of homemade soup which we had for supper.  More cold meds and I was off to bed.  Miss Kitty seems to realize that this isn't a motel room or someone else's place but her home away from home.  No hiding under the bed here!

Wed. was a slow day and today, Thurs. is a much better day!  The weather here is WARM !  Yesterday was really HOT but this morning we had a bit of rain and some clouds and it is quite nice out now.  I am hibernating as I don't want to chance sharing my cold with anyone. Den has been busy outside cleaning and weeding and getting his stuff settled.  He won't start his work here until Monday.  He couldn't stay away though, and spent some time looking over some of the jobs going on around here.  I'm always so thankful that all things work around the place as we turn on one thing after another.

Now there is more rain falling.... it is welcome... keeps it so nice and green here.  These showers refresh but don't usually settle in for a whole day.  I'll have to watch for a rainbow if the sun peeks through after this one.  Time for my nap !  Did a good morning's work and will curl up in the big chair and nod off as I catch up on some reading.   Thanking you all for your prayers for us and our journey. Blessings to you all !

A wonderful thought to ponder....."Our God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us."

A Bruised Knee & Stomach Flu

It seems the Lord is wanting me to be still these days!!  Physically STILL!  In my flurry to get all things at home 'just right' before migrating south, I managed to kneel too long while cleaning beneath my sink.  Now some of my friends said to me, "Why would you want to do that... clean under your sink?"  I  guess I am just a neat freak but I only do a bang up job about once a year.  I really wasn't planning to stay on my knees that long... just got carried away sorting all the cleaning things, some of which I never use etc. and guess it was just too much for my knobby old knee.  I usually get something soft to kneel on if I plan to be on my knees for more than a few seconds.  So for the next week, I hobbled around barely able to walk.  I finally gave in and went to see my doctor who pronounced my knee "Contused".  It began to recover, slowly, so slowly that I thought I would miss the Fresh Grounded Faith Conference in Barre that my sweet daughter, Angel had bought us tickets for as an early birthday treat for me.  I knew I couldn't walk well enough to get from the parking lot to the auditorium etc.  My friend, Alice suggested I think about using her wheelchair.  Well, that's not being very independent!  BUT  I really wanted to go so off we went!  Three other ladies from church went with us and they were super great friends as they loaded and unloaded that chair into the trunk and pushed me all over the place!  The folks at the conference were SO helpful, and had us park in the handicapped lot, had a team of volunteers right there to help those needing it in any way and ushering us right in the side door and right to the front row!  Thanks to all of you, Celia, Judy, Crystal and Angel.

It was a wonderful time of fellowship with the auditorium filled with 1500 women.  The music was great and the speakers excellent and even our box lunches were great. Imagine putting up 1500 box lunches!

Jennifer Rothschild was the main speaker and a very powerful one.  Stormie OMartine was also a thought provoking speaker.  Jennifer, who lost her sight when she was only 15 from a deterioration of her retina, had a lot to say about being a 'gritty' girl and trusting our Lord for everything and how we can accomplish all He has for us in life by choosing to rely NOT on feelings but on TRUTH from God's word.  She has written some great books on how God can give us His Grace to allow us to do His purpose in our lives.  Self Talk, Soul Talk and Lessons Learned In The Dark are two of her books worth reading.

As we were getting ready to leave for the conference on Oct. 6th, I sat with my coffee and read from Our Daily Bread, one of my daily devotionals.  How appropriate this day's reading was to ME !
"Be still and know that I am God" Ps. 46:10.  The Hebrew word for still means to "cease striving".  It went on to say that it's the concept of putting your hands down and letting God intervene in your situation WITHOUT your interference.  Interesting word picture!  In other words, stop struggling and wait on God to do His work!  I am glad He worked it all out so I could still go with the ladies!

I had another chance to practice being still this week!  A bout with a stomach flu laid me low for 4 days!  This was not a fun 'rest' but I had time to think about what is really important and necessary and not just things I REALLY MUST do before we leave. I am now recovered and trying to "keep my hands down" and do the important things.

I managed to finish up a painting I have had waiting for a bit.  Could do that while my knee was mending.  I did a bit of work today and made some Apple Pan Dowdy and am on my way to sit on the front porch and breath in this wonderful fall air and enjoy the 'friendly' sunshine.  It is cool enough to be able to really appreciate the warm sun on my face and the cool air in my nostrils.

I call this "Morning Has Broken"

oil on canvas 24 x 24

God is so good and has given me so many blessings.  My daughter has made the move back to Vermont now instead of  next July as was the former plan.  She was offered a wonderful job here only 6 miles away and made the decision to take it even if it meant moving now.  It was so wonderful to have her in and out this week as she made all the work preparations for the job next week.  She will once again be among fantastic Vermont people who care for her and who all work so well together as they provide quality health care to their patients.  

SO  Lord willing, we will head south on the 21st.  It should be an interesting journey as we are taking our Miss Kitty with us for the first time.  She is NOT a car-lover!  But I know she will love it when we get there.  I may not write again for a week or two but I do hope you all keep checking!  I also appreciate your comments either by email or as a comment here.

WHEN WE PUT OUR PROBLEMS IN GOD'S HANDS, HE PUTS HIS PEACE IN OUR HEARTS."

Apple Cider Pressing Party

\

We are thankful to be getting some much needed rain.  Good rain, all night long.  It stopped today before noon and even though it was cool and damp, we still went to a Cider Pressing Party we had been invited to.  The first time we had been even though it has been an annual event for several years and quite a tradition.  The nice folks hosting the party spent lots of time decorating their yard with corn stalks, bales of hay and bushel baskets of beautiful red apples.

We are having an early foliage season this year and on the way to the party we sure enjoyed looking at the beautiful colors as we wound our way up the along the Black River before taking the old dirt roads leading to our friend's place.  

Besides all these lovely baskets of apples, the bed of a truck was heaped with more ripe, sweet ones.  These are the apples you don't get in the stores!  They are actually ready to eat NOW, not the really hard, half ripe ones from a super market.  So juicy and good and a real joy to eat.  Upon our arrival we could smell the BBQ fire and the table was beginning to groan with the load of casseroles and home baked beans, home made egg rolls, homemade pepper jelly to top the cream cheese and crackers while awaiting the cooking ribs.

Pressing was in progress and what a great bunch of pressers!  Everyone pitched in to help from the little ones to the honored elderly.  The youngest person attending was probably about 2 months old and the oldest, a sweet, very hard working lady who could cut up apples faster than anybody there, and who proudly told us she was 94 years old !  Her brother who was close to this in age, worked hard to keep the cut up apples pushed down into the grinder which was being turned by the youngsters taking turns at the wheel.  After the grinding comes the squeezing or pressing.  This job seemed to fall to the middle aged guys.  The fresh juice was then collected in stainless steel kettles and poured through cheesecloth into more kettles and taken to the huge cider barrel with the spigot at the bottom for drawing off the sweet cider.  Of course several people kept the cutters, grinders and squeezers all supplied with baskets full of apples to work with.  This included washing each basket full in a big tub before supplying the cutters with their work.  Quite a process and all went so smoothly and well. 

The apples get a good washing

Each apple gets quartered, Emma is by far the fastest apple cutter around!

Another bucket full and ready to squeeze

Must not forget the roasted corn on the cob!  Hostess Jackie has this under control.

After working and eating a great meal which always tastes extra good outside on a cool fall day, some of the kids had a good game of bad mitten while their elders enjoyed good conversation and fellowship.  It was a great party and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  As the guests prepare to leave,  each is offered a jug of this tasty sweet cider, the fruits of their labors, to take home to enjoy and to remember their fun day each time they have a glass.  Thanks Jackie and Mike for the great day !

Henry VanDyke's "God of the Open Air" (2nd paragraph of Stanza VI) seems to mirror my thoughts today.

"These are the things I prize

And hold of dearest worth:

Light of the sapphire skies,

Peace of the silent hills,

Shelter of forests, comfort of the grass;

Music of birds, murmur of little rills,

Shadow of clouds that swiftly pass,

And, after showers,

The smell of flowers

And of the good brown earth...

And best of all, along the way,

Friendship and mirth."

Autumn Again!

We are getting some much needed rain tonight!  Just hoping it will be a gentle rain lasting through the night.  Weatherman says we may have some high winds and even speak of tornado warnings until later this evening.  Pretty scary!

I picked the quince the other day and made some quince butter...not unlike apple butter but with a definite zing !   I also saved some juice to add to my 'Paradise Jelly' that I'll be making this week.  It is a great source of pectin.  The garden is about finished for the year.  I picked the last of the tomatoes the other day.  Have made sauce, juice, casseroles, and Tomato Spice Jam.  Have a couple green ones left for another meal of fried green tomatoes.  The beets did well although I didn't plant very many.  Cukes have given up and the zucchini too, finally. Last week cousin Natalie came down from Mt. Holly with a kettle full of 'grindings', the zucchini, onions and peppers needed for a batch of relish.  We put our kettles-full together and made up the final batch for the season. Our pole beans are just beginning!!  After thinking we had nothing but lovely leaves and huge vines, along come the blossoms and we have had about 3 pickings now.   I really wondered if they would make it to beans before the frosts came.

This week Den and I celebrate our 56th wedding anniversary.  I put together a hard cover 'Mac Book' for him on my computer and had it printed.  The title is "A Man Of Many Hats"  with a sub title, 'A pictorial biography of Mr. Fix-It'.  It came out really well and when it was delivered to the door the other day, I couldn't wait to give it to him to see if he liked it.  He was delighted !  Here's a picture of the cover collage.

Included are pictures of his hobbies, inventions, interests, some Fix-It Shop activities and around home doings.  As his son in-law says, he is truly a man of many hats, literally and figuratively!  Looking through the completed book, I counted 10 different hats!  It was a fun project.

Now I must start to focus on 'migration' time and all the things that need to be finished up here and need to be making lists of things I want to take along this year... like winter projects or little things I've set aside for the Fl. house.  It should be a very interesting trip this time as we plan to take our sweet little Miss Lizzie kitty along.  She is not fond of riding, at least not in her little 'go-to-the-vet cage!  We will be taking her for a few short rides that don't end up there just to get her used to the car.  NOT looking forward to the trip but it will be nice to have her with us all winter.  She wasn't a happy guest last winter with her former 'people'.  Our daughter in-law has another cat and a very active, playful little Boston Terrier and Lizzie wants to be with a family where she is the only pet.  She has us trained very well!  

Last week we went to the World's Fair in Tunbridge where we met friends and spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the sights and eating our fill of our favorite fair foods. Pretty healthy choices...fresh roasted corn on the cob, homemade apple crisp with ice cream, and spiral cut beets and sweet potatoes that were deep fried like french fries. Yum!  And then there were the not so healthy choices... the fried bread dough nuggets ( count me out for this one) and the 'everything burger' that was way more than I could eat!  We are always drawn to the sounds of the old pump organ in one of the display buildings where someone is playing good old hymns.  We just gather around, provide a choir and sing along to a few hymns before moving on...it's a tradition!  This year there was a magician performing under the big tent and I love to watch a magician in action!  My favorite act out of all his bag of tricks was the 'floating table'.  He had a boy of about eight years come up to help him, gave him a pair of goggles like Harry Potter would wear and then he proceeded to take hold of the linen tablecloth and as he lifted it, the whole little table rose from the ground and just floated around where ever he seemed to steer it with the tablecloth.  The boy kept a close eye on things and looked under the cloth to no avail, nobody knew how he did this amazing act.  

Then on to the exhibits.  So much talent here in the hills!  The art exhibit was great, the photography being the largest.  Floral displays, quilts and other sewing projects.  The young people's room was full of things the kids had made.  Lots of canned goods and baked goods to be judged.  The largest pumpkin this year was 675 lbs. (plus or minus a few as I can't remember numbers that well).  It seems like last year it was a 700-something pounder. In the gazebo musicians entertained with really good music.  Of course, the animals the 4H kids raised and cared for were all so clean and healthy looking.  They'd take turns leading the cows down to the river to give them a drink.  This truly is a wonderful country fair.  All this on a beautiful autumn day with pure blue skies and a gentle breeze, no humidity and about 75 degrees.  We drove up in the Gypsy Wagon so after the fair we spent the night up on Darling Hill and slept so, with full tummies and tired feet.  Natures alarm clock awakens us at around 5 something in the morning.... the hooting of the owls!  They were quite vociferous this morning! 

Enjoy these lovely fall days!

"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God"  Micah 6:8

 

Ramblings

I'm needing to find more time to write in my blog!  Getting things done that need doing BUT missing my quieter times of the year.
I have a friend who seems to accomplish a lot and yet she manages to set aside time for herself.  She takes a 'personal retreat' now and again.  She just sent me an email upon returning from one of these special times she grants herself.  She sent along a picture of this luscious, mile high piece of chocolate pie she treated herself to at the P&H Truck Stop in Wells River on her way to a lake in the far northern regions of VT.  The next picture was of the empty plate!  Now that made me want to hop in the car and drive up there.  Of course I could go just a bit further and visit the grandson's family and cuddle the two little gr. granddaughters a bit.  That would be a great 'retreat' for this Grandma GG.

I picked what may be nearly the last of the garden yesterday and made a great vegetable soup to take to the senior luncheon at church today.  Still think I will have a good crop of pole beans if the frost doesn't get them first!  They are all blooming like crazy now and we have picked enough for a couple meals.  Thought for awhile we wouldn't have a single bean on the gorgeous tall vines.  I still have a few beets to harvest but I think the cukes and zukes are calling it quits.  Cousin Natalie is coming down on Thursday next to make some zucchini relish with me.  She will grind the veggies and set them overnight in a crock with some salt and tote it all down to rinse, cook and jar up with me in the morning.  She has scads of zucchini and I only have two left to harvest.

Remember Jack in the Bean Stalk?

Today we had company from Ohio.  Snowbird friends we spend the winter months with in Fl.  Nice visit with them.  They are enjoying their stay in VT and heading out to Maine for a few days before going back home.

Are you getting sick of all the emails and Face Book 'stuff' to do with politics?  So much mud slinging!  And who can believe anything we read or hear any more!  On Sunday, in his sermon, our Pastor spoke about Ghandi's 7 Dangers.  It seems like we are in a time where we are living with all of these dangers, magnified many times over.  Thought you might like to read Ghandi's list if you don't already know of the list, which I didn't.

Ghandi's 7 Dangers

1. Wealth without Work
2. Pleasure without Conscience
3. Knowledge without Character
4. Business without Ethics
5. Science without Humanity
6. Religion without Sacrifice
7. Politics without Principles

Something to think about for sure.

We had a little rain, for which we are thankful but it has been a few days and hot ones.  Our rivers are SO dry and we know of folks with springs for their water supplies who are finding them very low or with no water at all.  The river that usually flows over the dam just north of our house and which we can see from our back patio is only flowing over one corner of the dam now.  There is very little water above the dam and folks are using the river bottom for a beach!  Hearing voices out the back door, we look up river to see this strange sight.  I have never seen so little water in this river.  My camera zooms in to show how someone has painted, 'Live In Harmony' on the dam itself while the water is so low.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is Community Market day here on the Green.  I plan to go over and set up again.  It is such fun to visit with all who come by to shop, eat and listen to the music.  This week we will have a different group playing for us.  I have made some Tomato Spice Jam this week and still have zucchini relish to sell.  No donuts this week!  Too busy.  Have a few craft items left.  Thought you'd like this picture of my mode of transportation up the street to the Green.

To Market....To Market....to buy ??

My trusty 'driver' Alison comes by for me.

Another Quote.   When you feel like you are drowning in life,

                            Don't worry !  Your Life Guard walks on water !

            Be Blest.....Be a Blessing !

Gypsies On The Move

At Last !  After the good rain from the other day, we have another Bluesky day with a gentle breeze so fresh and void of humidity. And it is good to be home again after a wonderful little trip in the Gypsy Wagon.  

We traveled all the 'old fashioned' roads this time as we drove up scenic old Route 100 and some other cross over roads to reach Bristol, where we found friends to spend part of the day with.  After a nice visit and a great dinner at a favorite restaurant of theirs...good foodies too... we spent the night in their yard, camping in the Gypsy. We were awakened at midnight by the rain on our roof, a welcome sound as we are really needing the water here.  And a good rain it was for a few  hours.  By morning it had passed, leaving part of the world a bit greener and happier looking.  The sun was slow to peek out but finally showed up through the rising fog as we headed out, easterly, across the state.

Our friends and a view from their back patio

This rock with the Lord's Prayer on it, is on Route 116 as you leave the village of 

Bristol, VT.  The story has it that a man carved it here thinking it might cause the 

team drivers to use better language when urging their teams on as this was a place

where they seemed to really curse and swear at them.   

We took Route 17, a route we had never done before up and up and up some more through lots of hair-pin turns as we went over the mountains and passed by Mad River Glen Ski area and through the Appalachian Gap on down, to wind our way northeast to Woodbury.  Here we found some more good friends above the lake there. What a treat to tour their garden!  Just full of great veggies and flowers.  Also had a tour and admired the new chicken castle...large and roomy, cozy and safe from the fox.

Finally leaving, we backtracked a few miles and set off to Chelsea where we had a great little lunch at Dixie's II, a folksy place with good down home cooking.  The fresh homemade corn chowder was something to brag about! After filling the tank and our tummies, we headed over the hill to Vershire to make a quick stop to visit our friends on Darling Hill before heading on home.

It was good to get home again after a wonderful little trip, traveling these secondary roads. The weather was cooler, the breeze warm as it wafted in the open windows allowing the sweet scents of late summer to please the senses and stir old memories of other summers, of other years.  Seeing how these strong Vermonters have worked to fix up the devastation after Tropical Storm Irene visited us a year ago to the day, brought  satisfying  feelings.  Seeing the yet to be fixed places, a reminder that we need to be so thankful that we are still here to enjoy another summer.  Things seemed a bit greener in the north and middle of the state than here in the southern end.   Lots of cornfields and haying still going on.  More farms and cattle too.

As we entered our little valley between the mountains and the river, we thought the good rain had made it a greener place than when we left it a couple days before.  Miss Lizzie was glad to see us and either welcomed us back or scolded us for taking so long... hard to tell which, but by the sound of her purring, I think she was pretty glad to see us.

The garden was ready to pick again today, yielding even more zucchini, some pole beans, finally, and cucumbers.  I picked the red tomatoes and made a couple jars of Tomato Spice Jam which is a favorite of mine.  Enough beans for supper tonight and I pulled a big beet with it's greens to cook as well.  The zucchini will wait till cousin Natalie comes to make some relish with me.  She has lots of zukes too so we will make a fun time of making some relish.

Leave with a thought that seems like a good way of life and I'm sure you've heard before.... but it is still good to think on this.

A lovely bouquet of Glads

Live Simply...Love Generously...Care deeply and Speak kindly...For we walk by faith and not by sight!                             Enjoy each other and this lovely end of summer weather.

Of Markets and Memories

It's been a long, hot summer and a dry one too.  It seems like an extra busy one for me.  I usually seem to find time to spend in peaceful contemplation but somehow this summer has just flown by.  I've checked off quite a few items on my 'hope to get it done' list for the summer.  Now as I sit and reflect on all this from a shady corner of my front porch, while the crickets chirp, the harvest fly buzzes, an airplane drones overhead as it pulls up a sail plane, and the phone is ...silent.. wow, that IS unusual. The day is a bit cooler, after a wonderfully cool night and morning...only 52 degrees when I poured my coffee earlier today.

The wood is all taken care of from the cutting of the lovely old maple.  There is something artistic about my hubby's woodpile, stacked just so.  We were blessed a few days ago with a much needed rainfall, a gentle one that did some good. The lawn looks greener and the garden says "thank you".

Lots of zucchini, so have to make more relish.  On Sat. I set up my table on the Green for the Community Market and sold several jars of our sweet zucchini relish and some homemade bread as well as a few note cards.  My neighbor had left some of her 'best-o pesto' for me to sell as she was away on vacation.  Friends, Cyndy and Syd brought note cards made from Cyndy's lovely drawings and some beautiful earrings that Syd fashions from feathery fishing flies that he ties. Really nice. So far our market is allowing only hand or home made items, baked goods and garden produce.  Maybe later we will be allowed to sell some flea market items like books and other items of interest.  The chicken BBQ was a big hit, selling out before the market was over.  The music was provided by a lone guitarist who was a big hit with everyone.  We're all hoping this will become a busy, fun market each summer.

The Community Market on the Green

"This and That from Greenbriar Creations"

Angel and her Dad....'finger-lickin' good!'

On Sunday we hosted a family get-together after we all gathered at the cemetary for a short service at the newly acquired family plot and memorial to pay final tribute to our sons, Chip and Matt. Dennis had carved the boys' names in the individual stones marking their spots.  It was a picture perfect day as we all gathered there, three and four generations of family and a few friends. My sweet daughter, Angel prepared a lovely reading and Paul read from the Bible.  The wind tried to interfere with my little flute but a bevy of grandsons made a circle close about me that kept the breeze from the reed long enough to play Amazing Grace. Back at home afterward, we enjoyed a good BBQ with my wonderful son in-law, Paul as the master chef at the grill.  There were salads, corn on the cob, punch and great desserts and ice cream.  So good to have our family together !

So I am making this a week of just relaxing and doing some reading and very little housework.  Probably have to pick the garden and do some more relish and some pickles but that's really just playing.  Hope to take a day trip or two before the summer is all gone.  Maybe next week?  The  'Gypsy' looks so ready to hit the road.   Hope you all will make time to enjoy these final weeks of our summer.   Blessings !

Harvest Time

Summer is going so fast !  I am thankful for the cooler mornings and the days without so much humidity.  I got outside to do some weed pulling yesterday.  I filled my little garden cart full to overflowing with the pesky things.  It seems the trees and shrubs and just everything has grown at a much faster pace this summer. I can't keep up !  The sun was pretty hot on my back by the time I quit.  I sat for a spell on the patio cooling down and listening to the harvest fly buzzing loudly.  His sound always means to me that the shade is being drawn on summer and so very soon it will be autumn once again.  Green things are beginning to wilt and turn brown here and there.

My garden is finally beginning to produce !   It took awhile this year.  We didn't plant until after the first of June.  I just knew if we did plant in mid May like our neighbor, a big old frost would come along and kill all the tiny little shoots that pop up early.  Well, she has lots of produce from her garden and even a couple of nice big red tomatoes !   I have lots of green ones and lovely pole bean vines and leaves.  There are now a few blossoms showing up so there is hope that we will have beans one day.
(And then I will complain that they produce too fast for me!)

The zucchini is doing great, producing enough for the first batch of the famous "Best ever zucchini relish".  We picked them and set up the grinding operation last night.  Today the house was filled with that sweet tangy aroma of the cooking relish.  The cucumbers are all blossomed and every day I find one big enough to pick and eat.  Beet greens have been delicious.

The muscle behind the grinder.

The results of all that grinding!

I am happy to report that I am off the hook for Jury duty!  All who are selected to be available for a jury draw tomorrow are excused for some reason or other.  This is the third time this has happened.  The second time the case we were to be drawn for was settled out of court.  After the third time for being available and not used, we are dismissed and won't be asked to serve again for some time.  Now I can plan to be away for a few days if we get the urge to go on a little jaunt around the state.

On the 18th of Aug. I plan to take part in the Community Market here in Perkinsville on the Green.  It is something new for the Village and sounds like lots of fun.  Folks with homemade items, whether food or homegrown produce, art or crafts etc. will be setting up their wares.  Meanwhile, a Chicken BBQ will be taking place. These markets will continue each Sat. until into October.  What a great idea!

Well, time for bed.  Sounds good to me after a busy day.    A quote that really settled in my mind and it seems a good place to share it.  I don't know who said it but isn't it so true?

"Whether you give it or receive it,

Forgiveness is music to the soul"

Eulogy for a Maple Tree

It is a sad time when we must bid farewell to an old friend.  The big old maple at the westerly end of our house had become very, very tall.  It has been growing from a young tree since the day we moved here some 55 years ago...until today.

Sometime in it's youth to mid life years, it's trunk separated and became two, looking sort of like Siamese tree trunks.  Then on its way skyward, each twin developed quite large limbs, some finally becoming larger than the single trunk that rose from the ground. This makes for a very top heavy tree, on both sides!  Each twin put forth so many, many branches making the whole west end of the house shady and cool on hot summer days.

Oh how I hated to see them cut it down!  But it had become a danger to our house and to our neighbor's barn if there came a wind storm one day.
Thankfully there are three maples growing near by, one a young tree and two sapplings.  So some shade will be garnered now and more in later years.  These youngsters look healthy and don't show any signs... yet... of doing the separation act.

I could find only one picture of this old tree.

A poem in honor of the old maple

Farewell Old Friend

Stately Maple, so tall and proud;
Dressed in your summer green gown
Of lovely leaves, that ride the breeze
Of a lazy August afternoon.

A shady spot to while away the day,
Lost in a book of verse,
Or in memories of times long past,
Sipping ice cold lemonade
From a tall blue glass.

No more....after today!
They said you've grown too tall,
A threat now to us all;
So you had to fall
By way of the ax and the saw.

It hurt to see you hewed down;
Your branches fed to the chipper,
Your limbs sawn asunder,
Your tall trunk, now in great chunks.

But you'll not be forgotten,
In spring, I'll recall
watching for your new pink buds;
And surely for your summer shade, I'll pine.

While in Autumn, I'll miss
The bright orange costume you'd don;
And the rustle of your leaves
O'er the late October ground.

When winter comes with it's frosty ways
And we gather by the cozy fireside,
Again I'll remember you, with gratitude, dear old tree
As you burn on the hearth, warming me.

                                                              Dottie Richardson 8/2/2012