Life in the Bristolwood

I guess I need  to begin by saying that in passing the barn where I saw the witch last night, well, she is no longer poised there!  Perhaps the people who own the barn were having a Halloween party last night.  It was interesting, but alas, it is now gone!  The witch appeared to be a mannequin sitting in front of a cauldron with an orange light glowing on her face.

Today, I told Mark I would like to finish filling up the woodshed for the winter.  We went up into the woods and I cut for about an hour.  Mark has been instructing Ben in the details of riding an ATV, so Ben has accompanied us in the woods on the small one we bought last year. It is so much fun seeing him ride alongside us.

Of course, my camera was with me when I cut.  I just *had* to photograph the brilliant colors draped high above my head!

The woodshed is 28 feet long, and there are two rows of firewood stacked here.  The rows are stacked at least four feet high.  This firewood will sufficiently heat our house and a portion will be used to heat the garage if Mark wants to work there during the winter.  We have a smaller Jotul woodstove in the garage. It is the first stove we bought, and it was too small to efficiently heat the entire house.

Every year when we complete the task of cutting, splitting, and stacking the firewood, I always point out to the kids how that impressive pile is  ”money in the bank”.

There is still a very small pile of wood sitting outside  the garage that needs to be split.

As I stacked the wood we got today in the garage,  I told Mark he and Ben ought to enjoy the beautiful day by going for a ride together on the ATV’s.  They needed no further encouraging, and they had a grand time!

When everything was cleaned up and put away,  it was mid afternoon! We decided to go for a little ride to Canandaigua, so I placed the Scottie boys in the truck and we were off!

We passed through the tiny community of Cheshire, which I featured a year ago. Cheshire is the one place where kids can throw toilet paper to their hearts’ content for Halloween….last year, I discovered that a large number of adults in attendance with their offspring either lived in this community, or visited in their younger years to participate in the mischief!

I wanted to go to Arby’s to get a combo….I like their Philly Beef Combo.  It includes the little “hoagie” as well as fries and a drink, for only $5.00.  It was while in line I spotted the sundog. I also heard the pond located behind the store squawking and honking up a storm!

Mark opted to go to Panera Bread for a more “sophisticated” meal.  He got a bread bowl of soup and a sandwich.  His soup was very delicious. And, intriguing! After slurping a taste, Ben headed into the store, coming back with a bread bowl of the same “Seasonal Creamy Tomato” soup!

We scurried off to retrieve Michelle in Naples and then arrived home just as darkness was settling in.  Another busy day that just seemed to fly by.  The one”grand” accomplishment of the day was the four loads of laundry I washed, folded, and put away!

Let’s just keep this our secret, but I am so happy to see the shorter days! It means I can retreat to relax a bit earlier, as the sun is down and I soooooo cherish that!

Last month,  I posted a picture I had taken of what looked like part of a rainbow in the sky.  Madeline and Terri explained what I was seeing was a “sundog”.  Madeline’s husband, Cy, told her that the sundogs usually appear in pairs. 

This afternoon, Mark, Ben, and I went to Canandaigua for awhile.  As we were driving around, I saw another sundog in the sky. I was so fascinated, but Mark and Ben were so preoccupied, they scarcely seemed to even hear my comments!  I kept taking photos of the beautiful little streaks of color and thought I would just enjoy it myself!

 Mark finally acknowledged that he saw it,  but it was only when a man walked over to show me the “other one” that Mark began to show some interest! Yes, just as Cy had said, the sundog I spotted  had its twin located across from it!

Oh, and yes, even though the temperature was a tad chilly today,  the skies were spectacular!

There seems to be a great deal of truth to the saying that time goes faster and faster as we grow older!  In any event, the correlation is evident daily in my life, and many nights as I lie down to sleep, as my body falls into a slump and my mind begins to shut down, I get the distinct feeling that I have been robbed of the day!

Perhaps part of my dismay is the fact that both of our kids are now teens.  Their busy schedule certainly adds some sacrifices on my part, for sure! There is also the added stress that Mark isn’t able to help out sometimes because of disability. We are assured ,however, that God doles out the same 24 hours a day to each of us!

This morning, while reading the comments in my previous entry, my friend Jackie,  in Glasgow, Scotland, awarded me one very lovely award!  

Thank you, Jackie! This really made my day!

Last night, the kids had their monthly roller skating event at the Christian center.  I love taking them to this, as they get to see friends from all over.  Mark is still having some residual coughing from the nasty cold “bug”, and he wanted to rest. So, I took the kids. The center is located about 40 miles away from our house,  and the roads to get there all involve driving along some winding country roads. (IE, dark and sometimes scary because of deer!)

As we drove along the (very familiar) road going down into Naples last night, I saw a curious sight as we passed by a barn. There appeared to be a witch sitting in front of it! (Okay, not so weird, as Halloween was a couple of nights ago) Anyway, the kids didn’t see it, and I am hoping to catch this by day, as Michelle is going to help Cindy out shortly this morning. Gads, what if there was *no* witch? 

Upon our return home last night, we were near where I had spotted the witch….I had one eye towards the road, and I was somewhat hoping to see the witch again.  Well, good thing I had slowed down…A car was coming in the opposing lane, so I turned off the high beams on the Explorer.  As soon as that was done, there, standing directly in the center of MY lane was a doe! (as in deer)  Since the car coming towards me was still off in the distance,  I had time to swerve into the left lane, pass the deer, and get back into my lane once again.  I did apply the brakes a bit abruptly, sending my kids’ hearts into their throats, but hey…..what’s more fun than a little adrenaline rush on a dark road at 11:30 at night?

So, last night as my body fell into a slump and my mind began to shut down,  all I could so was thank the Good Lord that we arrived safely home without incident….and for a rather FULL day!