Life in the Bristolwood

It just seems like life keeps getting busier and busier lately! Yikes!

The kids had a Superbowl party tonight with six of their friends coming over.  It was a nice little gathering…Michelle made four different kinds of dips to serve with Nacho Chips.  The biggest hit must have been the Hamburger Dip she made, as that one disappeared quickly!  There were also chicken wings, Buffalo style, and Italian sausage in sauce with peppers and onions that could be made into sandwiches on rolls.  All in all, the party was a success.

I have a hard time sitting still and since I am pretty clueless when it comes to football,  I went upstairs at one point, and fell sound asleep.  Now, I am not a schlep!  Mark and I were out late last night…the kids went to see a few bands play in Canandaigua, and since they were out late, we drove them.  We picked them up at 11, so we didn’t get home til nearly midnight.  I was up this morning before the sun rose, so I didn’t get a lot of sleep.  So, a Superbowl nap was in order!

Here is a photo of a beautiful Orchid Mark got me the other day.  I have never had an Orchid before, so we will see how it grows.  (haha…pun intended!)

This plant is so pretty!  I love the streaks in the blossoms.

Well, we still have no snow on the ground.  This is so bizarre for February.  And the temperature is supposed to be 40 or more tomorrow.  I think we are supposed to get some snow later in the week.  I just wish we could get in a month or two of snowmobiling.   Even the traditional trails in the Adirondacks and Tug Hill are a mess with the fluctuating temperatures and precipitation we have had this year.  We read a couple days ago that the trails are icy and just a general mess.  I wouldn’t mind if it didn’t get frigidly cold, but just snow a couple of feet!  If it would just stay a tad below freezing with snow, we would finally have some snowmobiling weather!!  I really feel sorry for the folks selling snowmobiles and parts and such….what a BAD year!

Well, I had better get to bed.  Even though I snoozed some during the big game, I will be up and at it, bright and early tomorrow!

Over the river and through the woods….yes, we are off for Thanksgiving Day today!  So, if I am not back this evening, I want to wish you a safe and very Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was at Lowe’s the day I saw the wonderful  blue orchid, I bought a Christmas Cactus.  I had two of them for years and years and they both died at the same time a couple of years ago.  I figured I just wouldn’t replace them, but when I saw this particular cactus, I was enamoured!  After all, it has that incredible “gold dust” look on the flowers!

Have a great day, and if celebrating, don’t eat too much!!!

We spent a few hours out running around today.  One of the stops we made was at Lowe’s.  I went into the store to recycle some old batteries and heard birds off chirping inside the store.  Well, of course, I had to follow the noise!

I wandered past the Christmas displays….wow!  There sure is a lot to see there!  Even though I don’t care much for all the commercialism at Christmas,  I really do like looking at all the baubles and whatnots!  I love all the bright and cheerful colors. Between the warm and comforting autumn colors at Thanksgiving and the bright, splashy colors of Christmas, this time of the year has it all.  I bumped into a young teenage girl along the way, looking rather spellbound in the aisle. She confided this is her favorite time of the year and I agreed with her.

Off I trotted to the garden center, where all the bird activity was happening.  My, oh my…..those birds are certainly chatty!  If one happened to have a headache, their noise level would be enough to throw one over the edge. I watched as what seemed like tens and tens of Sparrows zipped down from the top rafters of the building, diving into the Christmas displays and garden supplies.  It was incredible!

Then, “it” caught my eye…..

I have never been attracted to Orchids, really.  But these beauties, called Blue Mystique nearly took my breath away!  I just stood there, staring, for a very long time.  At forty dollars a piece, there is no way one of these would come home to live with me, but they are the most beautiful plant I have ever seen! 

Did you know that BLUE is my very most favorite color? I am so thankful for eyes that are able to see all the beautiful elements in this world!

Michelle has finished up this quarter of the school year.  Rochester Institute of Technology does things its own little way. Instead of the typical semesters, the school does quarters.  Each quarter is made up of a ten week (intense) session.  This will be changing, but only after Michelle has already graduated next year! The following year, they will begin doing semesters.

Michelle is now awaiting her final grades, which will certainly be good ones.  She has studied and worked hard and it has paid off.  So, I wanted to do something a little different and fun today as a bit of a celebration.  I asked and Michelle thought taking a ride to Bath would be fun.  We planned to do a bit of shopping, pick up some Chinese, and visit with Eunice, my Amish friend, on the way home.

We did the shopping and then the Chinese, then headed off to Eunice’s house.  Upon arriving there, they had just gotten home from attending a wedding.  It was so much fun to see little Chris (3) dressed in his white shirt, black pants with suspenders, and a little black coat.  He is such a cutie and Michelle was so impressed by how much he knows!  I bought him a book that has pictures that you place stickers on and as he looked at the pictures, he called out the name of the animals!  Amish kids typically speak Pennsylvania Dutch (a corrupt German) at home and the kids don’t learn English until they begin school at age five. Eunice began getting High Five Magazine  (a publication of the same company that produces  Highlights Magazine)  and Chris is learning so much! Michelle said he also called out the names of letters as he pointed to them. Very impressive for a three year old!

Little Susanna is now about fifteen months old.  She has grown so much and is about the size of a baby her age. She sits on the floor on a blanket and watches everything going on around her. She was wearing a pale blue dress with a pretty white apron and white kappe. She also had on black stockings and little knitted black booties.  She was so adorable to watch….she is happy as a lark and kicks her little feet in excitement.

Eunice was baking up “just seven dozen”  cookies.  She has a woman in Bath that sells them for her.  I was so surprised to see her using a recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies that I had given her!  She baked as we chatted away. She wasn’t using a timer for her cookies…she would just pull them out from the wood cookstove and then rotate the tray and place them back in the oven until they were golden brown.  Eunice moved here two years ago and before that, she had a bakery in Michigan. She said she baked tremendous amounts of cookies, pies, and bread back then!

As always, I so enjoyed our visit.  As always, it ended too soon!  It was beginning to get late and the sky was getting dark. Michelle and I said our good-byes and went outside.  As we left the house, it was pouring down snow.  I quickly opened the door and called for Chris to “come!”  As soon as he saw the snow, he threw his curly little blonf head back and let out a tremendous burst of laughter! Then he went over to a piece of equipment sitting outside the door and “tasted” the snow.  He was so funny.

The family buggy was still sitting outside the barn, so I asked Michelle to snap a photo of it.

Between the dusk setting in and the snow falling, this photo looks out of focus, but  you can see the trails of snow against the black buggy.

I drove home and was glad I did!  As we headed north, the snow got progressively heavier as we traveled. I could keep the high beams on the Explorer on for awhile, but had to dim them most of the way home.  This was scary, as this is the time of the year when deer are a bit giddy and have a tendency to run out onto the road. 

By the time we finally reached Naples, the center lines and white outside lines on the road were totally covered in snow.  There had to have been at least three inches of snow on the roads and there wasn’t a plow anywhere in sight!  I drove so slowly and opposing traffic all came toward me with their flashers on.

We reached our hill and I stopped at the bottom to place the Explorer in High 4 x4.  I am so grateful for the tires on that vehicle…they are wonderful, even on snow-covered steep hills! Here is what we came home to…

The snow has stopped now and the wind is picking up. Thus, the fickle weather continues with Saturday being warmer once again.  We just never seem to know what is next!

I will leave you, Dear Reader, with this.

When my dad gave me the planter filled with Begonias for my birthday back in August, he made a comment that the flowers ought to last at least “one more month”.  How about *three* months!  Although the flowers on the front side of the planter were killed by frost, the ones facing the house are still continuing to bloom!

Tonight, I am thankful for friends! It is always so wonderful to get out and visit with Eunice and Noah.  I miss so many other friends…it seems like my friends are mostly located long distances from my home!

Today, I am so thankful for all the color that surrounds us and the ability to see it….

Today was a busy day, but in every spare second I had, all I wanted was to be outside!  I love the outsdoors anyway, but with the beautiful blue sky and sunshine and trees and, and, and…..well….I just could not be content being indoors any longer!

I hope you don’t mind some more photos…I tell you the truth…there are some trees with s-c-r-e-a-m-i-n-g colors that were calling my name!  I cannot get enough of this.  The temperature today was quite chilly, but the sun made it feel plenty comfortable.

Oh, I forgot to mention….it was pretty cold last night and this morning, so we needed a fire in the garage so Mark could spend some time tinkering there!

So, about those trees?

These trees above are all red oaks.  Some with red-orange leaves, orange leaves, and the tiny oak tree with BIG red leaves! And, there are even red oaks that still have green leaves!

In looking up the driveway toward the house, one can see there are trees with many leaves and trees with no leaves.  The Shagbark Hickories have lost their leaves. The Hickory below has not lost most of its leaves!

Even though we have had some Autumn winds pass through here in the Bristolwood,  many trees are clinging to their leaves! But all in all, they are all breathtaking , particularly against a sky of blue. 

While I was out taking these photos,  I did need to walk along a pathway in the woods.  It was then that I also found some really cool weeds and spent flowers.  I even found some NOT spent flowers!

As I was walking about, I spied a couple of little birds that there palying peekaboo with me and the camera!

I guess the sunshine, fresh air, and blue skies inspired me!  Michelle and I put out our fall decorations today.

The weatherman is calling for some milder temperatures this coming week.  That is good, as Ben and Mark have some plans for outside work!  Oh, and by the way, the mums in the above photo were cut and placed in water about two weeks ago!  The vase has been sitting on the table on the front porch all that time and the flowers still are looking good!  Shortly after this photo was taken, the flowers went back out on the porch!

Wow!  This hardly seems like October.  With temperatures pressing near 80 degrees, it hardly seems like fall!  Well, the thing is, we all know this isn’t going to last, right?

This morning, I awakened to a chorus of tree frogs screeching out their raspy song.  I got up with the Soctties and was pleasntly surprised at the mild temperature as we stepped out the door!  The sun just poured out all day today and it was so incredible with the vivid colors of fall, lighting up the sky against a backdrop of sapphire blue skies.  Oh, so beautiful!

We had dinner a bit on the late side.  I made Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings. It was after 6:30 by the time everyone sat down.  I had set the table on the front porch….hy should we eat inside when it is so mild after all?  I lit a candle and we just enjoyed the entire experience.  Apparently, eating outside makes everyone a bit more hungry than usual.  Although my BIG Crockpot was nearly full when I placed it on a small side table, there were hardly any leftovers!

We topped dinner off with Indoor S’mores! Okay, you twisted my arm….here is the recipe.

Indoor S’mores

8 cups Golden Grahams Cereal

1 12 ounce bag Milk Chocolate Chips

4 Tablespoons butter

1 bag mini-marshmallows

1 teaspoon Vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter,  chips, and mini-marshmallows.  Stir constantly and do not leave pan unattended!  After butter, chips and marshmallows are melted, add vanilla, then add cereal and mix well.  Place in 9 x 13 inch pan and refrigerate until cool.  Cut into bars and enjoy!

Mark says these are SICK!  (as in delicious!)  This is an awesome little treat to have on hand if company is coming and you don’t have lots of time to spend making goodies.  I think most everyone would like these!

Here are a few more photos I took on Friday afternoon. (I was too lazy to get the card from my Nikon camera!

I wish I would have taken a drive to see all the pretty leaves today, but Michelle and I did some cleaning in the camper.  Yes, it seems like we were just getting the camper ready for spring, and now it is time to store it away once again until next year’s adventures!

Today Mark asked if I would take Michelle up to college.  I love taking the trip, but I had to hurry! We got there and I dropped Michelle off….I was left with six hours to do whatever I wanted.  I pulled into a parking lot and sat looking at a Rochester area map.

After looking a little, I spotted Mendon Ponds Park.  That is a great place to visit in the winter, as the birds will light upon your open hands to take seeds.  Well, it isn’t winter, but I was hoping to see something!

I drove over to the park which really isn’t very far from the college. I took a few photos of flowers and there were some awesome Monarch Butterflies.  Unfortunately,  I only brought along the little Canon camera today and left the Nikon home. Every time I tried to capture a photo of the gorgeous butterflies, they would flutter off. 

I did see a doe and three fawns.  The fawns were fairly large and one of them bolted off.  Because they were so far off, it was impossible to get a good shot with the little camera. I was feeling rather forlorn when a young woman came up to me carrying a wee owl perched on a leather glove.

I found out the owl is a Saw Whet Owl and it had been injured when a car hit it.  The girl told me about a marvelous display of owls, kestrels, a golden eagle, a bald eagle, hawks, and even a bobcat in the park.  I followed her over to a little cottage where you gain entry to the “wild wings” area.  It was incredible seeing these beautiful creatures.  They had all been injured and the park took them in and offered them a life protected from the wild.  I was a bit dismayed to hear the bobcat’s tale, tho….a woman had gotten the cat as a kitten, and had it declawed.  Because the cat has no means of fending for itself in the wilds,  it also came to live at the park. 

Here are some photos from today.

I could have spent more time at the park, but a busload of rowdy teens from a local school arrived and things got a bit loud! Okay, so I did have other things to do, too!  Someday, I would love to visit the entire park….it is fairly large and I have seen only a tiny slice of it!

As I was getting ready to leave,  I noticed horses off in the distance.  I walked over to see and was able to observe several mounted police officers working with their horses.  It was so nice as the horses were varied in color and size.  One of the horses that was new to the team was a huge Belgian.  Such beauty watching horses move along so smoothly!

Oh my….this was so much fun.  I love seeing nature and this park offers a nice little selection. What a great way to bide time.  Now, I cannot wait for winter when the birds come out once again!

We haven’t been doing to many things lately. Now that Michelle has begun classes at RIT,  she is spending a good deal of time on her studies.  We purposely decided to take things slow for a bit, so she could  get an idea how her workload might pan out.  She is so organized, writing a schedule and sticking to it.  She really is a good and disciplined student.

Yesterday,  I spent some time outside, photographing bees.  It was such a warm and balmy day and the bees were putting in overtime!  They were working so very hard!

Those bees are pretty smart.  With the temperature so warm yesterday, it was hard to comprehend how the temperature would nosedive rather abruptly and plummet to the point that “light frost” is predicted in some areas tonight!  I don’t mind…I am so ready for cooler weather!

As I was snapping away, I realized my favorite fall flowers are out right now!  I love the purples and golds.  So regal and elegant!

Today, Mark took Michelle to school and Ben traveled along as well.  They had some errands to run today and I just wanted to stay home and chill.  I was so glad I did.  I ddin’t accomplish a great deal, but it was nice to hear the sounds of silence!

Looking at Murphy, I got inspired to give the laddie a grooming.  He was less than thrilled, but having a quiet house with no noise and no distractions really made the job go more smoothly and quickly.  Although he tried to run off once or twice, Murphy really did a great job sitting still for me.  I had groomed Angus yesterday and although it would probably be easier to clean up once from this job, I have a hard time doing both boys in one day!

Yes, poor little Murphy…lying there trying to avoid eye contact with me.

As hard as I tried to coax the little fellow to sit up proper for a photo, he just stewed and turned his cute little face away! Ah well.  As I said, he was so good about the clippers and all.  I had done his nails last night and he dislikes that more than a clipping!

I will leave you with another photo of my beautiful Begonias that my father gave me for my birthday.  I just cannot get enough of them!

This barn is one I have wanted to photograph for so long, but could never seem to get a good angle on it.  Today, I stopped along the road and was totally in awe of the blazing yellow goldenrod.  How could I not get a quick capture?

I had a busy day today, although some in the family would say I wasted my time.  Ah well. Such is life.

I would love to have captured a pretty Monarch I saw dancing through the field of gold, but I know the nature of those little “flutterbies”!  As soon as the camera is produced, they scoot! So, we shall settle for the poor broken barn!