We awakened to (even) more rain. Even though the day was fairly dismal weatherwise, we managed to accomplish a few things we intended to do. I also was able to hurry outside and take a few photos in between douses of rain.
The word “autumn” seems to conjure up warm sentiments and memories in my mind. I think of things like hot cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven, a steamy cup of tea, warm colors like gold, orange, cranberry, brown…all the colors typically associated with Thanksgiving. And what a warm and cozy holiday Thanksgiving is!
Our weather has been absolutely glorious the past few days. It has been so warm, one can comfortably go outside in a sweater or lightweight jacket. That in itself is rather amazing for nearly mid-November. Our nights have been cold enough to leave a telltale frost in the morning, but when the sun arises in the sky spilling down its warm honey like rays, the days warm up considerably! We have been forewarned, however, by the local meteorologists that this will soon be only a memory and more “seasonable” weather will ensue. That’s okay, because we have thoroughly enjoyed this brief but magnificent reprieve!
Last night I got a brief call from Eunice. Gosh, isn’t it cool to be able to say my Amish friend calls me? Anyway, Eunice wanted to let me know that Susanna was being released from the hospital and they were soon going to be on their way home. She said the driver was there and they weren’t quite ready, so I thanked her for calling and thanked the Lord that the little one is doing okay! Eunice was not too thrilled that Susanna was being sent home with oxygen in case she needs a bit and that she is to have someone watching her 24 hours a day. Just in case. Eunice said she will have some young girls come and take shifts watching over Susanna. Hopefully, Eunice will be able to get some rest! Prayers would be greatly coveted and appreciated, I am sure!
Yesterday afternoon, while Mark shifted trailers around, I went out with the Nikon and took a few photos. All botanical. This was fun!
Yeah, I guess the one big drawback to the season is that all the vibrant colors of summer have gone, but as one studies these stark reminders of summer past, it doesn’t take too much imagination to see the beauty inside. Alas, the remaining stalks contain the seeds for summer yet to come!
To celebrate the lovely weather today, I emptied the hot tub and refilled it with fresh water. As the tub was filling, I climbed up on the rail of the swimming pool and used a five gallon bucket to scoop up rainwater and leaves off the winter cover. There were tons of leaves sitting on the cover and if they aren’t removed, they begin to compost on the cover. Not a good thing!
Almost on cue, November came in with a bit of a chill. That’s okay, though, as it is getting to be that time of the year. It seems like I am always so ready for the cold weather while the vast majority is bemoaning the passage of summer and its warmth. Ah well…
Michelle went to church in Middlesex yesterday. Her friend Jacob’s dad is the pastor of the Baptist Church there. We passed by some interesting sights and I had to stop a couple times, but Michelle understands my passion and is very understanding.
Everyone under the sun has heard the expression that we must stop and smell the roses. May I venture to say that perhaps we should take it one step further and stop to observe the milkweed?
I never really paid much attention at all to milkweed in the past, but a couple of years ago, a friend advised me that the beautiful Monarch Butterfly only lays its eggs in milkweed plants. Since I really love those gorgeous little winged creatures of black and orange, I gained a great deal of respect for that otherwise less than comely weed!
I dropped Michelle off at college this morning and then decided that since it was an extraordinary morning, I would go for a little ride in the country. I was thoroughly prepared for such an outing, complete with my companion, the Nikon camera. Although there was a stiff breeze, the air was mild enough not to cause undue chilling and the skies above were glorious.
As always, I opted to travel on roads I’ve not taken previously. As I drove along the country roads, I noticed many little milkweed plants nodding in the sunny breezes. The autumn sun illuminated the silky heads bursting from their protective pods and the tiny strands glistened and danced about, grasping my attention and then absolutely fascinating my imagination as I spent time observing and photographing them….
This was the original plant that so captivated my wandering eye. I parked the Explorer off to the side of the road, then hopped out to hopefully get a good shot at it. Unfortunately, as I walked toward the plant, I became aware that as I advanced toward the little weed, I was trudging downward and (fortunately for me!) I stopped abruptly just short of trouncing into a drainage ditch.
Was I discouraged? No. Was I frustrated? No. I figured that further down the road, there would be yet another plant in a more convenient location, rending itself a bit more friendly to the camera and me. I was happy I was feeling so optimistic as I didn’t have to go too far before I found a few more plants clustered together at the edge of the road.
These photos would best be viewed if one were to click on them to enlarge them.
I took many more photos on my little morning jaunt and I will publish them over another day or two. In the meantime, I would like to encourage you, Dear Reader, to go beyond the roses…or even the beautiful mums that are providing splashes of color all about this time of the year, and look into the more everyday and even less than beautiful to see God’s hand!
Here’s the deal. As we were looking at parks and DEC lands the other day, I saw something that caught my eye. Not too far from our home is a park called Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Can you guess how it got its name?
If you answered that there might be rattlesnakes there, then take a bow! The park is located in a fairly isolated area with not a whole lot going on around it.
We were excited to find another place where Mark can ride the ATV through trails and there are also several horse trails there. Mark, Ben, and I decided to do another little explore while Michelle was working. Off we went…Here are a few photos from our adventure….
So, my Dear Reader, would you be inclined to visit a park with such an ominous name? It really is a beautiful, unspoiled area that harbors many pretty trails. I’m glad we looked at this area, but it probably would be better to visit when the weather is much drier! We will be going back to this park again!
And no, no signs of rattlers anywhere! (Thank you, Lord!)
Today is Sunday and I am taking a day off! I am so tired…we have been running around so much and trying to get things in order before cold weather sets in. Thankfully, we need precious little firewood. We still have about eight cords left over from last year. I’m not exactly sure how that happened, as we did use the furnace until around Christmas, but we wouldn’t have used very much wood from October until Christmas….
I haven’t been taking very many photos lately as we have been running about in the truck and there just hasn’t been a whole lot of interesting things to see! Mark, Ben, and I have been looking a little at snowmobiles since we grow weary of just sitting inside the house in the winter! And, after seeing Lewis County’s beautiful snowmobile trails, we feel we might have gotten the “bug”! Since winter is one of my favorite seasons, I would love to get out and enjoy it more! We also discovered that our own area has a wonderful trail system, provided enough snow falls!
Well, enough about winter. As much as I love it and look forward to it, I’ll not wish time away! It is a far too limited quantity as it is!
Here are some photos I took right around the house. I really like the look of Queen Anne’s Lace before it matures and opens.
And Goldenrod up close is really quite pretty!
I think one of the most awesome late summer bouquets would have to be Goldenrod and Bachelor’s Buttons combined. The rich gold and purple colors are so royal looking!
I found a bumblebee working his way through the Bachelor’s Buttons. Just look at the amount of pollen this little bee is toting around on its body!
Mark, Ben, and I went for a little ride in the woods on our ATV’s. I really like the way these toadstools grew at the base of a tree. Couldn’t have arranged them any better.
Yesterday afternoon, we took off with the kids and headed to Darien Lake. We stopped at Tom Wahl’s along the way, as we had buy one cheeseburger, get a second free, coupons. Since Tom Wahl’s burgers are reknowned far and wide throughout Rochester, we do pick these up once in a while. We stopped at the store and found out they are also having an anniversary sale on their rootbeer floats. They are on sale for 99 cents. Oh my! The “ice cream” in the float is actually frozen custard….all I can say is that is very good Tom Wahl’s isn’t located too close to our house!
I took a few photos of the kids…
The kids both love the rollercoasters. I think I just like watching!
I took this photo simply because the Marigolds were just so very pretty!
By the time we got home, we were all so tired, we went right to bed. It was a beautiful day, though, with the temperatures in a very comfortable range. It sure was nice to spend the day outside without getting overheated!
Before I upload all my photos from the SD card into the computer, I thought I would have a little looksee. Wow. In looking back at everywhere we went, I miss these places. Even though we are “rural”, we have neighbors nearby. In Lewis County, it seems one can travel a great deal before running into civilization. There is so much pristine beauty and people seem sometimes few and far between. Considering the harsh nature of winters there, I guess this area just isn’t that much of an attraction.
Having noted the winter conditions at Lewis County, we were advised that winter weekends can be horrific, as people travel from far and wide to the Tug Hill Plateau with their snowmobiles in tow. We were told if we ever think about snowmobiling there, it is best done during the week after all the “city hillbillies” have returned home.
The photos I took might not all be at Lewis County, as we did some traveling elsewhere during our visit. These are some of my favorites and believe me, they probably will make no sense at all!
An odd assortment of photos, I know, but some that I rather liked. Funny thing is, while looking over my photos, I found a series of a day trip we took I had forgotten about! More on that tomorrow!
We seem ro have such a bumper crop of wild sunflowers this year, even those members of the family who fail to notice the native flora are making comments about how pretty those “yellow flowers are”!
Taken with the cell. (with a bonus of a couple of bugs added!)
Our weather has been so incredible lately with frequent fast-moving thunderstorms producing copious amounts of rainfall! We’ll take it, of course, but what storms we’ve been having!
Late yesterday afternoon, (around 3pm) we decided to take a ride to Darien Lake so the kids could try out the new waterpark that opened last weekend. We arrived at the park at 5 o’clock. The kids went in to the park and Mark and I sat in the truck with the Scottie boys. The waterpark closes at 7 pm, so we met the kids and they changed their clothes, then went into the amusement park.
Mark and I had initially planned to walk and roll around the park, but I was so tired that I just enjoyed sitting still! At about 9:30, the kids came to the truck and Mark went with them to the area where the laser light show is held each night. I chose to stay in the truck as I just don’t want any more bouts with mosquitoes! I have had my fill!
The show began and even though the parking lot is located on the opposite side of the park, I could hear strains of music from the show. As the first fireworks went off, I nearly jumped out of my skin, not realizing what it was. After that, I was fine, but Angus was *not*! The poor little fellow didn’t understand and he grew rather frightened. I should have thought to turn the radio on to drown the noise, but poor little Angus did his best to tunnel below the seats, trying to hide from the loud explosions. Murphy, on the other hand, was snuggled up against me, sound asleep and oblivious to the whole event.
The colorful lights on the right side of these photos are on a large tower where crazed people actually pay money to be dropped down on huge bungee cords to bounce up and down…I was disappointed by my photos of the fireworks, but I was using the small p&s Panasonic. With a near-hysterical terrier in the seat with me, I found myself a bit debilitated!
When the show ended, Mark and the kids reappeared and we were off toward home. As we drove home, there was no threat of rain, but when we returned home at about 1 am, the heavens let loose! The rain came down so heavily! I finally fell asleep to the sound of rain pelting the roof of the house.
This morning, the skies were overcast and dreary, but there was no rain. Finally, at about 10 am, Mark and I headed up to the park so I could walk. As we drove up the road, the rain began to fall. It varied in amounts and velocity as we drove, but when we reached the park, there was only a mist. We were surprised, however, by a parking lot full of vehicles. Mark finally found a spot to park and encouraged me to go ahead….he was staying in the truck as it would be difficult for him to roll through puddles and the rims of the wheelchair become slippery when wet.
I hopped out of the truck and began to walk. As I worked my way around the track, I saw a small sign for a soccer tournament. The field was divided into two separate playing areas and there were many, many players out on the field. I continued my walk, feeling sorry for the participants, as there were very few spectators. As I completed about 3/4 of the first lap, the mist suddenly became rain…and quite heavy at that! Not only was the rain making its entrance, but I was confronted with winds that nearly blew the headset I was using on my I-pod off my head!
I rushed back to the truck, where I sat and waited until the rain slowed back up to a heavy mist once again. I was determined, figuring if those soccer players were that dedicated, so I could be in getting in two miles! (which I did!)
Later this afternoon, I drove down to Naples to pick up a few groceries for dinner. As I drove through Woodville, I just had to stop to see what is new at the lake. Oh my! The goose families I had previously seen were no where to be seen. Their babies have grown so much, large “teens” with the soft yellow fluff now replaced with gray coloring. I did see a new goose family and a couple of Mallard hens with their ducklings in tow.
I just love the wild irises growing along the lake. They are so lush and thick this year.
I have no idea how old these tiny ducklings are, but they are about 1/3 the size of the goslings! They were so little, they looked like little polka-dots in the water! What was funny, though, was as I observed them, I saw them scoot about in the water as though they were jet-propelled! They would take a peck at one another, then shoot rapidly across the water! They were just so adorable.
There were two hens with their broods following closely behind. Another interesting observation was that while the geese did lead their brood into the water, they stayed close to the shore, as though waiting for any danger or threat to leave. The ducks immediately hopped into the water and swam away from the shore. It is also noteworthy that the goose males assist with the rearing of their offspring while the Mallard drakes are nowhere to be found.
Now, since I had the telephoto lens mounted on the Nikon, I decided to take a shot ( yes, haha!) at capturing a Mallard hen who was sleeping or maybe resting atop a log floating on the surface of the water.
I was pleased with that last photo as the duck was out quite far and the photo has a still life feel to it! If you enlarge these photos, you can see “the mist” was still continuing at this point! The good..or bad…news is, just before the sun submerged over the hills, bright blue skies once again showed up! Yes, the weatherman has said the chilly damp weather of today is now behind us!
I know that a good many of my friends actually can tolerate and (gasp!) enjoy high amounts of humidity. I hear them say that they feel more vibrant and alive when the weather heats up and gets juicy. Well, somehow the Good Lord cut me from another cloth. Michelle and I began our day by walking three miles, and at the end, I was as red as a tomato and feeling limp as a dishcloth….that had been wrung out, mind you!
I seriously *tried* my best to endure, but as the day progressed, so did my irritability. I’m sorry to say, but I complained and snapped at my family. I took it easy, trying to just relax and at least live with the weather that felt as though it was consuming my very being. I even took some photos!
Along about mid-afternoon, I thought perhaps a ride on the ATV might make me feel a bit better. I told Mark and he said he would go with me for a ride. Our neighbors have given us permission to ride on their property, so with access to about 75 acres, that gives us some good riding. But alas, even the ATV was less than refreshing. Mark said we needed to wear hats as the Gypsy Moths are all over the woods. Well, as soon as the hat went on my head, I am sure my core temperature rose a few degrees. Since I don’t sweat, I grew even redder! Ah well, the short ride up the cobbles in our front yard was fun!
When I got ff the Honda, I decided I needed some refreshment. Since my choice now is lemonade, I grabbed a lemon. The kids have a friend who refers to my lemonade as “lemon water”, but even though lemons grow on trees, they are not cheap! The good news is that as the year goes on, the lemons keep getting bigger and bigger!
Ah, the result was refreshing!
Wish you were here to enjoy it with me! Of course, you are always welcome to come for a visit! I will even promise not to be grouchy, no matter what the weather!
We opened the pool, and par for the course, we discovered not only a leak in one of the hoses (YAY! we had a spare!) but also in the pump. The pump will require dissembling it and replacing some parts. Mark and Michelleto the rescue! Every year, there is always some minor “tinkering”!
The weather changed, drastically, last night, and now it is once again “my” weather. For the time being, anyway! Much cooler and with scattered rain.