Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all!

I love these photos, and although I didn’t take them, I did turn them black and white just for effect. 

The pictures are courtesy of a paddle boarding group known as The Paddlebroads. Each year they host a get together called Witches on the Water-so clever! The timing didn’t work out for this year, but it is definitely on my bucket list to go see next year…what a site!

Along with the Halloween theme, our friendly neighborhood spiders have been busy spinning their fall webs. This first one is on the clothesline, and if you look closely at the second one, each droplet is full of color. They’re really quite pretty, as long as you remember “heads up” while walking!

Last week, my daughter and I spent a day at The Quarter Horse Congress, the largest single breed horse competition in the world. The horses and competitors were amazing and a stroll around the marketplace was eye-opening,

Can I interest anyone in an $18,000 (used) saddle?

Maybe I need a new style,

or something with a little more sparkle!

The weather has changed quickly here to cold, wet, and rainy. In fact, we’ve had our first fire in the fireplace-oh no, not for atmosphere, but because the furnace has decided it just doesn’t feel like working-sigh. Technicians were out three times this week…today we’re trying a different company Grrr.

There’s still a few pops of color to be found -Dahlia’s, Ruby Slipper hydrangea leaves, and a rogue tomato plant that somehow found its way into the chicken run.

And so the month has flown- enjoy your Halloween - always such fun if you’re lucky enough to have little cowboys, super-heroes, and princesses at your door. And while there won’t be any trick-or-treaters here, everyone goes into town in search of the full-size candy bars, there will be pumpkin carving ( I really do like it!) snacks, and a not scary movie. 

Whatever your plans are, I hope you enjoy the weekend! 

nearly wordless Wednesday…

 

 

“putting by” and a day trip…

‘tis the season for turning these:

into these:

(How can 60 pounds of tomatoes only yield 7 quarts?!)

A friend surprised me with the tomatoes, and because I’d already put my garden to bed for the year, I didn’t really have anything to share in return - but I still had herbs and pumpkins, so I packed those up for her and tucked in some flowers - it’s so wonderful to have a friend who shares generously. (We need to bring back bartering!)

In my efforts to enjoy every day of this perfect month, my daughter and I had a little get away to visit a lovely old house. Built in 1926, Kingwood Hall was the home of Charles King, an industrialist whose home sits on 47 acres - green house, carriage house, gardens - sigh. How about a little tour?

LOVED the kitchen cabinets - the opposite wall was exactly the same. (You know, necessary space for storing dishes, cutlery, glassware for all of the swanky parties!)

The kitchen,

The flower arranging room (am I the only person who doesn’t have one of these?)

The linen room - look at that storage! 

A bathroom for the lady of the house,

And the stairway.

It was a terrific day trip and a chance to see how the other half lives! We shared a delicious lunch and then picked out a Christmas ornament to remember the day.

Once home, I pulled out my pen and adjusted my to-do list… 

Did I just notice the dishwasher leaking?

Why isn’t the furnace coming on?

Can the neighbor recommend a good electrician,

and concrete company? 

Oh - and does anyone still repair plaster?

Back to reality!  

October MJF post is up!

 

The MaryJane’s Farm post for October just went up in case you wanna swing by…hope you’re enjoying these glorious October days!

Rural Farmgirl

this says it all..

my neck of the woods…

I’m glad to report we seem to be over Covid and all of its unpleasant little side effects - I can actually make it through the day without feeling like I need to take just one more nap (not that there’s anything wrong with naps - trust me, it’s a delightful way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon!)

We finally received some much-needed rain, everything has been so dry for weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the combines turn over this much dust in the fields. 

My daughter and I spied some terrific things at a couple of local antique stores, and slowly, but surely, the fall decorating has begun!

Would you believe me if I told you the pumpkin on top of the cupboard that says Happy Fall, it’s from last fall?  I’ve found that the variety called Hot Chocolate will last at least two seasons – I don’t do anything special, I just take them to the basement, place them on wire baking racks, and leave them alone. Now, after a couple of seasons, they do dry up, but also, they become the best spooky-looking Halloween pumpkins! 

If you’ve had a chance to read Robin’s blog over at The Cranky Crow, (do, it’s terrific!) you already know she shared her family history as it goes back to The Salem Witch Trials - a fascinating read that really intrigued me. I started doing some digging through my own family tree and was surprised to find that I also had ancestors that perished at that time…Elizabeth Howe and George Jacobs, Sr. in Salem, and George Jacobs, Jr. in an unknown location. History has always captivated me, and I’ll be doing a lot more reading about them over the winter.

Well, it’s time to get keep moving with the day - veggies and pumpkins to pick,

walks to take with Bailey, 

while laughing at our tall shadows! 

Hope all is well - happy Monday, friends! 

bouncing back..

 

Slowly we’re getting over COVID - this time the fatigue has been incredibly hard to shake. And to be honest, we’re still moving a bit slow. 

However; there is much to do, so as Winston Churchill said:

So true!

Soon I’ll fill you in on what I’ve been up to (which truly, only involves going from the garden to the kitchen, and then trying to clean up the mess that results when going from the garden to the kitchen!)

Hope all is well where you are and that you’re enjoying the welcome change of seasons. The September MaryJane’s Farm Post is now up if you’d like to swing by and read it - below is the link.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rural Farmgirl Blog

Really?

So much to do…

apples to pick, 

sauce to can,

sunsets to enjoy,

and, quite frankly - USPS to wrangle for delivering a package that looks like THIS - Grrrrrr!

So what’s stopping me from getting my work done?  COVID has hit yet again. My daughter and I are doing our best to fight it, but this time it’s rough. What’s the daily routine? Juice, toast, herbal tea, movies, reading, and nap time with Bailey!

LOVE 

THIS 

FACE!!!

Just what the doctor ordered :)