Rain

 The rain is turning the grass green and the grass is growing.  I am not getting the lawn mower out again.  

The few leaves that were in our yard and on the patio blew away in the gale force winds on Tuesday. 

I have an old mower propped up against this tree...you know the old push mower with the cutting blades that went around as you pushed.  I believe it is called a reel mower. It took some arm power to push it in tall grass...I recall getting a run at it.  At one time years ago...like 50 years ago you could buy a weed killer bar to attach to the back of the mower and all your dandys were killed...possibly it was 2, 4 - D who really knows for sure. 

Now a days I leave the dandys in the side yard for the early bees, dandys do stop blooming if you mow over them often enough.  But then again I have no neighbors that complain about them. 

The rains in the Fall are good for the trees it will help get them through the winter. Our high temperature yesterday was 40 F or 5 C...it was a tad chilly but not cold enough to snow. 

Far Side

Last of the flowers

 There are a few Asters blooming here and there and a couple of Coneflowers. 

It rained most of the day yesterday.   The wind blew and leaves rained down along with the rain.  We watched Deer in the yard and a bunch of Common Flickers that must have used our lawn for a rest stop on their migration South.  It looked like they were snacking on ants!!

I did some housework and began painting the Christmas ornaments.

Good bye September.

Far Side

Rain

 We finally have a few days of badly needed rain.   We have not had a frost yet, possibly this weekend. 

Before the rain we managed to get Wet and Forget on the deck on the North side of the house,  the patio out front, the picnic bench, a wooden seat and the Ferris Wheel Seat. We find that wet and forget works great on moss and lichens that cover everything here in the northwoods.   It has been two years since the last application. 

I killed some thistle and some weeds.  Always a fun job for me.   I have a few more weeds to kill before it snows.   

I mulched again...not that it did much good with the wind and the rain...but 7 1/2 times out of 10 is done.  I raked some leaves away from the buildings and mulched them up.  Still more to do but until it dries up nothing more can be done. 

Thursday grocery day...no lime Outshine bars or mixed frozen vegetables.

We got our High Dose Flu shots yesterday.  Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I can skip the rotten side effects. 

Far Side

Rain

 We had rain and no snow...but it has turned cold.  

I was busy yesterday catching up with some cleaning and laundry.  Over the weekend I stamped twenty more Christmas Cards...so I worked on them for a while in between times.. Then I got an earache so I had a nap with a hot pack on my ear.  (It was real windy on Sunday and just like a little kid I get earaches )

Over the weekend I tried a new recipe...yuck...I gave it a 3 out of 10 but Far Guy loved it.  It was ground beef and cream cheese stuffed pasta shells with green enchilada sauce and cheese.  It also made a sink full of dishes. So I won't make that again.  I kept the recipe in case Far Guy wants to make it for himself...as it was two servings went into the freezer.  I could re do the recipe someday IF I was real bored. 

Far Guy asked me what gourmet meal I was planning next.  I told him to go for it! 

Far Side

 

Leaves and other crap

 It rained yesterday...the leaves in the yard were pretty damp to mulch...oh well they will either stay there for me or blow into the woods. 

As you can see the trees are getting more bare. 

We recycled and went to the post office.   I played 52 pick up and put away in its proper place.  Far Guy worked on his new old car. 

Our absentee ballots came in the mail they have been filled out and are ready to mail in.  God Bless America and the right to vote! 

I am real tired of the election /politics/stab everyone in the back crap.  I have had it with facebook and all the people that post politics crap that may or may not be true.  Facebook is not a real happy place...too many people with an agenda...I posted a photo of leaves...perhaps I should have added "leaf me alone."  Some people must sit around all day and post stuff...don't they have some thing better to do with their time?  Oh I forget..they are probably the people that have a phone attached to their hand 24/7.  Some people were unfriended....I just couldn't take it anymore.

We have a busy week with many, many appointments. 

Far Side

Too Cute!

 Jen has kept me up to date of the goings on at Retreat. I got to say Hi to all the girls via facetime!  Everyone there is busy creating and giggling! 

Here is one of the Gnomes that Jen made wearing my crochet hat...she gave a Gnome to each gal that attended. 

Yesterday a photo of Cee Cee appeared on Facebook so I stole it to share with you. She is our Great Granddaughter.

Maddie calls her Little Miss...she is 6 months and 17 days old. What a doll!  She is wearing an outfit that we sent shortly after she was born. 

We had a quiet day at home, Odda visited for the afternoon so I sat outside with her until it rained.  Leaves are falling out of the trees like crazy.

Far Side

The Wind Howled

I think young man winter came by, he brought the wind and icy cold rain that came down in driven droplets.  Sometimes the rain was thick...like snow that quickly melted in the air.

What a miserable few days. I am real tired of dreary rainy days.  Area farmers do not have the beans  in yet...and I hear the corn is no good at all...it is moldy.  The potato harvest is mostly over.

Most of the trees are bare now...the lights flickered but we retained power.  Someone said wind gusts were 60 miles per hour.  I believe it.

The aftermath is viewed out my kitchen window.

My beautiful bare lawn has leaves again...now I wait for them to dry out and for the sun to shine.

The Juncos stopped by again...they go where the snow is.

I worked on my crochet project, I began packaging Christmas ornaments into various boxes and had a nap.

Far Side

Fall Color and Bingo

We don't have much for Fall Color.  All the rain seems to have made the colors dull.

My Dad and I went to Bingo and I bingoed twice so it was a good night.  Dad's knee was wonky but we put on his knee brace and he did just fine.  My Dad likes Bingo night to be very orderly, he likes to leave at the same time every week, arrive at Bingo at the same time, park in the same place and sit at the same table.  Finding and putting on his knee brace put us a little behind time...but he adjusted quite well until he saw the long line waiting to buy bingo cards...luckily I had two friends standing together in line that let me get in line with them.  Thank goodness for Bingo friends!

Far Guy got his Flu Shot yesterday.  I am going to wait a couple of weeks before I get mine.  I usually get sick from it and right now I don't need to be sick.

Far Side

More rain

As soon as the grass dried out a bit, I went out to mow...when I got on the mower it started to rain again.  What to do ...what to do.. I had a nap.

Cleaned the bathroom, went to the Landfill and did laundry before my non mowing adventure.  So a fair amount was accomplished.  Far Guy cooked...Impossible Italian Sausage Pie....we ate some and some went in the freezer.

My 50th Class reunion was held this weekend....Thursday night in a Bar...I went to Bingo instead.  Friday night they had a gathering and a meal at a place with very little parking (The Class Organizers are idiots.)  I didn't go there either.   I sent in  money for a booklet. and requested that they take one into the Historical Museum.  Last spring I gathered together all the obituaries I was aware of and mailed them to one of the organizers. ( Not even one thank you was uttered)  I hope they all had a grand time.  My Class was weird...mostly stuck on themselves a$$wholes.  I did not have many friends in my class and the one gal who I would like to see lives in Texas and didn't come either.  I dated only one fellow from our class and I can see him whenever I want as he works nearby....for the record Far Guy likes him too as he has an awesome sense of humor.

Far Side

Review

We had a fairly busy week.  Four appointments were accomplished.  This week we took some extra time to visit with friends and relatives. 

We hosted dinner for friends.  We served  salmon, oven baked vegetables and Kuchen...raspberry and blueberry. They gifted us with a batch of yellow carrots that are so good.  I baked them and then froze them for later enjoyment.

We made Tator Tot Hotdish one night and froze the remainder.   It is that time of year when it is nice to have the oven on for part of the afternoon. (Tator Tots, browned hamburger, frozen vegetables, Cream of chicken soup topped with cheese and bake for an hour plus) Ya, y'all might call it a casserole...but it is really a Hotdish!

I took my Dad to bingo and he bingoed...that always makes his night! 

Friday afternoon we visited with Far Guy's Cousins...always fun to see them!

Lawn work and patio cleanup have been delayed due to rain.  The fellow that is supposed to come and stain the outside of our home has been delayed  because of rain.  He was here and power washed the whole house one day.  Now it just needs to dry out.

Everything needs to dry out.  Lawn mowing will likely commence today and tomorrow.  The grass really grew in the rain.

I call these "cute as a button shrooms"  They are about as big as an acorn...of which we have way too many....soon I will rake the acorns in piles and hope the deer come by and eat them.
Far Side

Fungus among us

With all the rain we have mushrooms in our yard.

This is an impressive line up.

Far Guy said "Don't pick them, if you want mushrooms buy them at the store!"  I don't like to eat mushrooms...but I do like to take photographs of them!   These are most likely mushrooms that will make you sick ...someone once told me...consider them all poisonous.

Rain Rain go AWAY.
Far Side

Cold Rain

I visited my parents while Far Guy was at Pulmonary Therapy.

We ran a few errands in the rain. We went to woodcarving for awhile and caught up with friends there.  Finished errands and unloaded groceries in the rain, we were both chilled so we turned the furnace on and had a nap.

After supper I repacked the suitcase with Fall/Winter clothing.  The high today was 57 F or 14 C eh! It rained for a long time...all afternoon and into the evening.

At least it wasn't snow or it would have been a blizzard...that is my positive thought for today.

Coneflowers in the Wild Gardens

Far Side

Fall stuff

I rescued the rain guages so they wouldn’t freeze and burst… but it hasn’t stopped raining since.  I have no idea how much it has rained…but it is a lot.

Today it may rain only a little.  I have a list, I have checked it twice.  The last things to do before winter arrives…

We still have two windows to wash the rest have been done.  Since they are upstairs windows that we hardly ever look out they are not high on the window washing list.

We defrosted the deep freeze.  That was an adventure…found some sweet corn we didn’t know we had.  We made a list of what is in there…no vegetable soup was found so later this week I will be making soup.  Our list is actually a map of the freezer…upper and lower left and right…as long as we keep the list current we should know what is in there at all times….maybe.

I am still working on Christmas Cards however I hope to finish them up this week.  My next project is to paint some of the flowers that Far Guy has woodcarved over the summer….after that I have some woodcarved bark houses to paint.

Far Guy is feeling a tad better, he had a Dr visit…he is still short of breath and has a cough…we are doing all the right things for now possibly another antibiotic can be started in a few days. We are in a wait and see mode.

We are ready for Trick or Treaters…the little bags of candy are ready to hand out!  I wonder how many ghosts and goblins we will have this year?

Rain

It is dreary and rainy.  Has been for the past few days. 

Far Guy is still struggling with a bad cough and shortness of breath.  He is not any better but not any worse.  Hopefully I am taking good enough care of him that we can avoid the hospital.

I have been keeping busy with many projects.  One day I spent just doing odds and ends that had piled up…delivered a birthday gift, returned jars, returned egg cartons, mailed a package and washed the lawn mower in preparation for winter.

Finally said “enough is enough” and splurged on a new printer ($34).  Far Guy has been sending me emails saying “print this please” because our older printer kept forgetting his computer…it was a pain in the butt and he wasted time trying to fix it everytime he wanted to print something.

I repaired some solar lights…didyaknow you can replace the batteries in some solar lights…BUT you need rechargable SOLAR batteries.

I am still working on Christmas Cards.

 

Even the tree rats are wet.

Took my Dad to Bingo, good thing I took him along as he bingoed twice! 

Card Progress

I finished off some glittery fall cards…they are rubber stampings on watercolor paper, watercolored and glittered!

Then I made some sympathy cards.  

The photos before they were attached to cards.

Getting all this “card” stuff off my desk made room for me to work on Christmas cards…well it will be ongoing for quite some time as I picked a time consuming card design.

Most of our snow melted but it is still cold.  The leaves are blowing around in the yard drying out…one day soon I will mulch them. IF it doesn’t rain or snow again!    Almost all of the leaves are out of the trees.  Fall color is pretty much over for this year.

Rainy and Cold

I heard the s word in our forecast.  Needless to say I am not thrilled. Wednesday and Thursday could be a bunch of fun.  In the next ten days the sun may shine two days…we have November weather in October.

We brought in everything that could freeze…and the hose is no longer connected to the spigot.  I need to check on our winter survival items in the vehicle…I may need more hand warmers and candy bars.

I have resorted to making a daily list of things to do.

I cannot chop leaves they are too wet…it has been cloudy and dismal here for too many days in a row.  If the snow covers the leaves…oh well…we are at 7 mulchings and holding.

We should get a few days of Indian Summer to finish up all outside work…or not.

an old barn

rain and leaves

I have plenty of inside projects to keep me busy and I can walk in the rain…I have an umbrella and I won’t melt.

The Juncos aka “Snowbirds” visited the other day…the Common Flickers seem to be gone…they feasted in our yard a number of days.

Common Flicker

Yesterday I saw a whole flock of Canada Geese heading south…I wonder if they honk all the way?

October rain

The leaves are falling and it rains every other day.  It is good for the trees and ducks and that is about it.   No fire danger here this year.  The potato harvest…well any kind of harvest has come to a halt in the damp weather.

Far Guy has mulched leaves twice now.  About eight more times unless it stays wet ..or the S word happens.

 

Even the bees are wet…sleeping maybe…showered while they slumber.

The acorns that were crunching underfoot are getting soaked and softer.  They no longer make me wish I wore shoes with hard soles.  So there are some benefits of the rains.

Some days a person has to look on the bright side!

Leaves

The leaves are changing and falling.

I suppose it is time. They must fall in the Fall.

Far Guy mulched (chopped up) the leaves the other day.  Round one is done…about nine more to go.

I cannot drive the lawn mower yet…maybe next week.  I could kinda drive the buggy in the grocery store yesterday….with more than one hand.  So that is an improvement.

 

It is cool and rainy here.  We should be at peak leaf color in a few days.

Woodbine

The Woodbine or it’s real real name Parthenocissus inserta is coloring nicely.  This vine loves to grow up the Oaks.  Woodbinds send out tendrils that attach themselves into cracks in the tree bark.

The bugs that have eaten holes in the foliage make it appear quite lacy when the sky shines through.  Lately it rains two days and the sun shines one.

Rain is good for the trees.

Fall Flag and other stuff

I finally got the Fall flag out, it was about time.

Far Guy put a nail in the house to hold his walking stick and my broom.  The broom is so light that it kept falling over in the wind.

One day Far Guy went out the door first.  He said in a loud voice “Look out!!”  Well who needs to look I just hopped over everything and screamed bloody murder in his ear. Shortly after that the nail went up.

We don’t have many leaves left in the trees.  One more round this weekend and we will be done, it is too wet to do anything right now.  When I get done with the leaves the snow stick will go up.

Chance’s new treat ball arrived.  He likes it, it dispenses food as it rolls around on the floor, it keeps him busy for a while.  We load it with Bison and Venison Dog Food.  His last treat ball was chewed up by Labrador Retriever Guests and he was so sad.  I got that ball from Petco a long time ago, this time I ordered from Chewy.  His last one was purple and this one is bright orange and a bit smaller.