Fall in Upstate New York

I have been making Smileboxes to send to friends..thought I would post one on here for everyone who thinks of New York as the Empire State building, subways and museums and Broadway plays.... Upstate is a world apart!

Autumn pond 1

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Butterflies and Summer's End

Well, summer is about over and I never even came back to keep up on the news of the garden..a bit of a disappointment in some ways but all in all, we did manage to grow some tomatoes despite the early blight which destroyed the tomato crop in most home gardens and even some of the larger truck gardens in the area.

We do have some beautiful kale, swiss chard, and a few rutabagas and parsnips still growing, the broccoli was good but about petered out now, the brussel sprouts are gaining and will be ready in a week or two, I will harvest the largest ones first and leave the plants in the ground as they will continue to grow til hard freeze and I get all the cucumbers I can use. We even had some tomatoes to share with the kids, for some reason the small salad varieties did the best this year and we have picked a LOT of them.

Our oldest daughter and I had a wonderful visit to a Butterfly House last month...what a delightful place, can't wait to go back...and next time, I will make sure that the memory stick is in the camera, not here on the desk!

We are getting ready to leave for Rockport next week, what a joy to see our dear friend, Marie, and taste those wonderful breakfasts again. The weather looks as though it will be cool [well almost cold by the middle of the week] but since we always wait until Fall when the main tourist season is over before we go out, we will have to take whatever weather shows up I guess! Will post when we get back.

Time For the Green Life Again

I can't believe a year has passed since I wrote about our small garden venture. We are back at it this year, having enlarged the garden to a bit more than twice the size of last year's effort.

The weather just won't cooperate with us but "never give up" has always worked in the past and tomorrow [if it doesn't rain tonight] will see the last of the tomatoes planted, maybe a few melons if I can squeeze them in someplace and the bedding plants for my cut flower garden. Then on to the combination pots, a couple of hanging baskets and oh yes...mustn't forget to find a place for the black raspberry plants I bought at a local fresh produce and flower market near here.

We have noticed that every time the economy is bad, the number of gardens rises..many more people trying to grow some of their own food and of course that sometimes costs more than buying it but at least it is fresh and you can pick it when you want it. The best part is knowing what has or hasn't been sprayed , poured or dusted on it, we try to be as organic as possible but the tomatoes need copper to stave off the blight as long as possible and this year we are spraying our old apple trees a few times, hoping for more useable apples in a year or 2.

Last week we drove down into Pa. to decorate graves. My grandparents, great grandparents and some much further back are buried there and it is one of our yearly rituals to load the trunk with flats of annuals, trowels, jugs of water, gloves [which I never wear] and invite any of our daughters who can make it go with us for the trip. This year the older 2 went with us, first to Neuman Cemetery in Great Bend and then over the bridge to Rose Hill in Hallstead.

After the planting, the day goes like this...first to McDonalds to wash up and have breakfast or lunch, depending on the hour we get there. then off to a fantastic little dollar store to pick up a few choice goodies. This year Denise and I bought little garden hooks and tiny humming bird feeders to hang on them [along with other assorted stuff]. Deb bought 3 pair of $12.00 sunglasses for $2.00 each and I bought a few other of odds and ends that I thought I needed.

My Great Grandmother Annie would have loved this day, she never came home from Binghamton with out a shopping bag full of goodies from Woolworth's 5 and 10. Maybe she was with us in spirit that day. I hope so.

Then up the road to Susquehanna Pa. where we always visit 2 neat little shops, one always has historic postcards reproductions, small fireworks, great embellished tee shirts, and lots of different items that one never sees in the big department stores and of course NEVER in WalMart.

I bought some photos of the huge viaduct at Lanesboro, and some of the old Joseph Smith home where Joseph transcribed the Golden Plates from behind a sheet back when he lived in this area. Denise found a package of little night light that must be at least 40 years old..we had that kind when the kids were small and was so delighted to buy them as they reminded her of home.

Then across the street to a small shop that sells all sorts of inexpensive vintage glass, old plates and dolls, a few stuffed toys, books for 50 cents, sometimes vintage clothing and linens, old prints and pictures, one never knows what we will find but there are at least a few "must haves" everytime we go.

Denise bought some tiny pitchers for her collection, Deb found some decorative bottles in little wire frames to hang in her windows [I bought a couple of those altho' my house overflows with "stuff"] and a couple of other goodies [she always finds something unique].

I bought a DVD of a tour of England [PBS] for 50 cents.... Denise found that and found a couple of tours for Deb one of France, the other of Paris..we will take her along next year..lol...

Enough for tonight..hope tomorrow will be good weather so I can plant and plant and plant.....

Stillmeadow

Good morning friends, today I am adding a few pictures of Stillmeadow, home of one of my favorite authors.

Her books are still in print today and evoke memories of a different time and way of life [and thinking] and if you love the past, you might try reading some of the Stillmeadow books.
Look down on the right to find the album and check back later as I have many pictures to add. I have reread her books so many times, I still find them to be such a joy.
Her cookbooks are great but I love best the story of how she and Jill found the old 17th century house.

MORE CHRISTMAS in the COUNTRY....2008
Double click to enlarge and scroll to see all.

Country Christmas

We visited a beautiful old country home today..and while we were there, I took a ton of pictures, in between eating and visiting..too many to show individually on here, but these are for Country Christmas lovers everywhere.
Lots of beautiful chalkware, trees all around the house, decorations from around the USA and Dad, grabbing a quick nap. Double click to enlarge.
Enjoy!

Here We Go Again

Another year..another list...of things to do, things to hope for and promises to keep, well all I can say is I hope I have more success than I did last year!

Time to declutter and take stock...time to try to keep in touch with distant family, time to start some new plants and hobbies, time to get back to exercise program for my osteoporosis [ugh] , time to do more of the things on last year's list that kinda fell by the wayside...oh well perfection wasn't built in a day.

Perhaps it would be better to think a bit about what I did accomplish in 2008..that should only take about a minute or so. I did get some good pictures, I did do my donations to my favorite charities although I had to cut back on some of them, I did manage not to gain back all the weight I lost year before last and I did keep all of my old pets in reasonably good health for another year. Kept most of my roses alive, ate more broccolli, and changed my Calcium to one that should work with my Nexium. Added more VIT D, walked almost every day in the good weather, had a wonderful week at Cape Ann and made cookie and bread trays for a couple of neighbors who are having a rather bad time right now. Guess that's it for 2008...

Oh...Spruce is the wolf I have adopted from Wolfhaven for the past 3 years..he is a beauty and my donation helps care for him and keep him safe.

More next time.