Decreasing Daylight

 My goodness me, I am several days behind my promised weekly blog post and for that I apologize. As the title suggests, daylight is diminishing and with it has come some crazy busy days. Weeks, for that matter. It seems as if with the impending cold, activities are scheduled at a frenzied pace. 

What a good problem to have, right?

Baby it is cold outside! This morning the front porch temperature read one thing while the back porch read another, however, the real story was told by the frost found on the front lawn, as well as the bird feeder lid that I just  went outside to fill. I'm thinking that gloves may be in order for the upcoming winter.

So what does one do when the temperature plunges? Make chicken noodle soup of course!

To be honest, I made it for what I imagined would be lunch here at the house when our friend Karen from Orlando  came for a visit yesterday. 

In addition to that, I made an apple crisp that while tasty, is not the most photogenic dessert. Neither were consumed with Karen because, as I thought about things more, I decided that because the last time she visited while we were living at the cottage, she and Rich did not get a chance to see the sweet town we fell in love with, Instead, she came first to play pickleball, next we took a walk along the river, followed be the house tour. It was a nostalgia trip for her as her folks had a home built in 1925 in Orlando. We walked into town with our friend Nancy, got a table at the Mason Bar and waited for another Murphy friend of Karen's to meet us for lunch. It was delightful, cut shot though because Bruce and I were to meet at Laura and John's at 3 PM for yet another adventure.

A pontoon boat ride on Lake Chatuge with their friends, Steve and Sue! Laura brought blankets and all of us were in our coats to ward off the chilly windy weather that one encounters on a boat in 45 degree weather. 

A brilliant blue sky overhead, along with the warm sunshine and spectacular mountain views made for a great time. Steve and Sue were super nice, their home lovely, his visiting sister was a dynamic person and the meal they prepared was fantastic. What, pray tell is there not to like?

Plus, the drive home was lit by a gorgeous full moon. This morning though, the fog is still thick and the frost as mentioned is on the ground. I am trying to get this written before we head to work at the bi-monthly free lunch at church, but we shall see how far I get.

Meanwhile, your favorite blogger's husband is in the basement working on his chair project. A few days ago he met with his group to continue the process. Arthritis in his hands prevented him from getting done as much as he liked, so he brought it home in order to catch up.

It is a complicated process with many layers of weaving involved.

It looks to me as if he is doing an excellent job. No surprise there, right?

Meanwhile the lady of the house made a wall hanging for her sewing room. Seeing the design online, there were no instructions, but you know who figured out the measurements and off I went, using the fabric I bought at the local art gallery the week before. Did I write about that? Walmart donated all of their bolts of fabric because they were going to folded fabric. The price is definitely right! I put it all together and of course it wasn't exactly square so...

Since the picture was taken, I've finished it up, adding tabs on the back for hanging, as well as the binding. Another project that, while working on, I second-guessed myself but in the end I think it turned out pretty neat. Instead of above the futon as I envisioned, I think we will hang it in the upstairs hallway. And what shall we use to hang it on you ask? Stopping at one of our favorite thrift stores on the way to Blue Ridge, we roamed around and what should I see for $1.00? A large wooden dowel that will work perfectly! Woo hoo! One of the things, and there are not a whole lot of them., but one thing that I feel as I age is less confidant in my ideas and choices. Writing that statement I'm wondering if that is a good thing or a bad thing? Your thoughts.

We were heading to Blue Ridge because, as mentioned above, this is the time of year for Fall festivals and art shows. To the best of my recollection, admission is not charged at any of our outdoor art festivals in Orlando, but here they have a five dollar admission to increase the coffers of the local art museum.  Perhaps the fees charged to the artists are less? If so that is a good thing because it is hard sledding having to pay for a space and sell very little. Fortunately, aside from the one time we had torrential rain that washed out a show, I was never in that position, but many of the artists surrounding me at shows were most definitely in that boat.

That sky, right? So, so blue.

The only thing we came home with, actually much to my surprise, was this little bear that is made from fabric that a woman procures when she is in Guatemala helping the local women. As so often is the case, people are constantly raising money for worthy causes.

He's kind of cute isn't he? With the button eyes and nose, he is probably not meant for a child, instead a 70 year old child at heart!

Normally not one for decor items with sayings, when I saw the above pillow on sale for $5.00 at Walmart I could not resist as it says it all for this old couple.

Are the leaves changing you wonder? Not as much as I would like. Yet.  Perhaps you recall how I mentioned the leaves actually turning greener on the Japanese Maple tree? Here's exactly what I meant.

As you can see we are ready to head to our boat trip with me wearing jeans for the first time in six months. You absolutely know that is a big deal for me as I dislike wearing pants so much. 😉

While Bruce had the car at Marji's house for the caning adventure, I walked into town, all two blocks, on another beautiful afternoon. We have had a slight amount of rain since the hurricane, but not very much. Blue skies it is. That said, when the grey days of winter descend, I imagine we will be very much missing that brilliant blue greeting us daily.

Continuing up the hill I meandered a bit at Harshaw Cemetery which overlooks the town. 

Our home is just on the other side of the trees on the right. 

Another afternoon I walked a long ways on the River walk, finding one of the largest mushrooms I have ever seen!

If you have any interest in our time in Vancouver, this post shows me and my Vancouver friends taking a walk and finding all manner of goodies including a giant orange mushroom. 

Along the river, in this section of the walk, an abundance of wildflowers lining the path made for a very narrow pathway!

While we are on the subject of plants, my mini carnations from last year are looking very cute indeed. As our the geraniums that I moved to the back of the house. In reality, they look better than they havesince we bought them five months ago! Hopefully they will stay that way for awhile.

As to last night's freeze, we shall see how it affected my flowers. Here was something new to me. What was once bright white, turned to this.

Gosh I am so happy having lots of flowers around. 

Pumpkins. It would almost be blasphemous to have an October post where they are not featured! I came across this display on the next street over. Would you have tried to rub the price off of them before putting them out for all to see? Am I being silly?

That said, the variety is so interesting and colorful! 

A few weeks ago Diane issued an invitation to have a pumpkin decorating party that did not involve cutting them. Okay, why not? It turned out to be loads of fun and I am not a crafty person.

Pictured standing on the left, Diane had all manner of crafty items, as well as all manner of crafty people excluding myself! Dottie, pictured on the right made a funny pumpkin.

Does this look like a group of ladies enjoying each other's company? It should.

Miss not-crafty-at-all managed to decoupage these tissue paper leaves on hers with the bow compliments of Dottie!

Seemingly the cool days are what are keeping the pumpkin looking pristine. As to the cool days and nights, some folks have told us that they will help to bring the color on. One can hope!

Tom Payne, the man for whom the ramp was constructed, is doing so well! Honestly he is a marvel at 92 years old and now doing laps on the ramp, albeit with a cane.

When last we met, Bruce had gone to Asheville with John to deliver supplies. He came back with photos, this one behind a gallery. Can you imagine having to throw away so many paintings? 

The good news is that great strides are being made all over the region, with roads being re-constructed and water being restored in some places. All of the small Western North Carolina towns so count on the season to keep themselves afloat, so hopefully more tourists will begin to arrive. 

I so forgot to include in my last post a couple of photos I took at Mark and Mary Beth's house. Their chickens have grown and begun to lay eggs. Talk about free range...

Yes that is a road and yes they were in it when we arrived! How they get out of the way of cars is a mystery to me. Turns out a rooster was in the mix, much to their surprise.

They hosted another wonderful meal, this time with a Mexican theme which was a big hit.

Much to their relief, all of their children living in Tampa and the Sarasota area were mostly unscathed in Hurricane Milton, as were ours in Orlando. 

We have returned from four hours during which time we had a very good crowd for the chili and cornbread lunch. In fact, since I have taken on the role of official greeter and name tag person, not to mention keeping a running count going, it was the largest group yet. Count me surprised as I thought perhaps the cold would keep people away! Shows you what I know.

As I was scanning photos before writing this post, I came across the one below that I neglected to post when I wrote about the Big Brothers and Sisters event. Do you see who I see?

Many of my  friends here in North Carolina have husbands who are experiencing declining health and that makes me sad. Gosh I am so thankful and grateful for how healthy my honey is! At the above event Mr. Bruce outbid our local insurance agent for a set of Mr. John Lachance's fine outdoor furniture. Actually it turned out to be too large for our space, so we got something else instead, which I will show you in my next post.

For now I need to go on a little walk to loosen up before a group hike in the morning. Here's hoping it is a wee bit warmer AND that I can keep up! AND that I see some mushrooms!!

your friend,

Gail