Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Letchworth State Park, Upper Falls

Many thanks to our Veteran's on this Veteran's Day and every day!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Cucumbers on the way!

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Swollen Creek

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Cedar Bay, Erie Canal

Skaneateles

It finally stopped raining enough to give us a beautiful day for road trip!  We decided to visit Skaneateles (skinny altas), a small town on the northern tip of Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes (about 50 minutes west of Syracuse).  Skaneateles Lake is one of the cleanest in the world.  It is the source of water for Syracuse and it's so clean that it is used unfiltered!

We stopped at Skaneateles Bakery to grab a snack before heading to Clift Park to wait for our sight seeing tour of the lake.  What a delightful afternoon!  If you ever have a chance to spend some time in the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York, I highly recommend it.  It is a beautiful area with many wonderful things to do. 

Clift Park

Judge Ben Wiles

Skaneateles Lake

Clear Water

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Village Mascots

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Tulip Time!

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Sunset on the Trees

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Standing tall.

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Spring!

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Peaceful

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Company for breakfast

Project FeederWatch

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Beautiful Winter Day

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this true Sabbath! A "forced" day off, when everything is shut down - nowhere to go, nothing to do but enjoy the beauty of the snow. Although it is Sunday, and we were fully prepared to get up and go to church (admittedly partially because we didn't want to contribute to the low attendance on the day after Christmas), we appreciate being able to have a leisurely morning, make a breakfast reserved for days like today (yummy Beignets and fresh fried farm eggs), and spend the day playing in and taking pictures of the snow. Thank you!

Amen!

"Praise of Created Things"

Praise of Created Things
by Saint Francis of Assisi
Be thou praised, my Lord, with all Thy creatures,
Above all, Brother Sun, who gives the day and lightens us therewith.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
Of Thee, Most High, he bears similitude.
Be Thou praised, my Lord, of Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heaven hast Thou formed them,
Clear and precious and comely.
Be Thou praised, my Lord, of our Sister Mother Earth,
Which sustains and hath us in rule,
And produces divers fruits with colored flowers, and herbs.

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! Here are some pictures from our evening.

Pumpkin carving is always an adventure around here, as my husband gets REALLY into it. In the past we've had one themed "Snakes on a Plane" and also Bob Marley. This year it was "Scream".



The moon was beautiful and nearly full. We had a great view of it.



Now, to focus even more on what we are thankful for as we enter November.

Stepping Outside

It is amazing what we find when we open our eyes to our surroundings. You don't have to hop on your bike or into your car and go somewhere to see something amazing (although it certainly can be fun). Sometimes all you have to do is step out your front door. Here are some of the sites I saw today...









I hope that next time you step out your front door, you'll take a moment to see the amazing sites that surround you (if you don't already).

Roses

  Stainless Steel bud
  Olympiad blossom
I love flowers:  tulips, grape hyacinths, carnations, starburst lilies, roses...  They add such color and beauty to the world.  Each one also reminds me of various times in my life as they were notebly present during those times.  Tulips and grape hyacinths welcomed us to our new home when we moved during my elementary school years.  Carnations, the state flower of Ohio, always seemed present during my childhood and were wonderful for placing (white ones) in colored water for showing how xylem worked.  Stargazer lilies were carried by my bridesmaids.
Roses have also been constant.  Each color has a different meaning.  For Valentine's Day at my school, student organizations would sell roses for fundraisers.  Individuals would buy a rose to be sent to someone special and that person's significance was indicated by the color of the rose.  As an adult, the colors stir other feelings.  Yellow reminds me of our grandmothers because yellow was their favorite rose color.  Bright red reminds me of love, but also of home.  I am a Buckeye, and BCS or not, nothing is like a good ol' fashioned Rose Bowl at the end of the season.  Over the course of a few years, I was gifted with a rose garden.  It started as four rose bushes (two Oklahomas and two Olympiads).  Next we added three Stainless Steels.  Finally, the border was added.  I now have a beautiful scarlet and grey rose garden!  It's a touch of home built with a lot of love.
Many people tell me that they don't have roses because they have heard about how much work they entail.  Please, don't let this stop you!  They are really not that labor intensive and the reward is well worth the effort!  I spray my rose garden weekly and fertilize it monthly.  If it hasn't rained within the past week, I water it.  I honestly think the most labor comes from the harvesting, and that is labor well rewarded.  The other day I counted 50+ buds on my seven rose bushes.  50!  When harvested correctly (and it's not that difficult), each bush will produce dozens of roses each year.  We decorate the house, take them to work, give them to friends and new neighbors, etc.
There is also a certain zen in caring for a garden, be it rose, vegetable, or other.  It's a time of hands-on caring when you can reflect on life or just focus on being a caregiver to a silent, yet responsive, recipient.  It's almost like going for a long, contemplative walk in the woods.  It's very theraputic and well worth the effort.

Spring Garden

“For a while every season, I do try to keep the whole thing under some semblance of control, pulling the weeds, clipping back the squash so that the chard might breathe, untangling the bean vines before they choke their frailer neighbors. But by the end of August I usually give it up, let the garden go its own way while I simply try to keep up with the abundance of the late-summer harvest. By this point what’s going on in the garden is no longer my doing, even if it was I who got the whole thing rolling back in May. As much as I love the firm grasp and cerebral order of spring, there’s a ripe, almost sensual pleasure in its August abandonment, too.”
Excerpt from The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
I love this passage for many reasons, but mainly because it amazingly describes my garden. It’s nice to know that my garden isn’t alone in its spring order and autumn chaos. We finally had the opportunity to work on our garden this spring. My wonderful husband tilled, while I worked ahead to pull some of the bigger weeds and then behind to even out the soil. I love working with the freshly tilled soil. Our land is mostly (if not all) clay, so every time we decide to add a section of garden, plant or tree, we basically have to mix our own soil: sand, top soil, peat, compost, etc. I also appreciate my husband’s willingness and sense of urgency in getting it done in time to have a productive garden. Of course, he also loves to quote the book of Genesis ("cursed is the ground for thy sake") while he recovers from the hard work involved.

Since the garden was ready and the weather cooperative, I made a trek to a local farmer’s market to purchase seedlings and I spent the afternoon planting. I look forward to tending to our garden, watching it grow, and (at least partially) living off the summer and fall harvests: cherry tomato snack bowls (we have 3 varieties), fresh salsa, green beans, cucumbers, peppers (4 varieties)… I’m also anticipating the annual challenge of finding something new to do with the ever abundant zucchini and squash. I look forward to sharing any recipes I find with those of you who are facing the same challenge.

For now I’ll admire the order and simplicity of our garden while I can for this, like all things, will soon pass.

Happy Arbor Day!

Happy National Arbor Day!  J. Sterling Morton founded National Arbor Day in 1872.  It is celebrated on the last Friday in April.  However, individual states celebrate it at various times depending on the best time to plant a tree in that area.  To learn more celebrating Arbor Day, tree replenishment programs, and to receive 10 free trees, visit the Arbor Day Foundation's web site.