Three Nights of Sub-Freezing Temps

Earlier pumpkin....

And the growing season is over. For me. Excuse me while I wipe away a tear…or two..or three.

To everything there is a season, and for a garden that is necessarily true. Doesn’t have to mean I have to like it, or like a growing season shorter by a few weeks than what I think is 'normal'.

This past weekend, and the last few days, have been really chilly and mostly cloudy, and my normally cheery outlook has taken a hit, I do believe.

A few days of sun and some temps in the hi 60’s, or even low 70's, and I will get the slimy leaves out of there, get things winterized and put to right.

I just need to get my routine adjusted. I need to get exercising back in the routine since bike riding seems to be a thing...to look forward to. Swimming at one of the city pools has an appeal for me. I have always enjoyed swimming. Our fair township has a number of pools, and after watching the Olympics, I am sort of stoked towards such an activity.

Today's Pumkin...

It’s only the middle of October. It’s not winter yet.

I wonder if this will be the year I get back on the skis.

And now for something completely different. Remember this? Well, Little Miss Phoebe is quite the internet star now, and there is simply no living with her! She's been featured on The Witless Wanderer and Bellgirl. Best Dog Ever and The Cat Who Would Be Queen say 'Whateva!'.

U is for…

…Uncle Don (and Aunt Ruth). They were my great-uncle and aunt, and had no children of their own. When Dearest Sister and I came along, several other generations of nieces and nephews had already passed in and through their lives. We may have been about the last to really spend time with them at their place. And, for us, at least, they were like grandparents.

Their place was the house built by my great grandfather, the family homestead, a four story Victorian, about 4 miles outside Greensburg, in Kiowa County, Kansas. I don’t remember calling it anything but Aunt Ruth and Uncle Don’s. All my friends called it Aunt Ruth and Uncle Don’s! (It’s completely gone now.)

My mother was widowed at 41, in 1959. She returned to her hometown, with her five kids, ranging in age from 2 to 18. The older three, teenagers mostly, made their way through high school, and left home, shortly thereafter. Dearest Sister and I were only 2 and 4. We took more work. Looking back…I would say considerably more work!

Enter Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth. They were there to help Momma out in many, many ways. We stayed with them in the big, old farmhouse while the little house Momma purchased was made habitable. Uncle Don picked me up and took me to school almost every morning, after dropping off Aunt Ruth at the high school cafeteria, where she worked. There were many weekends Dearest Sister and I spent at the farm, with Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth, giving Momma a much needed break. And every Sunday noon, there was dinner at Aunt Ruth and Uncle Don’s. Every. Sunday. (‘Mom, can’t we just stay home this once? Pleeeeeeease?’ What would I give for one of those afternoons now.)

Dearest Sister and I both remember Uncle Don taking us for grilled cheese sandwiches at a local eatery, called Daisy’s. We never had to clean up our plate for Uncle Don, and he would still buy us Butterfingers!

Uncle Don was a champion domino player! He could add those spots up faster than anyone I knew. Of course, I really didn’t know very many people who added up spots on dominoes, because I was not allowed in the snooker parlor, where he played. Dearest Sister has told me, however, she was. She has stories!!

He also loved professional baseball. However, living in southwestern Kansas, on a farm, waaaaaaaay before cable, their TV received only one station. Two, if the weather was just right. None, if someone was vacuuming or running the mixer in the kitchen. In short, there was precious little baseball to be watched on TV. I remember Uncle Don, in his rocker, listening to baseball on the radio. And wondering how in the world he knew what they were talking about! It sounded like so much gibberish to me.

Uncle Don was born in 1900, so it was always easy to figure out exactly how old he was.

He was also a diabetic, diagnosed as a child, before insulin. Diabetics were not expected to live much past adulthood before the use of insulin to treat diabetes. In 1923, insulin became available for use. As with many drugs, it was a little rugged at first to use insulin. He gave himself the daily injections, and his black case with glass syringe fascinated me. His eyes became very sensitive to light, and he always wore tinted glasses. There were other prices paid, but the bottom line was he lived to see age 76. That was a miracle for the diagnosis he received as a child in the early 1900’s.

Some of my very best memories growing up come from Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth, and their house.

Well....that's a start, I suppose.

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Wonderful Guy and I went to the Fall Home Improvement Show on Saturday. It was raining and cold and good for that sort of thing. It was a smallish event, which made for good opportunity to chat it up with the vendors. We spent a couple of hours talking with several, made a couple of appointments for free in-home estimates, and called it good.

Then I discovered we were in the market for a new aquarium. In our office/front room renovations of last fall, we gave Only Step-Son the aquarium, from which he has received much enjoyment. Now that the weather is getting cool, and the outdoors activity is more limited, Wonderful Guy is thinking he would like to start afresh with a new one...a salt water effort this time. Hmmmm...I hear tell one needs to be a chemist for that sort of thing.

Sunday, he was out with Only Step-Son, and I fully expected them to come home with a saltwater rig, but he decided against it. Guess we will wait and see what happens with my job this week (or next....or the week after...I am ever hopeful, but have grown some realistic pants) before we start handing over funds.

I have to tell you, though, those tankless hot water heaters sure are enticing! And a new frontloading washer/dryer...very, very appealing! They had me at 'energy savings'!!

Another Sock Book

While buying supplies for table decorations for an upcoming event of which I am in charge, I spied this at JoAnn’s.



I just happened to have a 50% off coupon in my purse, thanks to Wisest Sister. See, so Wise! It came home with me.

And these are my handmade event decorations, so far.

Votives (from Martha Stewart.com). The directions were straightforward... votive holders, double sided tape, cornhusks, ribbon. Tape onto votive holder. Cut corn husks and stick onto tape. Tie decorative ribbon. NOT! My corn husks would not stick to tape. My corn husks would not stick with glue. (I didn't try hot glue, not having any on hand.) The ribbon is holding the husks in place. It works adequately, but it seems to me that Martha ought not put stuff out there that does not work! Geez o peez! I sat at my table for the longest time trying to make this work thinking... "she's a smart lady. It's not a 'good thing' to drive people nuts. She would have made sure this works, surely..."

Salt dough pumpkins (from Craftbits.com) Only disclaimer here. If family members are not knowledgeable of salt dough, they may think a tasty treat is being prepared. They will be disappointed! The curlicues are my added effect.

Ever so slightly cheesy, but in a festive way, and inexpensive, with the threshold of required expertise and creativity waaaaaaay low!

Sweet! I have made it to through weekend #2 and Day 12.

Things I Like...

...about blogging (besides new words in my vocabulary like 'blogging').

• Connecting with people I would never have met otherwise, in other states and other countries, and sometimes in towns just south of me.


• An opportunity to share my life with others through writing.


• And the chance to share in other's amazing creativity and talent. And it is amazing.


• Figuring out another way to get out of my shell/hibernation ways.


• Finding I can say what I need, and every once in a while, someone else needs to hear exactly that.


• Challenges like Blogtoberfest that keep me honest. (I am one third through!)


• Booty!

Look what Kate sent me. She say there is more hollyhock seeds than any sane woman would need. Kate doesn't know how close to the brink I teeter! These are the old-fashioned kind, big and tall, the kind I remember from my grandma's gardens (or was it Aunt Ruth's?).

I am spreading them as soon as the veggie patch is cleared, which will be after this weekend. The weather guy says this is the weekend for the first freeze. I picked the green tomatoes last night, to ripen inside. We will still have warm days, but the season is over. Six and a half months 'til May...

I leave you with a parting shot of my pumpkin guard dog.