The Silence Woke Me

Source

... All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.
Late in the night when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop and gallop about?
Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,
By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.
By at the gallop he goes, and then
By he comes back at the gallop again

So there I was lying in my bed and all I could think of was this old rhyme by Robert Louis Stevenson. It actually sounded more like a freight train than a gallop. I was finally able to sleep and was wakened early this morning by the silence.

"Sparkle City" is still here as are we. My sister's car did not fare quite so well as a tree fell on it. She says that that is preferable to a tree falling into the house as some of her fellow nurses had happen to them.

We are continuing to pray for those who were directly in Sandy's path and who will be dealing with her today.

I am closing comments so that I may take a breather from the computer today as I was pretty much glued to it yesterday. I'll be visiting to see how you are, though!

Folk Art Print Winner

~a name waiting to be drawn~

Yes! We have a winner of a folk art print from Pigment of Your Imagination and she is the incomparable Niki at Rural Writings! Niki chose a wintry scene, a Christmas one. Once she does her post on it, I'll send you all over to see. Thank you so much, Catherine, for your sweet gift! Congratulations, Niki!

And we could leave this post at that except I am too much of a chatterbox so let us carry on for a bit.

Over the weekend, I was poking about in the garage attic where I found this old Allen's Toffee tin. It was filled with all the things you see on the right of the photo above, which are food coloring, flavorings, molds, and the recipe for my mother's famous Hard Candy. This was an annual Christmas event that she and my youngest niece, formerly my Boston niece, now my New York City niece, did together.

Thing is, that tin didn't formerly hold all those treasures; it used to hold cookies and baked goods. That was my childhood cookie jar! So out the stuff went on its ear into a lesser tin and a way too small one at that. Oh the washing I had to do to get the food coloring out and the old Allen's tin cleaned...the water ran blue for a very long time.

Then I began to get a pang...that tin represented something very special to my niece as well. I have remedied it, I hope, by purchasing the owl tin on the left. It's large enough to hold everything and it reminds me of the owls that my niece likes so well. It'll be a little gift for her the next time I see her. Gifts of sweet memories are the best of all. Of course, where she will keep it in that small NYC apartment...

~the lid~ 

A better representation can be found *here.*

We've been trying to figure out what the lid depicts. It doesn't look like Parliament or Buckingham Palace. Anyone know?

Hope that all are weathering the storm well. We have rain and slight wind gusts. Nothing major. Still praying for a fizzle.

Take care today...

Coral Leaves~Mosaic Monday

Though I still have a few outdoor plants, they're looking a bit peaked. I've turned my attention to the leaves. What beautiful colors I've found. There's something about the corals on this bush, the light red of the oak leaves, and the coppers that make me smile. I had to document as I doubt that there'll be any leaves left in a day or two.

Thinking of all those in Hurricane Sandy's path including Mary at Little Red House. Stay safe!

Sorting Through the Things on the Agenda

If you have time today, I can not recommend *this message* from David Jeremiah highly enough. It'll be 45 minutes well spent and easily listened to while spending time visiting blogs or writing emails. It is meant for an Evangelical Christian audience, but if you're curious, I think it works for everybody. Okay, I'll stop cranking...

Thinking of and praying for all who have been or will be affected by Hurricane Sandy.

A blessed Sunday to you!



Scripture graphic source: Abby's Little Birdie Blessings

Novembery

Suddenly, it's all so Novembery around here...

Yes, Yes, A Regular Chatty Cathy

After a few of the comments yesterday I did the math.  Five years plus 93 days of blogging equals 1, 918 days. That's 418 days more than 1500. This means that I have missed an entire year and 53 days of posting opportunities! Now doesn't that put everything into perspective? ☺

I will grant you that I post regularly when I can. Wish that all my blogging buddies could, though I realize that you have things to do and places to go. Sometimes I feel as if I am holding down the fort and with what? New garage siding? How long can I use that for blog fodder?

this is the picture John wants for his portfolio, yes, he has one and, yes, he is for hire...don't think that he wants to put up a garage any time soon, though

I raked the back lawn today and noticed some pretty things like...

eggplant and lime leaf colors on the lilac

a bit of gold yet

found some red too

the final roses

yellow mums still going strong

↑my pumpkin row↑ 

↑a blatant rip-off of Kim's idea↑

Source:  Happy at Home by permission

Thank you, Kim!

Visiting you, I know that you have found some pretty things around your home, too. I think some bloggers make blogging too much of a challenge. We don't always have to do a DIY project or a tutorial or bake a cake or take a trip or find a covered bridge. Some days it's all about the simplest of things just as it would be if you hung out with me in the backyard. Say, here's a rake.

Wishing you a simple Friday and a wonderful weekend...

Fifteen Hundred Posts

This is the print I received yesterday from Cathie Holman. It says "Peace be to this house." (Though, my ceiling is showing up in the print, it really doesn't look like that!) The colors are so rich and it's signed by the artist! This is not its final home; I just had to put it up because I was so excited about it. 

Catherine Holman blogs at Pigment of Your Imagination or what some know
as Catherine Holman Folk Art. She is a folk art artist who often takes her readers on a little journey of the painting process. I love that. I love peeking over her shoulder and seeing all the progress and processes. It's fun! Catherine often has a little story to tell to complement her paintings. I really love that! And it's great fun to go looking on her Etsy shop also named Pigment of Your Imagination.

Recently, I passed my 1500th post mark and to celebrate Catherine has graciously donated a print to one of my readers. How cool is that?! All one has to do is visit the last link listed above, look around, and return to let me know which print you'd like. No following, no linking, no other hoops than that. The only remaining requirements are that you have a blog and that you are willing to feature your win on said blog. Grab your coffee or tea and snuggle down for a few minutes.

Here's a little representation of what you'll find when you go shopping.

Wouldn't this be perfect over Thanksgiving?

Or this stone house through the Christmas holidays and winter? Don't forget that these prints make a unique gift for someone you know who loves folk art or representations of life in simpler times.





This giveaway will close Sunday evening at 7. Yup. I work fast.

Don't forget to come back now!



Comments are now closed. The winner will be announced tomorrow!

The Big Reveal

While I busied myself taking pictures of a Jack-be-Little pumpkin and my bare feet, John busied himself with the final fussy little piece of siding at the tip top.

John at the garage peak and almost finished with this job that took the old garage below

(yes, he built it in 2003)...

to this sweet little number. I love it! (Don't tell me if you don't.)

Oh this doesn't quite give you the details, but let me just thank everyone who *voted with John on the scalloping.* It really does look terrific!

A little better view above...

This is about all the contribution I had to the project—photoshopping.  I knew that I didn't like the placement of the former windows (you can see them up there in the third photo) nor the cut out above the garage doors done before John knew that transoms were going in...a last minute decision on someone else's part (not either of us). We do like the transoms a lot so it all turned out in the end. You can see how beautifully John interpreted my ideas and made them so much better!

I was trying to get John to say that the project was good enough for "who it was for." He just wouldn't. Gotta love the little bow he gives me. Sweet, sweet man!

A Gift and a Card and a Nesting Party

~Sweet Home of the Birds~

Recently, Dawn at The Feathered Nest held a giveaway; there were several winners. Blessed me! I was one of them. See the little creation sitting on top of the bottle? It says "sweet home of the birds." It is right at home in my little vignette.

I always admire Dawn's work and her creativity. She has a delightful Etsy shop *here* where she sells her creations. She also does wonderful tutorials. I know that they are detailed and easy to follow as I have a couple.  While Dawn shares her work, she also shares her life. She has a new grandbaby and a new lease on life after a wake-up call last weekend. You can read all about that experience on this post entitled Counting My Blessings. I have been challenged by her comments. 

***

If you wander into Abby's blog and collapse and tell her that you feel like "a piece of lint" she may gather her Bible Study friends and send you a card filled with encouragements. I tell you this: Blogdom can be such a sweet place. Thanks, Abby and Friends! You are a special group of gals.

Today is Melissa's Fall Nesting Party at The Inspired Room and the theme is Holiday Nesting. Melissa tells us that we are only nine weeks away from Christmas. Nine weeks! Linds at Rocking Chair Reflections recently did a wonderful tutorial on making buntings *here.* She makes it look so easy! That is my one thought for holiday decorating at this early date time-to-get-a-move-on. Again, I'm linking without participating except to visit and snag some great holiday tips.

Have you thought about Christmas yet?

A Covered Bridge or Paying it Forward

~my view~

When the sun struck my neighbor's tree and I saw this view yesterday morning, I thought, "Today is the day!"

Allow me to back up just a bit...

~Great-Grandparents' Home~

Earlier in the fall, I received some photos from my dear blogging buddy Pamela Gordon who blogs at Playing with My Camera. She was going to be in Moncton, New Brunswick and so she drove by and took photos of my great-grandparents' home where Nan had grown up. I was so pleased. Pam had been worried that I would find the house too shabby. It is a bit overgrown since I last saw it, though that makes little difference. Would you believe that the last time I saw this bungalow it had been painted white? It was always a little brown bungalow with no white trim, well groomed plantings, and a proper English garden in the back. I'm actually delighted to see it brown again. Pam's gift touched me so...thank you, Pam!

 ~The Old Neighborhood~

The neighborhood minus a lot of trees that used to line the streets...true of many neighborhoods now, I suppose.

So what has all this to do with the remainder of my post? A lot! While I was still thinking of the Moncton house and Pam's gift, I learned from Sandy that her husband's family had hailed from my not-too-far corner and that, in fact, there was a covered bridge somewhere that was named for the family. Oh really? I wanted to put my Nancy Drew shoes on immediately, though you know how well the weather has cooperated this month (not at all). 

Peak foliage lasted for 2 minutes and 35 seconds on a rainy Wednesday afternoon last. We'll have to take leftovers, but that will be fine on such a pretty fair to middlin' day.

Past country homes and rock walls...

a view of the White Mountains in the distance looking west...

and Sebago Lake beyond looking south.

We had sketchy directions from the internet (we have no GPS) and, after wandering around in circles too many times, John suggested taking this picture because he was thinking it's a new bridge and perhaps something had happened to the covered bridge.

I dutifully snapped the shot and the one below showing the river flowing beneath...

~Stream as Autumn Wanes~

~PicMonkey Help~

Then we decided to ask. Just ask! A young clerk working at a convenience store said that she had never heard of Babb's Bridge, but she did know where the covered bridge was. How many could there be? She gave excellent directions even writing them down for us.

Getting closer!

And closer!

Eureka! A covered bridge with people already there looking around. Is it the bridge?

~Official!~

The way we'd come...

The way we'll go...

I might be tempted to wish that we had been there on a brighter autumn day, but we were just glad to be there at all.

Lovely reflections...

Something has his attention! See the canoers?

Sweet old shed...hope that it can be rescued...as we climbed the hill on the other side of the bridge. Yes, we did cross over in our vehicle.

This post is dedicated to Sandy Babb of Quill Cottage. Thank you for the fun, adventure-filled day, Sandy!