Did you ever jump in a pile of leaves

When I saw these leaves, I felt like running and jumping in them but was stopped only by the quick question that filled my head. . . 'What would the neighbors think about this senior citizen acting with such exuberance?" I quickly composed myself and just walked through them, sneaking in a kick at a few bigger piles. Ü They brought back memories of me raking up huge piles of leaves from the oak trees in the large front yard where we lived in Ballston Spa, New York and my three kids jumping in them. In fact, i recently ran across some photos of the three of them jumping in the piles of leaves. I wish I had my scanner hooked up. (Reminder to self. . . get scanner working again.) Anyway, the signs of fall are upon us for sure.

Persistency . . .

This spider is persistent. I know of at least 4 times it has re-built its web in the same area during this month. Blogger reduces the photos so much that sometimes it is hard to see the webs. Click on the photo to see how marvelous it really looks.

Nutty squirrel . . .

We have several squirrels that hang out around our apartment building because some Russian ladies feed them! These wild creatures come right up to me to beg for food. I don't have any -- that's a camera in my hand! Ü

Anyhow, they can be really fast little buggers if they know you don't have food for them. I think I tried to get about 12 photos and these were the only ones that even came out without a blur.

End of October leaves. . .

Walking along a downtown street, I spotted this leaf with raindrops still on it and found it interesting. I also liked the leaf shadow. Sometimes the "ugly" is really beautiful!



The beauty of this red leaf tree caught my eye from a distance.



i liked this portion of the Maple tree leaves still on the branches so much that I framed it.


Thought this might make a nice background for a Thanksgiving card.. .



Loved the changing colors of these.



Found this lonely leaf interesting because of the curled up edges and its shadow.



Even these curled up leaves have a certain beauty.


Beauty demonstrated even in the end of life.


Autumn is beautiful!


Tree trunk with autumn color in foreground.

Blog Your Blessings #3

How can half of anything be a blessing? Isn't a whole needed to really be a blessing?

This week the answer "came to life" for me. . . I'm sure there are many other examples but I will write about three.

First of all, I am a twin so am only one half of a set. My twin has gone to heaven so I am left on earth as one half and yet I can continue to be a blessing to others as I was when Margie still lived on this earth.

Friday, I went to paint at church and got only half of what I had planned to do finished. Even so, the Mother's Room sure looked good and a few people that happened by had compliments for the change I had made by painting it.

Saturday, when I went back to finish painting the other half of the areas that I had planned to do Friday and didn't get finished (the staircase walls to the choir loft), I was tired -- every muscle in my body ached -- and I almost didn't stay but someone's compliment of how nice it was looking urged me on and I got the other half finished after all. On the way in to the church, I saw a spider building its web and it was only half completed but the beauty of it compeled me to take a photo.

Yes, I discovered this week that half of many things can be a blessing! I am reminded in 2 Corinthians 12: 9 that "My grace is sufficient for you for My power is made perfect in weakness." Just as I am empowered by His Word to feel complete without my twin being physically present; just as the painting that was half finished, even tho I hoped to complete it Friday,was brought to completion the following day but looked wonderful to some the first day; just as the half made spider web would come to fruition if the spider kept working on it, the beginnings were a blessing indeed. These "HALVES" helped me to focus on God's blessings, rather than on me and my limitations.

More paining. . .I mean painting . . . well, I am in pain so maybe not

Well, I did it. . . finished painting two sets of stairs to the choir loft. It looks so GOOD! I bet no one has painted it in 20 years or more. I never saw anyone and I first came there in '87. What a job!

I forgot to take photos!!!!!!!! Tomorrow . . .



I just wanted to clean my painting things and get out of there. I was so tired coming home on the bus. My body aches from stretching with that roller even tho it was on a long pole. I'm glad it is finished and I feel good what i accomplished in two days.

This next week is going to be mine. No helping anyone but me. Maybe I can get more unpacked in my two month old new to me apartment!

Before I caught the bus to go paint this morning, i walked two miles to the Farmer's Market and bought a big ripe tomato. Today is the last Saturday Farmer's Market until spring now.

It was a beautiful warm day today --no rain!!!!!!!!

Not doing another thing tonight except getting my post ready for BYB Sunday.

Painting is hard work . . .

I don't know how my DAD could have been a painter for his profession. . .

I spent another day at church painting the "Mother's Room." i thought I would never get finished! I was by myself this time, unlike the time we painted the three walls in the chapel with 4 of us. It took time to prepare the room by taking things out of it, off the walls and unscrewing the switch plates in that tiny room -- 5 of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I had to put masking tape all around the edges so as not to get paint on baseboards, windows and doors. The painting job in there went smoothly and I was able to put it all back in order in no time.

Then I headed up the stairs to the choir loft. Now that is a challenge with bannister rails to paint around and high ceilings over carpeted stairs. I had a roller on a long pole to use but I never got to it before I quit for the day. I will go back and finish the landing at the top of the stairs and the second set of stairs to the choir loft tomorrow. I also have to use the long roller to finish the ceiling high walls I already did part of today.What an improvement it is looking so far! I think the white I am using is called SNOW BRIGHT.

Maybe I will take a photo of it tomorrow. . . other wise this will be a dull postcard. Ü



There's a method to my madness about painting at church. When we get the chapel parts finished with the white, we will add a small amount of blue and paint the long hallway. Only then, will they move the bulletin board for me to start decorating again. I used to change it according to the church seasons. I know i am never going to go work on this alone again. Well, after I finish tomorrow, I mean.

WOW! -- Look what i got from Patricia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Patricia over at Pollywog Creek was participating in a Name meme and she responded by making a graphic with some internet friend's names. I happened to read her entry that day and when she asked if anyone else wanted one, I emailed her and said I would. She asked me my favorite colors and I told her blue and brown but then i also liked green because it is a sign of growth SO she included all three colors in the graphics she made for me.

Blessings, Patricia! I love them. . . Ü

JennymcB . . . lookie, lookie!!!!!!!!

Look what I am learning to make as of this morning!!!!! Crocheted dish cloths!!!!!!!! Some of the other ladies are knitting them but I don't know how to knit. hehehehe Are you jealous? Actually they are very easy to crochet, using a single crochet stitch. I don't know how this one will turn out but hoping to make great looking ones before long!

View from my window on very foggy day. . .

This tree is the best thing about my little apartment in a high rise. I live on the 8th floor and it can be seen almost to the ceiling of my place, thus, reaching the 9th floor! The fog was so dense this morning, you could not see the other shorter trees in their autumn splendor, nor the houses in this old neighborhood that are all arranged by square 'blocks" unlike the housing built today.

Tis the season for yams. . .

Walking through Walmart the other day, I decided to buy a yam. Now, I love yams but I hardly ever think to buy one. Maybe it's because I bake them and think turning on the oven for one yam is not very thrifty. . . I did it anyway and this was the result. YUM!


The best thing about their preparation is that you don't need to add a single thing to them to eat. They are delicious right out of the skin.

That reminds me of when I was growing up and Mom would get up before the rest of the household to get the old coal stove roaring. She would bake us yams -- not for breakfast but as a treat on the way to school. You see, they did double duty. . . we kept the warm yam in our pocket to keep our hands warm and then just before we arrived at school, peeled it down and ate it! Ü

Hats and scarves for orphanage . . .

Well, i got in on this project a bit late but i made three sets to go with the other 97 sets the other ladies had made. there is going to be a bunch of happy, warm kids this winter!
i had never made a hat before with hairpin lace crochet. I got a pattern/directions on the internet and there is no way on earth that a child could fit their head into it so I folded it in and added a little tie string and then doubled up the neck scarf to make it for a small child.


The next one, I loved the multi-colors of purple, pink and yellow but it seemed a bit strong so I added a white strip in the middle of the neck scarf and some on the hat also.


My final one is a pastel multicolored set.


i enjoyed making the neck scarves but the hats are very tedious and doubt I will make any more of them.

Autumn on the Columbia . . .

Autumn view on the Columbia.


Barge on Columbia in autumn.


This is a resting place in the Columbia River for traveling birds. i believe this is an Osprey. Well, others disagree. . . i just know that the newspaper said that is what the pole is there for. I presumed it was that for this reason.


Autumn leaves on path.

Leaf shadow. . .

I saw these leaves on the ground when I was walking to the store. At first, their color attracted me to them but then I liked the shadow the large leaf gave off.

"Mission" accomplished!

A small group of ladies from my church made 100 sets of hats and scarves for an orphanage in Mexico. The children will have them for this winter. The lady that is taking them to the orphanage already has 25 sets but this is the rest of them:

Spider. spiders everywhere. . .

I could not believe all the spider webs I saw today around our church building. It was like they were all out in full force on our first sun shiny day in a long time. The sunny day gave me a hard time trying to get the photos but I managed to get a few pics.
(Click on all but the first one to enlarge to see the webs better.)

Sunset on a clear day after two weeks of rain . . .

It has been awhile since I went for a walk along the Columbia River because of the large amounts of rain that we have been having but it was a beautiful day in the high 60's and my camera and I went for a long-awaited evening walk together. This is the result: