As I write this, although it's hard to believe, Halloween has arrived and today is the last day of October. We had our coldest night of the season here last night, and at six this morning it was just 29°F outside. It is the first time it has been below the freezing mark at our house at this time of day. The ol' "Frost is on the pumpkin" time has arrived! We'll be spending the day at home, and we won't be celebrating, although we are having a friend for dinner, who is actually cooking for us, making a delicious Shrimp Scampi dish for us. We have actually not done much of anything for this holiday since our marriage. We like to have things on hand (candy) for any children in the area who go out trick-or-treating, but we just haven't been living where we have any kids in the neighborhood. We didn't get any in my apartment in Fairbanks, AK after we were married, and then we were living in the top half of our duplex, and none of them climbed the stairs; we then moved 30 miles outside Fairbanks, and were located off the end of the road, and no one came there. In LaPine, Oregon, we lived in an area that was mostly made up of retirees, and our house sat at the very back of our one acre lot, so no one came. We asked about them at the store here that's just one house away from us, and they said that they get a couple of kids there, but they were in a car, and they didn't think the kids went door-to-door, so I guess we're not going to get any here either, and that's understandable, since walking along this highway can be dangerous. I know if I had kids here I'd take them to a nearby community where they could participate in come community events more safely. We hope all of you have a safe and happy holiday. Fall is an absolutely beautiful time of year here, as all the seasons are, and after a long, hot summer, the cool, crisp days and even the damp coolness of a fall rain is very welcome and beautiful to behold. My first year in this area was my first time to have four distinct seasons, and I couldn't believe all that I'd missed by not having them. I really enjoy having all seasons, and each in its turn is a surprise and a joy for what it brings to the landscape and our way of life. I prefer it over the sameness than comes in more southerly climes. → |
Everything is fresh and clean again, smells wonderful (that happens when you live in the midst of a forest), and is energizing after the languid heat of warm summer days. Our fall season this year is not providing as much time as we'd hoped to do "fall" things, due to our move coming just before it began. There's no getting around it, it's taking us longer to do things these days. We've not had much rain this fall yet, only on a couple of days, and while it is definitely cooler, the weather is holding pretty well, so Jim continued to dredge until this last week when he finally admitted it was just too cold and pulled it out of the water. He had some friends wondering if they'd have to come up and pull a "Jim popsicle" out of the water! You can see some photos of his fun on my Fall Gold Dredging page. Almost all the summer people have gone now, and it is very quiet in our neighborhood, and peaceful. There's much less traffic on the highway, and people are getting ready for winter. Those with horses or other animals are bringing in hay or winter feed, and since a lot of people in this area are still heating with wood a lot of them are hurrying to finish getting their supply of wood ready. Gardeners are putting their gardens to bed for the winter, gold dredgers are getting their equipment cleaned, packed away and covered, and soon, when all these beautiful leaves have fallen, folks will be raking them up to burn. After the hectic summer that seems to be the norm in this area with lots of visitors, it is a welcome time of year. |
 Thanksgiving is usually celebrated on a specific day - on the last Thursday of November, to be exact, and we try to spend it with our children, or some of them. This year, however, the children asked if they could come early and celebrate Thanksgiving with us at an earlier time. For one thing, in this part of the country, we generally get the first really terrible storm of the winter, and it's traditionally very nasty weather, which my children really dislike traveling in. Besides that, the freeway between Portland (Oregon) and our house is so jammed up with traffic that it is usual to spend hours and hours tied up in traffic. Neither of these things is pleasant, and since we were eager to see them, we agreed, of course, so they came to visit in mid-October instead... or at least, part of them did. One of them was ill, so he's coming this next weekend, and I can't wait to see him!. |
This means that we'll probably spend Thanksgiving Day very quietly, but we can handle that, if we do. We will probably be immersed in projects by that time, and spending a quiet day will be welcome. It will also allow us to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for, and they are very numerous. We have truly been blessed. We sincerely hope that each one of you is able to spend your Thanksgiving with loved ones, and have a very wonderful and peaceful holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!
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