Mrs. K

Mrs. Kuethe
Would have been 107 tomorrow, October 13th. 2 days after Nancy's only she had all the Friday the 13ths...
She lived next door to the house I grew up in on High Street. I remember her eager smile, whiskered chin,
dimpled girlish laugh sometimes. I would stand on the porch, telltale boards creaking as I approached.
But she would have already known I was headed down the hill, the curtain fluttering ever so subtely and her running to greet me, "Mareeee", she would say, like an exaggerated Marie. Then she would repeat my name
over and over. We all love hearing our name said outloud, that was not quite my name but close enough
to relish in that extreme adoration Adoration I lost when I lost my last grandparent so young I don't remember any of my natural grandparents. Mrs. Kuethe was there waiting for me to toddle down the hill
away from the hustle of a 7 child family. She and Herman spent many a night fanning on the porch with me sitting at their feet listening to them breathe and rock and make brief comments and then nodding off occasionally. Herman lit his pipe and Mrs. Kuethe would mouth words as she fell in and out of twilight.
She would have loved seeing the leaves change, and being by my side today.
I feel the same way, Happy Birthday Mrs, Kuethe.
I don't think I ever knew her real first name...emily? emmy? amelia?

First hard Frost

We have found out, through trial and error,

that right before that first bad frost,

(meaning low 20's instead of low 30's)

we just decide quite cold heartedly what to keep and what to sacrifice.

No emotions about it. It is a fact of life.

Fred picked the pears,

I picked the peppers and fished out the acorn squash.

We got about a bushel of mixed jalapeno and chile peppers,

then some watermelons and cauliflower.

We loaded the trailer and put it all in the garage, kind

of like a cool room/refrigerator.

Sure enough, we got a pretty deadly frost that night.

Today I put up 14 pints of spicy pickled beets plus 1 quart

for the table. The recipe is in the Ball book.

I soaked the cauliflower in salt water and it was too wormy for our tolerance.

Still we have brussel sprouts, chard, more beets and carrots.

Grateful for this colorful feast.

Mary

Ten Ten Ten

Ten Ten Ten

today could be abbreviated as

10/10/10

or 10.10.2010

numerologically a full house of low numbers,

Special,

unique,

a new beginning.

Today, the weather was as fine as peak foliage

season could be.

We attended a fine wedding

watching a beginning for them

and for me

the ending of the quilt I can call my

most challenging and rewarding:

Trip around the world,

Congrats to Tod and Janet.

Today as well was

the 10th annual East Charlotte tractor parade

coordinated by Carrie Spear

and a cast of thousands.

Fred and I both longed for a picture

of the old Titan, the first tractor on the farm

that was acquired and loving restored

by local guru Harv Sharrow.

I was honored to touch this

tractor that was the first improvement on horse power.

Overall it was a special day in the delightfully chilly Vermont air.

Rainbows and Fall Color

This year's color with some rainbows, scroll down for corn and flowers thrown in.

Frost is just around the corner....

Top of the World

Top of the World
Looking down at the valley
Splattered with bright and dull colors
Forgetting all the troubles
Down there.

Fall Foliage Vermont

http://www.flickr.com/photos/traveloguefortheuniverse/sets/72157622659428701/

The colors are turning seemingly fast, you know a little at a time and then all at once.
Swamps always your best bet for brilliant, early and loaded with reds.
Here are my pics from another year. Mt. Abe featured as well as our maple woods.
Today bright clear and cold. Perfect day for photos ...
but we are processing veggies: tomatoes, peppers,tomatillos, beet relish.
Our other fall colors.
Have a wonderful fall.
Mary

Lanap: epilogue

Lanap follow up 8 days later.
Have had One week of mushy food ranged from pasta and cheese to ice cream shakes, yogurt,
eggs, to Fred's white wine poached sea scallops yum.
Twinge of mild discomfort time to time, tissues normalizing.
The hygienist cleaned off my teeth and doctor checked. He did not have to grind to adjust my bite but did last time. It all looked OK.
Now cleaning every 3 months, several not covered by insurance (that not everybody has).Reminder to self :sign up for healthcare reimbursement account-pretax....
Off antibiotics now, back on real food and they will check the results
with a probe in one year.
I would recommend you consider Lanap. The laser causes healing changes without the destruction of scalpel or the destructive bacteria themselves.
My feeling is this really should be considered a medically necessary procedure since it is below the gum line...

Meanwhile, don't floss your gums, floss your teeth. Not enough good instruction on this subject.
Enough,
On to Friday night.....
October Project is playing.
...my name is aryanna...

Imagination

Imagine this place, so much larger than here.

But imagine it is not your imagination.

Imagine what is possible with our very own Hubble telescope.

Seeing this exploded star makes me think my imagination just is not going far enough.


Source: Hubblesite.org

Practice

Practice

Practice makes perfect

I have heard many times.
Practice, practice.

Keep on trying.
My discipline for musical practice is totally lacking.

I am skilled at skipping to my favorite tunes on the CD
(or used to drop the needle on my favorite song on the vinyl discs of yore...)
In Jr High,
I played tuba adequately I believe. I had my Mom forge my practice schedule, not feeling the need.
Then I couldn’t ask my Mom to forge for me any more.
The instructor and I had a set too and he forced me to practice.
I didn't need to, I yelled, give me something challenging to play!
I was bored by the tedious Jr High music bass notes, repititous, no variation.
So I quit. The heavy brass instrument was not mine anymore. Somedays I regret
not toughing it out, practicing more, and keep on trying.
If only Howard Johnson had been my Tuba instructor,
Could we ever have played a duet?

When I think of one thing I have practiced,
it is my passion: sewing
As I sewed and sewed and poke my fingers, untangled threads,
I recalled Donna's grandmother showing us how to embroider,
my Mom sharing little witticisms like
a lazy woman's thread is long and gets tangled (meaning a not lazy woman has a shorter thread and changes more often but saves time not de-tangling...get that?)
Still my threads get tangled, little mistakes,Minor bumps.
I move through the projects better now, sewing smoother and with better results.
Overall a reward for the patience that comes from

Practice….

My friend across the wide Atlantic

My friend Herrad sent me this from her place in Holland.

I am indeed honored and you could pay her a visit and drop her a line.

She has a great art gallery, she shares her life's path

and inspires me to write

more.

Herrad, you inspire me!

http://accessdenied-livingwithms.blogspot.com/

Blues for the Weekend

Here is a link to the best blues channel on the Earth Wide Web.

http://www.smokestacklightnin.com/


Smokestack Lightnin!

We heard some of their primo archives on the local musicheads station.
Am thrilled to see many blues packed onto one web address.