Songs my mother taught me

 Every day I drive past Dane Street beach on my commute. 

This was my view on Friday evening on my way home. 

Absolutely so beautiful it almost looks fake. 

The boat is The Friendship out of Salem, MA which is the next town over. 

I have to drive through Salem to get home as well and in October it can be

quite an experience. 

On the same evening I took this picture I saw a full grown adult man

wearing a one piece spandex Spiderman suit! He was no Tobey Maguire to say the least!

I am looking forward to November when I can drive home without the Salem craziness!

~

My co-teacher took this picture of me while we were at the playground at work. 

I don't normally where jeans to work but it was Friday and an early dismiss day for the children

because teachers had a professional development day.

I am thankful to work at a place that I really enjoy.

~

Close to 15 years ago my mum stopped by to see me one morning.  Apparently my naturally wavy hair 

was a little on the wild side. 

The next day she gifted me a hair dryer! 

I hated to get rid of it because my mother gave it to me but it wasn't blowing enough air to blow out a 

birthday candle so I finally got a new one. 

I dried my hair in record time and I think my mother would have approved of my 

tame, semi-styled hair-do.

~

It has certainly been getting colder at night around here! I needed a new comforter for my bed

so I went out and bought myself a very pretty sage green puff and a new set of dusty blue sheets.

My bed was so comfortable and I didn't wake up chilly in the middle of the night. 

Tucker, my cat, approved as well, especially since I kept the fuzzy blanket at the foot of the bed. 

~

With the sun rising a bit later in the morning I am often able to catch the sunrise as I drive to work. 

One morning this week I saw this spectacular sunrise with the clouds forming a big bank over the ocean.

By the time I got to work the clouds had all rolled in and the rest of the day was very cloudy.

~

And...one more from Wednesday morning

My paternal grandmother and I loved each other very much. I have such fond memories of her.

Every time I see beams of light like this I think of her looking down and watching over me. 

Her birthday was at the end of November...she was born in 1898! Wow! 

~

I'm adding a bonus number six this week because yesterday was my brother's birthday! This picture was from 2019 a few years before my other died. We were standing on the dock at the town landing down the street from where I live. We were happy to be all together.

Friday fave fives

On my brother's birthday

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Today is my brother's birthday.

He is kind, generous, and one of the funniest people I know. 

This picture is from 2019 a few years before my mother passed away.

We were standing on the town landing just down the street from where I live. 

It was a beautiful day and we were so happy to be all together.

I am very thankful to be able to celebrate my brother's birthday today.

~ ~ ~

thankful Thursday

Lake Monomomac baked beans

 

Lake Monomonac baked beans

This is an old recipe from a Yankee magazine. The beans are old fashioned and delicious! I make them on a cold winter's day when the low heat from the oven helps to keep my home cozy and warm. I also bring them along when we go to our annual family camping trip and keep them on the edge of the fire all day. I serve them with cornbread. All day your family will be telling you that something smells delicious and though it will seem like you slaved over a hot stove all day all you really have to do is a bit of stirring once in a while...maybe add more water if they get too dry.

~

2 lbs yellow eye beans

3/4 pound of salt pork

2 onions, sliced

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 1/2 tsp powdered mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

pepper

1/2 cup molasses

boiling water

Soak the beans overnight in water. Bring to a boil in same water, simmer gently till tender, 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Drain, reserve liquid. Cut salt pork in half, score both halves. Spread a layer of beans in a 4 quart pot and put 1/2 salt pork in. Mix onion, parsley, and thyme and spoon some over the beans. Mix mustard, sugar, ginger, soda, salt, pepper and molasses and add some of this mixture over the onions. Repeat layers till gone ending with beans. Add reserved cooking liquid and enough boiling water to cover beans. Place remaining salt pork on top of beans. Cook, covered for 6-8 hours at 275 degrees. Uncover for the last 1/2 hour of cooking. 

Serves 12 - 14

Busy Monday

Farmhouse Friday

Friendship

 t

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up

just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

~ ~ ~

I came across this beautiful scene as I drove home from work on Friday. I think the big boat is the "Friendship" out of Salem. MA, which is just the next town over from my town. Either way, it was so pretty a scene that I had to pull over to get a few pictures. 

It made me think of how often we "drive by" our friendships and don't really take the time to encourage or build one another up as we are called to do. 

Scripture and a snapshot

Scripture blessings on Sunday

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and all the roses falling

 

On Saturday we went to our annual trip to Halloween on the hill. My husband and my daughter's beau had to work but all the other key players were there. 

My son-in-law and grandson had gone to the UConn vs BC football game earlier in the afternoon and came home just in time to leave for our pumpkin walk so I was thankful that they were able to be there. 

I am in the middle with the hat on, my daughter, Hannah, is next to me, and my daughter, Bonnie, is on the right. My grandchildren from left to right are, Abby, Verne, and Natalie. My son-in-law, Dan, stands on the left. 

We have such a great time doing this every year and it is so nice to spend time together!

~

I have been knitting again after a long hiatus. I started out just knitting random squares and rectangles but I have a solid plan now. 

I am making a patchwork afghan. I like the idea of being able to port  a small square and knit it quickly where ever I am...not that I go very many places. 

Here are a few of the squares I've knitted so far.

~

The weather has finally turned autumn-ish and the temps are falling. I have put my "viking blanket" on the bottom of my bed for the chillier nights. 

My cat, Tucker, loves that blanket! He normally starts out on the bed but then leaves in the middle of the night but lately he is still there when I wake up. He curls right up on the blanket.

He turned 9 in July so he's been spending more time napping during the day as well.

~

I happened to notice that there were two little roses on my rose bush in the back garden. 

When we first moved here back before COVID my mother moved into the first floor and my husband and I moved into the second floor. She and I planted a beautiful garden. She was a very talented gardener and she did all of the design and I was mostly her worker. I happened to mention that I loved pink roses and she ordered a fancy one that we planted in front of my window. It smells absolutely divine when it's in bloom but it doesn't bloom for long. I purchased another one that blooms throughout the summer but doesn't smell as good. We planted them next to each other. 

We had a couple of very hot and dry summers after her death and my rose bush died. I didn't have the heart to get out there and water as much as I should have. It made me sad.

This year I purchased another rose bush to replace the one that didn't make it and my granddaughter, Abigail Rose, and I planted it together.

The last roses of the season always make me think of the song Danny Boy. My mother and I both loved that song and were moved to tears every time we heard it. 

~

This is called a straw flower because it sort of dries as it is still on the stem.

They were hanging in the barn at the pumpkin walk. 

Both of my daughters recognized them and the three of us had a conversation about flowers and gardening.

My grandfather was a gardener, my mother was a gardener, I am a gardener (though I don't get out into the garden as much as I would like to anymore).

One of my Irish ancestors was a gardener for Charles Stewart Parnell! 

I love that both of my daughters have continued gardening in our family. 

I love to see that link from the past into the future.

~ ~ ~

Friday fave fives

October

 

I am so thankful to live in a place where there are such beautiful Octobers!

Poets and authors write about them!

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!"

Lucy Maude Montgomery

Thankful Thursday

Here we are

 1). What do you like most about your family?

The love. The fact that we all share the same memories even if we see those memories from our own perspective. The unconditional love.

2). What's something nice that happened to you recently?

I was very grumpy at work on Monday. Very grumpy! It's been a rough week and it's only Wednesday. During our lead teacher meeting on Tuesday a co-worker found a sticker of a grumpy turtle holding a cup of coffee and gave it to me. We all laughed! Strangely enough, it was a shared laugh that broke through the grumpiness and gave us all some common ground. 

3). Do you like the color orange? Besides pumpkins and an actual orange what's something orange that you love?

So, orange isn't actually my favorite. I do love the color of pumpkins though and the orange of a beautiful sunrise/sunset. Also, orange is my grandson, Verne's, favorite color and I love him to the moon and back...the hunter/harvest, orange colored moon and back.

4). What's something you have now that you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it?

Just about four and a half years ago my mum passed away. I suppose that is something I don't have now and she was 86 so of course, I had imagined that she would, one day. pass away. What I do have now is a different perspective on my own life. My feet stand in a different way on the earth. I think of myself in a different way now that I am parentless. In some ways I feel a sense of freedom that I didn't have before. Also, a sense of profound loneliness. No one else will ever know me or love me like my mother did. I no longer have anyone to ask about family stories or even some of my own history. Did I have chicken pox when I was a baby? Did I like squash as an infant? I will have to let those things go as there is no one left to ask.  In some ways I feel as if I have "come into my own" and I know that she led a long and happy life. Still though, I think of her every single day and I would go back if we could.

5). Let's wrap this up with an October this or that...

Pumkin bread or apple cider donut? 

pumpkin bread if I or donut if I'm at the apple orchard.

Cozy sweater or cozy hoodie?

Sweater

Apple picking or pumpkin picking?

apple picking because I get my pumpkins from a wonderful little farm stand.

scary movie or Hallmark movie?

I don't like scary movies at all.

hay ride or corn maze

Hay ride! 

autumn hike or autumn bonfire

hike

6). Random thought?

I feel like I've been fairly random here. My husband normally works night shift and doesn't get home till after I've had the house to myself to get ready for work. However, he's not at work this morning and is HERE, in my space, talking and making his breakfast and getting in my way!

Wednesday hodge podge